**Update on how the binder has worked for me can be seen here.**
I have seen recipe binders all over Pinterest. They range from complete menu planning systems that need a masters in engineering to figure out to the simple. Goodness knows there’s got to be millions on Pinterest, so if you think I copied you, I apologize.
I first started with a 2 inch heavy duty binder from Target. The mechanism that opens the rings for you is wonderful!! It hardly takes any effort to open it. And you don’t have to worry about bending the rings when you open them with your hands. Been there, done that.
For the dividers, I used up & up index dividers with pockets again from Target. The beauty of these dividers are the pockets. Hot pockets!! (Not really, I just watched Jim Gaffigan this morning. I will never think about any type of pockets the same again.) I use the pockets to hold recipes I want to try, as seen in the picture below, right side.
I had a ton of 4 x 6 photo pages from a long ago coupon organizing phase, so I used those to hold the recipes. Even if the recipes are smaller than 4 x 6, it doesn’t matter.
I also used full sized sheet protectors for magazine pages, 8 x 10 papers (I found many of my Grandma Blanton’s recipes hand written on paper mixed in with my Mom’s recipes.)
That lasagna up there?? It’s from Southern Living and it is to D-I-E for . . . it’s so good you won’t even care about what a pain in the rear it is to boil the noodles.
The organizing was kind of easy. I had cookbooks I’d never used or cookbooks that I only used one or two recipes from. I did the unthinkable. I tore the recipes out of the books and then threw the remainder of the book out. It was hard! But some of the cookbooks I’d had for 15 years or more. If I hadn’t tried recipes from them by now, I never would. I do have a few favorite books that I didn’t get rid of, but you never know! I went through every book I’d never used and picked out a few “to try” recipes and then tossed them as well. I was a little skeered, but I lived.
Now for the menu planning. Weekly I go through and pick out a mix of recipes that won’t have us eating chicken 5 nights of the week. I love chicken that much, but the rest of the fam? They prefer a bit of variety. When I find the recipe, I pull it out and put it in the front flap:
I use the Smart Shopping app on my phone to make the shopping list . . . ahhhhhh, so easy! I love that if I run out of something during the week, I can just put it on my phone. No more ridiculous lists that I never seem to look at before I go to the store. Shopping apps are probably old news to everyone else, but I’m a late comer to this whole smart phone thing.
Here are the categories I used for my binder:
- Apps
- Beef
- Breads
- Breakfast
- Brownies/Bars
- Chicken/Poultry
- Cookies
- Dessert
- Fish
- Pasta
- Pork
- Salads
- Seafood
- Side Dishes
- Soup/Stew
- Veggies
Some of this might be redundant, but I wanted something laid out that was very straightforward. Another thing I’ve done is add 4 x 6 cards to act as place holders, like “Taco Night,” “Sub Sandwich Night,” etc. I don’t necessarily need recipes for those dinners but if I don’t have a visual reminder, I’ll forget. I guarantee it.
I pretty much think my binder is the answer to all my dinner dilemmas. So far, so good. Sometimes I just look at it and marvel that I have all of my family’s favorite recipes in one spot. For me? That’s monumental.
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48 responses to “Super Simple RecipeBinder”
Amy Sue says:May 10, 2012 at 9:34 pm
You are a bold one! That inspires me to tear out that one recipe I use and throw the book in the recycle bin. 🙂 The one I must keep is Pioneer Woman Cooks…it is a visual feast. Maybe we could plan a weekend get away and you could help me fix my recipe binder!
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- Julia says:
December 2, 2015 at 10:43 am
The other thing you could do instead of tearing out the recipe is just copy it or retype onto a separate sheet and then donate the cookbook to a thrift store. That way someone else may be able to benefit from the recipes as well.
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- laurie says:
May 10, 2012 at 10:32 pm
I too love my recipe binder…been a lifesaver time and time again:) I do love your idea of ripping out the recipes you would likely use and toss the book, very brave indeed!!
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- Carrie Robinson says:
May 11, 2012 at 10:02 pm
I so need to do this. I went through all my Quick Cooking magazines (I had a ton) and pulled pages of either recipes we use or ones I want to try and then tossed the rest. Thinking I need to do the same with the cookbooks now to save space. Not to mention, almost any recipe can be found online now.
