The Recipe for Recipe Storage

And the ones I like most!

Forgetting the source of a recipe you love can be frustrating, especially when you can't recall where you saved, pinned, screenshotted, or flagged it. ‘It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me.” After years of constantly chasing my tail to find past recipes, I decided to start the search for the perfect solution. Thankfully there are several options for storing recipes from multiple sources so you can find the one(s) that work best for you. Yes, I use 3 of these. Pepperplate, Pinterest & a physical recipe binder. (Doesn’t sound like a simple system, I know, but it’s really working for me!)

Recipe organizer apps:

There are many recipe organizer apps available that allow you to save and organize recipes from different sources in one place. Some popular options include Cookpad, Pepperplate, Mealime, Paprika, & Kitchen Stories.

Pepperplate: Pepperplate is a recipe management app that allows users to import recipes from popular websites or enter their own and save them in a single location. It also offers meal planning and grocery list features, making it easy to plan and prepare meals for the week. This one is $3 a month but I love it. My mom and I share an account so find a friend or loved one and split it. 10/10 for me.

Kitchen Stories: Kitchen Stories is a recipe app that offers high-quality recipe videos, step-by-step photo instructions, and a meal planning feature. It also has a social element that allows users to connect with other cooks and share their cooking experiences. I do really like this one for the aesthetics.

Cookpad: Cookpad is a community-based recipe app where users can share and discover new recipes. It also has a social element that allows users to connect with other cooks and see what they're cooking. However, it may not have the same level of recipe organization and meal-planning features as some of the other apps on this list. I personally didn’t like the functionality of it.

Mealime: Mealime is a meal-planning app that provides users with personalized meal plans based on their dietary preferences and restrictions. It offers recipes and grocery lists and even allows users to adjust the serving size of recipes to match their needs. Mealime does have a free option with a pro-paid version as well. Wasn’t a fan, unfortunately.

Paprika: Paprika is a recipe management app that offers advanced features such as automatic recipe importing, grocery list creation, and meal planning. It also allows users to save recipes from any website and organize them into collections. This one is $5 to download.

Online recipe platforms:

You can save recipes from different sources on online recipe platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, Yummly, or Allrecipes. These platforms allow you to create boards or collections to keep your recipes organized. They each differ in terms of their focus, features, and user interface. While Pinterest and Yummly offer more advanced recipe organization and meal-planning features, Instagram and Allrecipes are more focused on recipe discovery and sharing. Pinterest is the top runner for me here.

Physical recipe binder:

If you prefer a physical format, you can print your recipes and store them in a recipe binder. Use dividers or tabs to separate recipes by category, source, or go-to’s. Those well-worn pages always spark a memory. And it’s the best kind of heirloom.

Digital storage:

You can save recipes on your computer, phone, or tablet using a cloud storage service like Google Drive (see my Google Sheets example below), Dropbox, or iCloud. This allows you to access your recipes from anywhere and easily share them with others. This is my favorite for creating a meal plan. Google Sheets allow links that take you straight to the source. Or if it’s a physical cookbook, I note the title and page number. (So maybe that 3 above is actually a 4. Goodness.)

The question of, ‘What’s for dinner?’ isn’t going away, no matter what season of life you are in and you will certainly encounter situations where you're undecided about which recipe or cooking system works best for you. It's perfectly normal to feel this way, especially if you're experimenting with new ingredients, techniques, or even where to keep all those recipes. It can be overwhelming to sift through the endless recipes, each with its unique set of instructions and cooking times. You might find yourself second-guessing whether you're using the right cooking method or if you're using the right ingredients. The best way to navigate this uncertainty is to experiment with all the available options until you find the perfect fit. (There is no wrong answer here.) This trial-and-error approach will help you develop your cooking skills and the method of meal planning and recipe storage that fits you best.

I’d love to know what your method is and how you organize all your favorite recipes! And send some my way, I’m always collecting. :)