SparklyUnicorn Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 What's out there for this? Ideally not too too expensive. I have so many recipes that I just print out and then lose and can't find. It's getting unwieldy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I use Pinterest for this. You can add your own photos & notes if you use the phone app, keep the folders private, and categorize into whatever folders you want. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I have used macgourmet which is a computer based program (you pay for it once) and plan to eat which is a web-based program (you buy an annual subscription). Both allow weekly meal planning and make shopping lists for you. Right now I am leaning toward plan to eat because my daughters are moving out and calling me for recipes and it is easier to share them using plan to eat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) I've used Plan to Eat for years now, and I love it. I rarely pay for any kind of online or subscription service, but that's money I happily fork over every year. Even if I just used it as a recipe database, it's so easy to use that it would be worth it. As it is, it makes meal planning (which I do sporadically but more often than not) very simple. And I live by my Google calendar, so the ability to link my meal plans so they show up on my Google calendar is an added bonus. The only caveat I would mention is that I don't love the phone/tablet interface. They've committed to developing a user-friendly device-based interface rather than an app, but I find it irritating enough that I only use my phone or iPad (on a stand in the kitchen) to pull up the recipe and cook, the way I'd use a cookbook. Everything else--adding recipes, tweaking recipes, meal planning, etc.--I almost always do on my PC. However, I don't like phone/tablet interfaces for most things, so take my feedback on that with a grain of salt! You'd have to pay full price if you wanted to get it now, but every year on Black Friday weekend they have a 50% off sale, so after the first year, you'd be paying less (assuming you catch the sale). Edited February 12, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I just have a 3 ring binder with page protectors. I organize into main meals, breakfast, breads...if there's a recipe we don't like anymore, I pull it out easily. I put all my printed recipes there and even ones we like a lot from cookbooks I own. The page protectors protect them from spills. Low tech and easy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 I've used Plan to Eat for years now, and I love it. I rarely pay for any kind of online or subscription service, but that's money I happily fork over every year. Even if I just used it as a recipe database, it's so easy to use that it would be worth it. As it is, it makes meal planning (which I do sporadically but more often than not) very simple. And I live by my Google calendar, so the ability to link my meal plans so they show up on my Google calendar is an added bonus. The only caveat I would mention is that I don't love the phone/tablet interface. They've committed to developing a user-friendly device-based interface rather than an app, but I find it irritating enough that I only use my phone or iPad (on a stand in the kitchen) to pull up the recipe and cook, the way I'd use a cookbook. Everything else--adding recipes, tweaking recipes, meal planning, etc.--I almost always do on my PC. However, I don't like phone/tablet interfaces for most things, so take my feedback on that with a grain of salt! You'd have to pay full price if you wanted to get it now, but every year on Black Friday weekend they have a 50% off sale, so after the first year, you'd be paying less (assuming you catch the sale). Oh that would be ideal to be able to cook from it using the tablet. But otherwise it sounds like what I"m looking for. My husband said just put stuff in a binder. Yeah that's what I do, but then I can't find anything. He said organize it in ABC order. Uhhh... He doesn't cook so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 I just have a 3 ring binder with page protectors. I organize into main meals, breakfast, breads...if there's a recipe we don't like anymore, I pull it out easily. I put all my printed recipes there and even ones we like a lot from cookbooks I own. The page protectors protect them from spills. Low tech and easy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I like low tech and easy best, but this isn't working for me anymore! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) Oh that would be ideal to be able to cook from it using the tablet. But otherwise it sounds like what I"m looking for. My husband said just put stuff in a binder. Yeah that's what I do, but then I can't find anything. He said organize it in ABC order. Uhhh... He doesn't cook so.... There's a free 30-day trial, so you can fiddle with it for a bit if you want to while you decide: https://www.plantoeat.com (link should be right near the top right-hand side). ETA: There's also Paprika, but I tried it years ago (trying to save money and avoid paying an annual fee) and prefer the PTE interface a lot. It's pretty popular though, so it might speak to you more than PTE does. Edited February 12, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I just have a 3 ring binder with page protectors. I organize into main meals, breakfast, breads...if there's a recipe we don't like anymore, I pull it out easily. I put all my printed recipes there and even ones we like a lot from cookbooks I own. The page protectors protect them from spills. Low tech and easy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I do the same and also have a section for interesting looking untried recipes. That way what's in each other section is tried and true, with any adjustments we like. If I ever need to share a recipe, I just take a picture and send it in a text or email. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 There's a free 30-day trial, so you can fiddle with it for a bit if you want to while you decide: https://www.plantoeat.com (link should be right near the top right-hand side). ETA: There's also Paprika, but I tried it years ago (trying to save money and avoid paying an annual fee) and prefer the PTE interface a lot. It's pretty popular though, so it might speak to you more than PTE does. I'm trying that right now. I am amazed at how easy it is to clip recipes from websites. That's really really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I'm trying that right now. I am amazed at how easy it is to clip recipes from websites. That's really really cool. I know, isn't it? I like to cook and am always changing things up, so I'm forever grabbing recipes I see in passing. And it's pretty easy to pull in your paper recipes too. It's very rare that a google search doesn't locate a recipe I'm looking for, and then I just import it and maybe tweak a few elements as needed. The tagging is so useful, and the picture feature is great. I MUST have pictures on my recipes or it drives me nuts :lol: When you import recipes, though, take a minute to look down the ingredients list and make sure it matches up with what PTE imports, though. It's rare, but I've had some cases where the import wasn't the same as what was on the website, so that will help to avoid missed ingredients, weird amounts, etc. Feel free to post here if you need help figuring something out. Their help site can be hard to navigate, IMO (although their response time is great if you actually need to contact them about something), and a bunch of us here are users, so odds are we can help you if you're stuck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I have been using Paprika for a couple years now. I love it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I've made Pinterest folders based on the day of the week. Mexican Monday, Pasta Tuesday, Seafood Wednesday, Asian Thursday, Pizza Friday, Saturday leftovers or out to eat, Sunday favorites, etc... I got the idea from some Mormon food storage blog that I've long since stopped following, but basically I made theme nights. I have one folder for each night, plus breakfasts, desserts, and recipes I haven't tried yet. That way when I'm planning grocery lists & meals I just look at the photos and pick something that seems good. It's difficult to choose 30-60 favorite family dinners, but it's easy to choose your 4-6 favorite pasta recipes, and 4-6 favorite Mexican foods, etc. Theme nights make food planning easy, plus kids get used to it. I don't see why you couldn't do something similar for any app or notebook system you use. The theme nights don't have to be cuisine oriented either - you could always do crock pot meals on Wednesday nights when you have an activity, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) I have a book for writing down recipes; it even has different sections with side tabs for different types of dishes. I print the recipe and paste it in. The book lives on the shelf with the cookbooks. I prefer having a book on the counter when I cook- it does not matter if I splatter or drip anything on it - as opposed to the laptop. Edited February 13, 2017 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I've made Pinterest folders based on the day of the week. Mexican Monday, Pasta Tuesday, Seafood Wednesday, Asian Thursday, Pizza Friday, Saturday leftovers or out to eat, Sunday favorites, etc... I got the idea from some Mormon food storage blog that I've long since stopped following, but basically I made theme nights. I have one folder for each night, plus breakfasts, desserts, and recipes I haven't tried yet. That way when I'm planning grocery lists & meals I just look at the photos and pick something that seems good. It's difficult to choose 30-60 favorite family dinners, but it's easy to choose your 4-6 favorite pasta recipes, and 4-6 favorite Mexican foods, etc. Theme nights make food planning easy, plus kids get used to it. I don't see why you couldn't do something similar for any app or notebook system you use. The theme nights don't have to be cuisine oriented either - you could always do crock pot meals on Wednesday nights when you have an activity, etc. You can "theme" by entree: Monday chicken, Tuesday beef or pork, Wednesday vegetarian, Thursday fish/seafood, Friday pasta/pizza, Saturday salad, Sunday leftovers... within each day, based on the day's business or grocery budget, decide if it's going to be chicken soup, chicken on the grill, whole roasted chicken...see what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I splurged on the Circa notebooks and put together several of those. One for recipes I use regularly, one for breads and sweets, another for vegetables and sides. Nice to be able to pull a recipe out sometimes or change the order in the book. They are what I would grab first if we had to leave the house suddenly. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.