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- laurie says:
May 12, 2012 at 5:57 am
I went through all my Quick Cooking magazines too haha:)
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- Super Simple Recipe Binder Update « The Misadventures of Cheri says:
July 20, 2012 at 7:37 am
[…] couple of months ago I posted how I made a binder for all my recipes. It’s been over two months since I started using it and it is a roaring […]
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- Trish says:
June 30, 2013 at 5:50 am
Looks great! I don’t know why I never thought to tear out my tried and true recipes from those books I’ve had for years. I’m going to get one of these started right away.
Trish
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- Shannon says:
June 30, 2013 at 7:04 am
I admired your organization. I am working on getting my recipes organized as well! Thanks for the inspiration.
Shannon @ Sewing Barefoot
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- April says:
July 7, 2013 at 5:06 pm
I made copies of my tried and true recipes with my printer and put them in my binder. No guilt over tearing pages out! Love your binder!
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- Judy Cook says:
July 9, 2013 at 7:24 am
I love your idea for a recipe keeper. I’ve been looking online for quite a while looking for something that would work for me.
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See AlsoHow To Organize Recipes: Real Life IdeasThis Is What Diet Recipes Were Like In The 1970sFive Roses Cook Book : Being a Manual of Good Recipes carefully chosen from the contributions of over two thousand successful users of Five Roses Flour throughout Canada : also, Useful Notes on the various classes of good things to eat, all of which have Rainbow fun: Rainbow Pudding Pops Recipe - Janie says:
July 9, 2013 at 12:08 pm
I’ve torn recipes out of books before, but I always recycle the rest of the book, guilt free. 🙂 Love this binder idea!
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- Ginger says:
July 18, 2013 at 10:31 am
I make copies and added the cookbooks to “yard sale fodder” box 🙂 So now when my friends tell me they are having a yard sale – I just give them the box 🙂
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- Toodie says:
July 21, 2013 at 4:04 pm
I’m with the rest of the ladies…you are indeed brave. And you have inspired me to do that “ripping out” thing. Because I have more recipes than I’m sure I have days left of my life and I am only almost 50. LOL! I have books that I have NEVER even used a recipe out of. Sad.
And…you mean there’s a shopping app? I did not know that and I am going right this minute to find it! Ah, I love you!
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- Naomi says:
July 22, 2013 at 9:47 am
I love this idea! I thought it was so funny that I’m not the only one that thought about tearing out pages from my recipe books. Thanks for sharing the great information.
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- Carlyn says:
August 10, 2013 at 9:40 am
Good to the point binder for recipes..thanks. I do neatly cut out the recipes I like or want from books or magazines, but I don’t throw them away. I donate them to the VA hospital near me for the soldiers or the wives of soldiers or vets so they can read them. Some of those ladies wait a long time for their spouses or friends and having magazines or books can help pass the time away.
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- Maria B says:
August 10, 2013 at 11:15 am
Hi Cheri, this binder is exactly what I need. I have folders full of recipes I’ve torn from magazines and this is a great way to organize them. I would love for you to share this at the Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party over at Krafty Cards etc. http://kraftycardsetc.blogspot.com/2013/08/krafty-inspiration-thursday-link-party-3.html
Thanks for the inspiration!
MariaReply
- deni says:
August 10, 2013 at 10:51 pm
Great ideas! Instead of cutting out recipes, though, you could just make a photo copy, that way the book’s not damaged and can be passed along fully intact, or even gifted!
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- Ginger says:
August 11, 2013 at 8:38 pm
I do this same thing and LOVE it!! It DOES NOT go into the 4×6 pages unless it’s a keeper! So, it’s nice to know that all the recipes in the 4×6 are tried and true. My “i’m going to try this” recipes go into the divider pocket pages until they are cooked — then it’s either the 4 x 6 or trash!
