How do you store your recipies?

[caykon]

I love cooking and trying new things, I have loads of cookbooks plus stacks of recipies cut from magazines etc. How do you all organise this, so you don't end up with a stack of unorganised meess, and be able to find what you want quickly.

I have cut out recipes all stuck in a big book

I split them into groups...
Chicken
Beef
Lamb
Pork
Rice and Noodle dishes
Vegetarian dishes
Pasta
Fish & Seafood
Misc

Some fall into more then one category - I am sure there must be a better way. If I had the time, loading them onto the computer and then searching by ingredient would be best but I would be a nerd then, wouldn't I (or Alpha Mum maybe!).

The grouping would be good, then when I mealplan it would be easier. I just don't have the computer skills to put them on there (doesn't look like I'll ever be an alpha mum)
I might get dd a scrapbook and she can stickorganise all the recipies we do together.

I use one those slim hardbacked folders with plastic sleeves inside. You can easily slot in pages torn out from magazines. My system doesn't go any further than that though, so if I need to find something I have to search all the way through (good for inspiration though!). If you have loads you could use different folders for starters, mains & puddies I guess.

Just a big scrap book! So not very organised at all realy!

At the moment all my torn out bits of magazines are stuffed in one of those cardboard magazine file things. Although I'm considering getting one of these as I'm in the same boat as you and wanting to organise my scraps of paper.

I have 3 shelves of cookery books and folders and piles of food magazines .

DH says I need a database but that sounds so boring! I love flicking through cookery books.

Problem is I have too many now. I need to do a big clearout and sort what I do have.

Then I need to go through all the magazines and cut out the recipes I like. I have 2 folders that I did a few years ago - plastic with plastic inserts but I need to sort them properly.

It will be a HUGE job! And MN eats into my time too much!

Phoenix trading do a specially designed recipe box

I did the full go through the magazines and cut out what I wanted thing, then put them all hap hazardly into one of those folders with clear plastic sleeves inside. Then I filled it up and had to start a second, which is when I sorted it out a bit (slightly embarassed I appear to have spent an unhealthy amount of time on this.... it only took me an evening each time, honest!). So now I have one folder for soups, starters and puddings, and another for main courses. If I make a recipe that I think is pants, it gets REMOVED from the recipe folder (ruthless emoticon), and I am forever chucking out slightly mad game based recipes that dh hoards but will never cook....

(buda, the job won't be too huge, as long as you are in a ruthless mood when you start... magazines one evening, cookbooks another evening.....)

oooh www.phoenix-trading.co.uk/web/corp/products/catalog.do?catalogId=PRD34210

Buda - I have a very restrained 1 shelf of cookbooks plus my jumble of torn out / scribbled recipes. The other day I saw in a magazine a cookery book and casually mentioned to dh that it looked interesting and he replied 'Don't you already have a cookbook?' He doesn't get it at all (my mum has 2 bookcases full - she also loves flicking through!)

Light - something like that could also be good. Although what I like about the Dodo one is that I can just stick the torn out recipe straight in. If I have to copy it out, the chances are I wouldn't get aorund to it

I have 2 bookshelves full of cook books, I'm another one who loves flicking through them. I cut out things from magazines and print of the internet and have several A4 files for these either hole punched or plastic sleeves categorised into canapes/starters/mains (further divided into chicken/meat/fish/vegetarian)/sides/desserts/cocktails and drinks. I then have a lovely large A4 size book with hand made paper which I am in the trows of handwritting in all my absolute favourite recipes which I hope to pas onto dd when she is older.

(Wails) You are all so ORGANISED!

I must do it. My problem is I start and then don't finish.

But - what do you do when planning a dinner party for instance? I pull out a few books and flick through and decide what to have (and then DH decides we are having Thai and he cooks and that is that!). Do you decide "we'll have pork so I'll look through those recipes?"

(Have to go now - will be back tomorrow)

I have started my own cookery book in which I write down the recipes.

If I'm planning a dinner, I think seasonal if I can, and then if any of my guests particularly like or dislike something, plus whether I might have cooked exactly the same thing the last time they came over. I just go with my gut instinct really ("I fancy tuna...") and can't pretend I'm any more organised than that. I don't often try out COMPLETELY new recipes at dinner parties, unless I feel pretty sure that it's foolproof, or i'm with good pals who wouldn't care (I must admit, I do think harder about it when I have the foody friends around.....).

I have the Phoenix storage box that some people have linked to. It is great for recipes that you tear out of magazines. It is not huge though.

Plain ol' ringbinder

Paperchase have some lovely binders for handwritten recipes. They also have small plastic pockets for storing torn out ones.