Preserving Recipes
56 | Salt | Spring 2012
Have you ever thought about what will happen to your treasured favorite recipes when you are gone? What happens when others in your family want to make “Mom’s favorite cookies” and they have no idea how to make them?
Many years ago, our ancestors stored their recipes in their head, never writing down anything. They knew the measurements by heart and had no reason to document the ingredients. Cookbooks were almost unheard of and measuring tools were non-existent. Unfortunately, many wonderful family recipes have been lost because they were never put in writing for preservation. When my mother passed away a couple years ago, I inherited her “dark green metal” recipe file. On it was a sticker with the date of 1949, just five years after I was born. This is now one of my most treasured possessions. As I went through the recipes, I could remember her making each of them. They were all favorites of mine, with the exception of her “Tuna and Pea Casserole”. It was inexpensive to make and was one of my dad’s favorites so she made it often. No matter how many times she made it, it never got any better. I just couldn’t eat it. “Sorry, Mother.” She, like many other cooks, had her own shorthand when writing out the directions. I am not sure if that was for her convenience or so that no one would ever be able to steal her secrets. This is a good reason for listing accurate ingredients and instructions when writing out your recipe. To start a permanent file for yourself, begin with lined recipe cards, category separators and a recipe file that is big enough to hold a large amount of cards. I prefer the 4x6 size cards (found in the office supply section) because they give you more room to write your instructions. When writing out your recipe, be consistent with abbreviations. I prefer to use the word “cup” rather than a “C”, “teaspoon” instead of “t.”, etc. This way there is no question of the correct amount
of the ingredients to be used. Remember, these cards will be handed down over time to your family members and they should be able to accurately read what you have written. If you want a special file box you can find them on-line under “recipe file”. If you are someone who likes to cut out recipes from magazines, then I recommend you obtain 5x7-sized cards and a separate file to hold them. Cut out the recipe and use a glue stick to attach to the large card. If a picture is available glue it to the back of the card. I suggest you use a cross reference system to keep track of these “cut out” recipes. Here is how it works. Place a blank card under each category in your main recipe file. When you add a “cut and paste” recipe to your large file, list it on the corresponding blank card in your main file (you DO NOT need a separate card for each recipe, but rather use a separate line for each recipe). Now when searching for a chicken dish, you will know what you have in both your main file as well as inyour large file. Have you ever made a new recipe from one of your cookbooks and it turned out wonderful, but now that you want to make it again, you don’t know where to find it? The answer is another cross reference system. Here is an example of how that works. In your main recipe file, create a blank card for each category and write COOKBOOKS across the top of each one. Then, if the recipe you want to reference is for meatloaf, on the blank card under meat write “Better Homes and Gardens -Meat Loaf- Page 232”. When you are looking for a meatloaf recipe, you can locate exactly what cookbook and what page you can find it under. Again, list each recipe on a separate line until that card is full before