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- Misty Rosson says:
August 16, 2013 at 6:40 am
Very nice. I did kind of the same thing. I used a 3 ring binder with page protectors. I then go the sticky tabs and made divider tabs. I custom made the title page for each divider with a scrapbook software. Then (even though it to a while to find my niche due to my extreme OCD and perfectionist issues) I made a whole fill in the blank recipe page. But here’s the thing. I only add recipes that have been tried and the family likes. I had started adding my picture of the finished product on each one. But most times I would forget to take a picture before someone took a heaping spoonful out of my masterpiece. So I just search online for similiar pictures that look like mine and use those pictures. I fill in the blank on my recipe page and add picture then print. It sounds like a lot of work but once it is set up it takes me less than 3 mins to print my recipe for my binder. I prefer 1 recipe per page. It keeps it neat and clean. Also by printing them all on the same layout. you don’t have to hunt and search a recipe for information. You knoe exactly where to look. I then toss the torn out recipe. I also save these to my computer, so when people ask for the recipe, I print and ta-da, there it is.
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- Jill says:
September 10, 2013 at 11:28 am
Don’t throw the cookbooks out after you’ve ripped out one or two recipes from each one!! I did the exact same thing last year but I then donated the books. Lot’s of women will pay a few dollars for a cookbook with only a couple of recipes ripped out! I say that because I know I would!!
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- Angela Faye Lyshe-Thierry says:
November 30, 2013 at 8:13 am
thanks for the super-easy and functional idea!
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- kristy says:
December 1, 2013 at 7:22 am
This sounds awesome. I will try it soon! Everyone knows I have millions of recipes on pintrest and dozens everywhere in my kitchen… very unorganized!
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- Misty Rosson says:
December 1, 2013 at 1:20 pm
I have this binder set up, but I need to expand….So I was considering moving to a digital format so I could expand with out issues. Do anyone have a suggestion of their favorite digital recipe keeper? Or anything else?
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- Tina says:
December 1, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Ah…recipe lovers unite…I have saved and bugged the heck out of my hubby with all my recipes. I had books and magazines and well….I’ve been narrowing my “view”….so many of the magazine’s recipes (Quick Cooking…or any by Taste of Home/Reiman) can be found online. I have Cook’n software http://www.dvo.com/index.php ..they just came out with apps so you can snag recipes from the Internet and books etc…and use your phone/laptop/ipad too! (should be fun to try) …and I’ve used the Iriscan book http://www.irislink.com/c2-2546-189/IRIScan-Book-3—Mobile-Scanner—Scan-from-books-and-magazines.aspx to scan from books and magazines. I’ve gotten so I print out recipes I’ve tried and liked…and save the rest to PC (so it doesn’t bug hubby! LOL ) You can save them to discs and they have “pages” you can add to your notebook..in their proper place(Breads/Meats/Veggies etc) so now I save the picture too (to get me drooling)…everyone has their own “way”…thanks for sharing yours! (all of you!)
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- Seana Larson says:
December 7, 2013 at 10:07 am
Instead of ripping mine out, I scanned them into the computer so I had a backup (just in case) and printed them off. That way I had the pictures as well. Made it super easy. I actually have one binder for desserts, one for drinks, one for the rest of the food. I also have a birthday/holiday binder. It tells who was there, what they made, what gifts were brought, where and when. I have 4 (about to be 5) kids and come from a huge family. Totally helps me keep organized!
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- Lyn says:
March 18, 2014 at 9:07 am
I too use a recipe binder and meal plan each week so that my husband (who grocery shops!) knows what to buy.
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- Betty819 says:
April 19, 2014 at 5:50 pm
This is on my “To Do List” as well as buy a new address/telephone book..but when I’ll get “round tuit” is another story! I’m sitting here with recipes that I printed off Christy Jordan’s website yesterday. Kive her simple, het delicious recipes and her tuitorials!
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- Betty819 says:
April 19, 2014 at 5:53 pm
So would you say that recipe binder might be a 3 in. notebook? Maybe I’ll make up one for main dishes, desserts, side dishes, etc. that way a 2 or 2 in. would suffice for each..
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April 26, 2014 at 9:00 am
[…] A binder with tabs so she can print out her recipes and keep them organized (see how Cheri made hersHERE) […]
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April 26, 2014 at 9:14 am
[…] A binder with tabs so she can print out her recipes and keep them organized (see how Cheri made hers HERE) […]
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- Marjorie says:
October 8, 2014 at 6:32 am
I absolutely LOVE this! I have recipes I’ve found or written and have is in a binder and just flip through to make what I want. Now, I’ll just have to categorize and make it pretty.
