Recipe Method Poll


 

Len Dennis

TVWBB Diamond Member
I thought we used to be able to create polls but not now. It's been so long (I was sure I had in the past) I may be mistaken. So this is what I'm asking:


With Christmas coming, we and our family exchange "wish lists" for gifts we would like and stuff we would prefer not to have. Limited to $50, this allows both givers and receivers to choose items that are both financially reasonable and won't just sit on the shelf gathering dust (ie : useful gifts.

The reason for asking: I get a lot of my recipes online and print them out for future reference. Obviously, this method is cheaper than buying a $30-40-50 recipe book only to discover that there are only one or two recipes that I would ever use.

I've tried using my tablet for recipe review but it only allows for a 10 minute (max) window before it "goes to sleep". A real PITA when your hands are covered in butt juice and aromatic spices.

So, do you prefer having a book that you can keep open (and have other recipes instantly available) or just the one you printed out from an online source or do you keep your recipes on an open Ipad or tablet or whatever?

Please express your preference and if you feel like it, provide your rationale.

Thanks.

I'm thinking about Kutas book for sausages but am undecided as I currently just print out individual recipes as I find them or looks good.

edit-->add a sausage recipe link I like with way too many recipes that I like

http://thespicysausage.com/sausagemakingrecipes.htm
 
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For me, I print them out after I save them to a specific file on my computer. That way, if I need to, I can print them again and I don't have to worry about damaging any electronics while doing the prep work and cooking. If they are still in good shape when I am done, I put them in a binder for future reference. Saves money on damaged electronics.
 
For me, I print them out after I save them to a specific file on my computer. That way, if I need to, I can print them again and I don't have to worry about damaging any electronics while doing the prep work and cooking. If they are still in good shape when I am done, I put them in a binder for future reference. Saves money on damaged electronics.

And that's the way I currently do it. But when you find one (like Kutas) that has so many great-looking recipes, I'm wondering whether the book route should be considered.
 
That is also an option Len. As an example, I have a few books on chinese cooking from Martin Yan that I have had for about 30 years. I still use them today. If it is a book that has a lot of recipies that I want to use, then I get the book and use it. The book will no doubt get dirty, but it is meant to be used while cooking anyway. I guess what I am saying is this, whatever works just do it. If I destroy a book while cooking, I will just order a new one. The most important thing is that the food come out right. I have used my iPad a few times in the kitchen, but at what they cost, I think that they should be used with caution. That said, if there is something I need them for then I will use them in the kitchen. Whatever works for you is the right way to do it.
 
Can you modify the tablet settings to go to sleep after a longer period?

That's what I was going to suggest too, Len. But to answer your question, I have recipes I load onto my computer that I'll review beforehand (or print if there's too much to remember-I'm old!) as well as some books that I'll reference during a cook. But more often than not, I take Indy's view..."I don't know, I'm making this up as I go..."
 
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I do pretty much the same as Len and Bob. I save my recipes to a file and print them. I try to keep them in a binder but since I tend to misplace stuff I often end up taking my laptop to the kitchen. I rarely, if ever, buy a cookbook these days due to the one or two useful recipes problem.
 
My answer wasn't responsive to the question so I'll weigh in to say I use the screen of my phone more than any other source of recipes in the kitchen.
 
I save our recipes to a file on my desktop after converting it to a word document and print a copy that goes in one of the large binders we keep in the kitchen which is indexed for various categories. We also place them in protective plastic sleeves so they don't get damaged when preparing a recipe. We also have quite a few cookbooks, mostly chili, BBQ and grilling along with all the Jamie Purviance Weber books.
 
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I save the recipes and condense them to a 3 x5 area, print them out, then run them through a laminator. If the recipes are short I print one on each side, if longer I print on both sides. If you leave enough border you can hole punch them and attach to a key ring. I wait until I have enough and print an entire sheet at one time.

Reasoning? They're spill-proof, easy to store and use, and unless they come in contact with a burner they'll last for a very long time. Wipe them off with a damp rag.

Harbor Freight sells a laminator for about $25 and sheets are inexpensive. For as little as I use it, it works very well.
 
I think I'll go the book route. I'll still collect recipes online/print them off but like my bread bible, I have to have a sausage bible.

I appreciate all the input. Thanks folks!
 
You might consider checking out a really good, affordable, recipe management program that can be shared:
http://www.mastercook.com/

Mastercook has recently been under new management and they are adding good stuff (apps) on almost a weekly basis. I have to say that if something doesn't work, they are very willing (through their help site) to check out why and try to improve or correct it.

The latest version works very well for most people, but know that there are occasional glitches for real tekkies as you will see on their extremely helpful HELP site where they send problems back to their programmers to fix:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups...lYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTQ0NDM0OTEzMQ--

Rita
 
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I mix it up. I've been buying mostly ebooks for the last couple of years, sometimes buying new ebooks of my favorite cookbooks.

I like the ebooks since I'm able to pull up a recipe while walking into the store to make sure I have everything, and then I'm able to read them on any of my PCs...including one that's in the room next to my kitchen. I'll pull up a recipe from an ebook or website and peek around the corner every once in a while.

Sometimes I'll cut/paste/print the recipe.........

That's how I've done it for the last year or two, I don't know how long it's been since I had a tablet on the counter.....probably just a few months but
 
I have several cook books that I've bought over the years. I also have a really great Cook's Illustrated that I won on this fine forum! But, after perusing them, I find I rarely use them!
I've started book marking recipes on my Ipad. I just make sure that I keep it from sleeping by touching it every few minutes to keep my place!
 
Any recipe that makes the cut and will be cooked again gets typed (or scanned) and saved to my recipes folder. Many can be found online and copied from there. I often add modifications or notes.

I print a fresh copy each time I cook the recipe. I can jack up the font so that I can read it w/o glasses. And I don't worry about it getting wet or dirty during cooking; it's going in the trash or recycle bin when I'm done.
 
We've gone totally paperless in our kitchen.

Our preferred recipe research tool is Pinterest, my wife and I share around 2 dozen food/recipe Pinterest boards where we pin new recipes or ideas.

Then we use an online site called "Plan to Eat" for organizing our recipes, menu and shopping list. P2E has the option to import recipes, so we have the recipe even if the web page it was originally found on goes away. We can also add our own recipes. Shopping lists are automatically created when recipes are added to the menu planner, and we can add items manually as well.

Since all these resources are shared, my wife and I can plan, shop and execute meals even when we're not in the same room. It's made life a lot easier, since the recipes are searchable, and we don't have to wade through the three 4" binders we had for recipes before this. We really like this approach!
 
U know, I acknowledge all these electronic methods are great. No paper, no problem finding recipes.

BUT, for using my fav recipes,I like the old method. I like sitting down in the morning, reading the paper in my hot, live hands (hear that, Charlton?). In my situation, I don't have to keep refreshing the screen so it stays "on".

I'll stay with paper (for now) :)
 
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