Dec 19 Kitchen Organization
I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of putting together a recipe binder. I would love to gather all our family favorite recipes and put them into one easy-to-access cookbook, but it’s been hard to visualize how it should come together. Do I put the recipes in alphabetical order? Wouldn’t recipes by meal make more sense?
Then it occurred to me that I don’t have to decide exactly how I’ll do it until I have it all organized on my computer first…on Microsoft OneNote to be precise. I know the big wig in the room is Evernote, but I have always used OneNote. I began using it when I got my first laptop back in college, and it was incredibly useful for organizing my notes for each class.
Now I use it for organizing my blog posts each month, taking note of goals I want to reach, and getting recipes together so one day I can print them all out and make a family recipe binder. I want my kids to each have their own recipe binder when they leave home, and I’m well on my way there.
How to Use Microsoft OneNote to Organize All Your Recipes
Even if you’ve never used OneNote, I’m sure youwill love organizing your recipes this way. If you have Evernote instead, I am sure you can do the same thing there to make your own recipe binder. You can download both OneNote and Evernote for free, but I’m not sure ifEvernote hasthe same capabilities as a paid version. OneNote even has a free recipe clipper you can download right here.
Step 1: Create a Notebook
When you start organizing your recipes in OneNote, you will want to create a new notebook. Click on File – New, and then you have a few choices about where you want access to this notebook: web, network, or my computer. I always just choose my computer because I am always at home working on it.
Now name yournotebook. I used our last name and then Family Recipe Binder. The final step is to choose where you want to store this notebook.
Step 2: Create Folders (or Tabs)
After you have your new notebook all set up, you are ready to start creating folders. The easiest way to do that is to double click on the little tab that says “New Section 1” and type in the name of your first folder.
If you have decided you would like to try organizing alphabetically, you could name this folder A-D. Then when you have a recipe that you want to add that starts with a C, you add it to this folder. Just keep adding folders and naming them what you have decided you like. You add a folder by either clicking the little star symbol or right clicking and choosing “new section.”
I mostly organized my folders by type of meal and it has been great for me. I have Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Sides, Dinner, Sauces, Breads, Desserts and Treats, We’re Having Company, Seasonal, and Baby Food.
Step 3: Add Recipes
Now you’re ready tostart adding recipes! If you make a lot of your recipes from things you see on Pinterest or other websites, this is going to be really easy. You can either add a recipe by taking a screen clipping or you can copy and paste the recipe. Either way, I always make sure I copyeither the name of the blog/website where I got the recipe from or just copy the entire web address so I can go back if I need to.
Screen shot of recipe from a blog online
You can always include a picture in your screen shot for visual reference, but avoid using that picture for any other purpose. I rarely take a screen shot of the picture and put it with the recipe in OneNote because I figure I would have too much to live up to if I had a picture of the food I am making. 🙂
Recipe copied and pasted from a blog online
If you have a lot of recipes from cookbooks or magazines, you can scan those into your computer and add them straight to your OneNote notebook, or you could sit down and type them out yourself.
I love, love, love the fact that you can take notes about the recipe after you make it. You can say how great it was or what you would change for next time.
The great thing about organizing your recipes in OneNote before ever printing them out into a recipe binder is that you don’t waste money by printing out recipes, especially if they are ones you have never tried. I prefer to add the recipe, try it, make tweaks, and then if it’s a recipe that my family just didn’t really like, I can easily delete it. And you never know, your family’s food preferences could change over the years, and it would be as easy as adding and deleting recipes as you see fit.
How do you organize your recipes?
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I'm a mom of 3 on a journey to feed my family nourishing foods. Personally, I believe you can cook healthy food and still have time for your loved ones.
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FAQs
Use tags to categorize content: OneNote allows users to add tags to their notes, making it easy to categorize and organize content. Users can create their own tags or use the pre-existing ones in OneNote. Collaborate with team members: OneNote allows teams to collaborate on projects by sharing notebooks and notes.
How to efficiently organize OneNote? ›
Use tags to categorize content: OneNote allows users to add tags to their notes, making it easy to categorize and organize content. Users can create their own tags or use the pre-existing ones in OneNote. Collaborate with team members: OneNote allows teams to collaborate on projects by sharing notebooks and notes.