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- Paula Gammariello says:
November 23, 2014 at 6:08 pm
I have one of these that I made copies of for my children and gave it to them when they moved out. A year before that event, we cooked together using all of the recipes so they had some experience cooking. The difference is that I have one binder with all of the recipes I haven’t tried but really want to. Once I try them I either throw them away or put them into the “Keepers” binder. This is a different book that contains all of my tried and true recipes, including family recipes from my mom, grandma, and aunts.
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- Laura Best says:
December 11, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Hot Pockets!! LMAO!! every time someone says that word i chuckle too!!
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April 14, 2015 at 8:43 am
[…] Find the how-to — with links to the Target products you’ll need — here. […]
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- ketutar says:
July 5, 2015 at 8:56 am
“complete menu planning systems that need a masters in engineering to figure out”
LOL Wonderful! Thank you for that 🙂Reply
- Debbie says:
March 12, 2016 at 6:59 pm
Just happened upon your site. Read about the lasagna recipe. Just FYI, you do NOT need to ever boil the noodles. I have used regular noodles and gluten free noodles and baked them to perfection every time. As long as sauce is on one side of the noodle …. and you cover it tightly with aluminum foil … and bake it for one hour 15 minutes ….. it will come out perfect. Once I remove my lasagna from the oven I uncover it and let it sit for 15 minutes. That way when you cut it, it stays in a nice firm piece. Just my two cents. I’ve been doing it this way for 26+ years.
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- Sheila says:
June 26, 2016 at 8:03 pm
I have copied recipes and then donated the book if I have only used one or two from a book.
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- Christina says:
July 1, 2016 at 5:28 am
Quick question: How did you organize the recipes within each section?
I love the idea of using both 4×6 photo sheets and full page protectors, and was thinking I’d alphabetize.
But what if my recipe for lasagna and tuna noodle casserole are both on 4×6 cards and my recipe for spaghetti is on a full page? Do you let spaghetti be out of order, or just leave a few blank spots and put the tuna noodle after the spaghetti page? 🙂Reply
- Cheri-Beri says:
July 5, 2016 at 9:10 pm
They’re completely out of order within the sections. I’m not super organized so it doesn’t bother me.
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- Marie says:
November 26, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Thanks for
The tip I’m downloading the app now hope it’s the right oneReply
- Nancy Benner says:
May 7, 2018 at 9:12 pm
Thank you for sharing your ideas. I thought that I had seen everything but your idea to add idea cards (like Taco Night) was new and useful for me. It helps when you are browsing your recipe book to see reminders that are family favorites but that you don’t necessarily need written down on a recipe card. Thank you again.
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- Sandy says:
June 14, 2018 at 2:10 pm
My recipe binder is so important to me! If we had a house fire my binder would be with me after family and pets! It goes with me if we leave for a hurricane and when we temporarily moved to CA I took it as a carry on!
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- Deb says:
November 5, 2019 at 6:35 pm
Can you provide more pics of the inside?
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- blockpartys says:
May 2, 2020 at 12:13 pm
I love this Recipe Binder….I’m definitely doing this!
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- kathryn says:
June 26, 2020 at 8:34 pm
I love your ideas they are great. i am going to donate my cookbooks when i am done. all the recipes I use from them are one that have been marked by my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother and i don’t even know where some of then came from. I am making a binder for my girls to keep handing them down
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- Deb says:
January 28, 2022 at 4:14 am
Where did ya get ya 4×6 card,pages having trouble finding these .. for the 3 ring binders
Thank y’all !Reply
- Donna Bone says:
September 5, 2023 at 4:19 pm
You can take a picture and print it
out to add to your notebook.Reply
Amy Sue 
laurie 
Trish 
April 
Judy Cook 
Janie 
Ginger 
Carlyn 
Ginger 
Misty Rosson 
Jill 
Angela Faye Lyshe-Thierry 
kristy 
Tina 
Seana Larson 
Lyn 
Betty819 
Paula Gammariello 
Laura Best 
Debbie 
Sheila 
Christina 
Marie 
Nancy Benner 
Sandy 
Deb 
kathryn 
Deb 
Donna Bone 