How to organize recipes.
It’s time to get organized in the kitchen. Ditch the cookbooks littered around the house, the recipes in your online bookmarks, and the culinary TikTok videos you’ve saved on your profile.
Having a system that works for you means you can always pull out the recipe you want without spending an hour searching high and low for it, only to end up getting takeout.
Without a proper system, it can be hard to find the youngest child’s favourite recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese (they don’t have to know it features six kinds of vegetables) or the breakfast omelette recipe passed down to your partner’s family for generations.
At Adobe, we’re not just about the business world. We want to help you be as organized at home as you are in the office. Take a look at our handy guide to help you organize your recipes.
Simple steps to get started.
As with any method of organization, the way that works for you will depend on your personal preferences. We’ve come up with some handy tips to get you going.
Step 1: Start by gathering the recipes you have
Dig them out of the books you have around the house, the recipe cards handed down through the ages, the Pinterest print-outs, the bookmarked blogs, and magazine cuttings. Gather them all together, and make sure you’ve saved the best ones on your computer in easy-to-find folders.
Step 2: Organize the recipes depending on the format
Put all the paper recipes, binders, notecards and books together. If you have digital recipes, you might have various notes on your phone, in your Google Drive, or attached to emails. Try and put them all in one place. Make a bookmarked folder for blogs so you can find them easily. Save your social media ones on the apps themselves; you can often export them to an online drive or notes app.
Step 3: Declutter
Look through the recipes, and decide which ones you want to keep and which ones to discard. If you have multiple recipes for the same meal, think about which one you enjoyed most and keep that one. Start with the physical ones and then move through your digital recipes. You might find some you loved and had forgotten about or rediscover those which were a disaster.
Step 4: Choose your method for organization
Physically or digitally, it is entirely up to you. There are many ways you could store your recipes physically, such as an accordion folder, recipe journal or binder, but they can get heavy and take up a lot of space. Saving them online might be best to help you stay organized and cut down on the clutter.
Step 5: Categorize accordingly
Once you’ve decided how you want to organize the recipes, you need to categorize them. If using a digital method, look at Adobe’s tool for sorting PDFs into easily categorized PDFs that you can add to, customize, and edit as needed.
Sort into categories like ‘Breakfast’, Desserts’, ‘Quick-Cook’, ‘One-pot’, ‘Vegetarian/Vegan’, etc., and ensure you can always find the recipe you need no matter where you are. If using a physical folder, grab some tabs or coloured cards to decorate the binder, journal or accordion folder and make it easy to find each category.
How to convert JPGs to PDFs.
If, when you’re organizing your recipes, you decide to convert your physical media to digital images, converting them to PDFs can help you organize them appropriately.
- Head to Adobe’s website.
- Upload the JPG or image file you want to download.
- Wait for the software to do its thing.
- Download your old recipes in their new format.
Having all your recipes sorted into easy-to-reference categories is the best way to eliminate some of the stress surrounding meal planning. It also makes it easier to mix up your weekly dining routine. Get the family involved in organizing the recipes and collating them through PDF. Set them up with access so they can add recipes you all want to use in the kitchen.
Have culinary creations right at your fingertips. Work with your PDFs online and discover everything you can do with Adobe Acrobat to create, organize, and share your recipes with friends and family today.
FAQs.
How do you digitize a recipe?
By scanning your physical media via a digital scanner or even taking a clear photo, you can upload your images as a digitized version.
What is the best way to store recipes?
Storing recipes online is a great way to prevent them from becoming damaged or lost. By having an online bank of recipes, you can search for one no matter whose kitchen you’re in.
Can I convert a JPG to PDF for free?
Converting a JPG to PDF through Adobe is free, easy, and quick, making it a popular choice for those looking to convert multiple images.