How do you create a templated page in OneNote? ›
On the ribbon, choose Insert > Page Templates. In the Templates task pane, click the small arrows next to the category names to expand them. To apply a template to a new page, select its name in the list. If you don't like your selection, select another template to replace your previous selection.
Is there an app to organize my recipes? ›
RecipeBox is your ultimate kitchen companion. Built with the at-home cook in mind, RecipeBox allows you to save your favorite recipes in one place. It's your all-inclusive kitchen assistant. With RecipeBox, you can organize recipes, plan your upcoming meals, create your grocery list, and even grocery shop in the app.
How to organize recipes digitally? ›
When saving recipes as PDFs, use descriptive file names for easy identification. If possible, sync your digital recipe organizer across devices to access your collection from anywhere. Embrace the convenience of digital organization and enjoy the flexibility it brings to your culinary journey.
Is OneNote going away? ›
We recently announced the availability of the OneNote app on Windows in the Microsoft Store and that OneNote for Windows 10 will reach end-of-support in Oct 2025.
Is Evernote better than OneNote? ›
Although Evernote and OneNote are both note-taking tools, they have very different emphases and can be used for quite different purposes. If you're primarily looking for a tool that lets you easily capture, organize, and find content from the web, you'll want Evernote, because its tools for doing that are exemplary.
Can you use OneNote as a task manager? ›
First there's old fashioned Tasks: I like using OneNote, you can flag something as a task and leave the multiple action points as the checkbox lists, this is a great way to marry up documents, notes with the tasks to which they relate.
Does OneNote have a planner template? ›
Personal Organization Templates: From daily planners and to-do lists to goal trackers and habit trackers, these single-page templates help you stay organized, focused, and productive in your personal life.
Are there templates for OneNote? ›
OneNote comes with several built-in templates, including decorative page backgrounds and to-do lists. You can create your own template or customize an existing one. You can use OneNote templates as they are, change them as you like, or create your own.
In the OneNote ribbon, click Insert, and then Page Templates. A new Templates sidebar will open with template categories. Then choose the design you want for your new page. There are lots of options, including class notes templates, meeting notes templates, and templates with different backgrounds.
How do you organize sections in OneNote? ›
Section tabs run across the top of your notebook and are a great way to organize your content by topic or subject area. You can change the order of sections anytime. In the row of sections near the top of the page, drag a tab left or right until it's in the position where you want it.
What is the difference between a section and a notebook in OneNote? ›
Notebooks in OneNote are made up of sections and pages. Pages contain your actual notes, whereas sections contain collections of related pages. Each notebook can have as many sections as you want, and any section can have as many pages as you want.
Is there a way to group notebooks in OneNote? ›
A section group can hold as many sections as you want, along with all their pages, so you won't lose a thing. To create a section group, do the following: Open or create a notebook in which you want to create one or more section groups. Right-click any section tab, and then click New Section Group.
What is the easiest way to keep recipes? ›
The first option is to organize recipes is to file them by type in a recipe binder. I keep some of my tried and true recipes in a binder. These are the recipes I've had and used for years, and even though they are in my electronic database, I kept a hard copy.
How to make a recipe binder? ›
If you want to create your own recipe binder you just need four simple “ingredients.” Of course, you need a binder. Then, sheet protectors, recipe cards, and dividers. From there, it's just a matter of picking out the right versions of those four “ingredients” and putting them together.
How do I organize my cookbook collection? ›
You should organize cookbooks in a way that makes sense to you. But experts recommend grouping cookbooks by cuisine (such as Indian, Italian, or Mexican), with separate sections for books on specific topics, such as grilling, seafood, or poultry.
How do I divide up a recipe book? ›
Here are a few ideas for how you can categorize your recipes:
- Meal type: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, appetizers, sides, snacks, drinks.
- Diet: low carb, keto, vegetarian, Whole 30, paleo.
- Cuisine: Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Greek.
- Main ingredient: chicken, beef, pasta, fish.
