Comments on: It’s a cookbook! http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/ Daily tips on how to organize your home and office. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:22:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Heather http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-385 Heather Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:12:21 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-385 Drew, I have a lot of cooking magazines also. Right now I keep them slipped into clear plastic sheet protectors in binders, which stand up nicely on the shelves without the bulk of magazine boxes. Though I do also keep one big binder with all the "loose" recipes I've collected (along with simple listed references to favorite recipes and the book/magazine and page the are on.) We recently got a ScanSnap s500, which works very well (it will take a stack of papers and double-side scan them automatically and turn it into an OCR'ed PDF file. If my magazine collection gets out of hand I will probably just slit all my magazines down the center and scan them complete (hey then they'd be searchable!) In terms of typing up my own creations and grabbing stuff online, I love using BigOven recipe software. Sure in a perfect world I'd have absolutely everything in one digital system, and a computer always running in my kitchen :-) But honestly, clutter isn't just STUFF, it's also TIME used to do irritating things like scanning 300 page cookbooks :-) Drew,

I have a lot of cooking magazines also. Right now I keep them slipped into clear plastic sheet protectors in binders, which stand up nicely on the shelves without the bulk of magazine boxes.

Though I do also keep one big binder with all the “loose” recipes I’ve collected (along with simple listed references to favorite recipes and the book/magazine and page the are on.)

We recently got a ScanSnap s500, which works very well (it will take a stack of papers and double-side scan them automatically and turn it into an OCR’ed PDF file. If my magazine collection gets out of hand I will probably just slit all my magazines down the center and scan them complete (hey then they’d be searchable!)

In terms of typing up my own creations and grabbing stuff online, I love using BigOven recipe software. Sure in a perfect world I’d have absolutely everything in one digital system, and a computer always running in my kitchen :-) But honestly, clutter isn’t just STUFF, it’s also TIME used to do irritating things like scanning 300 page cookbooks :-)

]]> By: Bonnie http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-384 Bonnie Mon, 21 May 2007 07:59:58 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-384 I have a digital cookbook collection. I love to cook and have been collecting recipe books for years (at one point 1 whole bookshelf was devoted to them!) At the start of last year I decided enough was enough and that I had to digitalize my collection. I: 1. Tagged recipes in magazines and cookbooks that I would actually use, and scanned and ocr'ed those, then sold the books. (4 months of weekends enlisting my mom to help scan also) 2. Copied, pasted and tagged recipes into a database program - I use Personal Knowbase, which is fantastic. Personal Knowbase lets you "tag" recipes - for example I can filter recipes based on which ones came from Mom, which ones are vegetarian or use chicken, which ones are entree or deep fried or thai etc, as well as attach pics if you need them. Tagging was by far the most tedious process (This took 5 months by myself) but now it's all done and I have an awesome recipe collection that I no longer have to lug around with me every time I move house. (the 3 books I couldnt bear to toss out) - What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke, The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander and Bugialli on Pasta.) I have a digital cookbook collection. I love to cook and have been collecting recipe books for years (at one point 1 whole bookshelf was devoted to them!) At the start of last year I decided enough was enough and that I had to digitalize my collection. I:

1. Tagged recipes in magazines and cookbooks that I would actually use, and scanned and ocr’ed those, then sold the books. (4 months of weekends enlisting my mom to help scan also)

2. Copied, pasted and tagged recipes into a database program - I use Personal Knowbase, which is fantastic. Personal Knowbase lets you “tag” recipes - for example I can filter recipes based on which ones came from Mom, which ones are vegetarian or use chicken, which ones are entree or deep fried or thai etc, as well as attach pics if you need them. Tagging was by far the most tedious process (This took 5 months by myself) but now it’s all done and I have an awesome recipe collection that I no longer have to lug around with me every time I move house.

(the 3 books I couldnt bear to toss out) - What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke, The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander and Bugialli on Pasta.)

]]> By: Drew http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-383 Drew Wed, 16 May 2007 02:24:07 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-383 My cookbook collection is pretty manageable but my cooking magazine collection is the real killer. I have 5+ years of a half dozen different food and cooking-related mags all stacked up in a closet and they're far too intimidating to actually dig through to find a specific recipe. I know I could get magazine organizers, but then I'd have to find bookshelf space to store all of the organizers on. I've beeen thinking for a while about the best way to digitize the magazine recipes that I want to keep but haven't been able to come up with a workable solution. The best workflow I've come up with is to sit down and rip out the 1-10 recipes from each issue that I want to keep, then scan and OCR them, and then cut and paste into some kind of recipe database (along with photos, where applicable). For an ideal workflow, that's seriously time consuming. If you have any suggestions for workflow or software, I'd love to hear them. My cookbook collection is pretty manageable but my cooking magazine collection is the real killer. I have 5+ years of a half dozen different food and cooking-related mags all stacked up in a closet and they’re far too intimidating to actually dig through to find a specific recipe. I know I could get magazine organizers, but then I’d have to find bookshelf space to store all of the organizers on.

I’ve beeen thinking for a while about the best way to digitize the magazine recipes that I want to keep but haven’t been able to come up with a workable solution. The best workflow I’ve come up with is to sit down and rip out the 1-10 recipes from each issue that I want to keep, then scan and OCR them, and then cut and paste into some kind of recipe database (along with photos, where applicable). For an ideal workflow, that’s seriously time consuming. If you have any suggestions for workflow or software, I’d love to hear them.

]]> By: A.K. http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-382 A.K. Tue, 15 May 2007 22:12:25 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-382 Thanks for this great post! I'm always paralyzed at the book store when I stare at the stacks and stacks of cookbooks. I never know what to choose first. I might just take your list with me the next time I go book shopping. Btw, I love Alton Brown, he's hilarious. Thanks for this great post! I’m always paralyzed at the book store when I stare at the stacks and stacks of cookbooks. I never know what to choose first. I might just take your list with me the next time I go book shopping. Btw, I love Alton Brown, he’s hilarious.

]]> By: Ryan http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-381 Ryan Tue, 15 May 2007 17:36:23 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-381 Erin - See, that's where grandma comes in. Erin - See, that’s where grandma comes in.

]]> By: Scott http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-380 Scott Tue, 15 May 2007 16:29:58 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-380 A great selection, and I agree that McGee and Shirley Corriher's CookWise are best kept in paper. I have two editions of the Joy of Cooking, neither of which I want to part with, but conversion to electronic form might be a good solution for one. A great selection, and I agree that McGee and Shirley Corriher’s CookWise are best kept in paper. I have two editions of the Joy of Cooking, neither of which I want to part with, but conversion to electronic form might be a good solution for one.

]]> By: Erin http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Erin Tue, 15 May 2007 14:44:59 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-379 Ryan -- Unfortunately, books like McGee's "On Food and Cooking" would mean more than 300 pages of scanning (and that wouldn't even be recipe scanning, that would just be his writings on food chemistry) ... Owning a book is sometimes the better solution, in my opinion. Ryan — Unfortunately, books like McGee’s “On Food and Cooking” would mean more than 300 pages of scanning (and that wouldn’t even be recipe scanning, that would just be his writings on food chemistry) … Owning a book is sometimes the better solution, in my opinion.

]]> By: Ryan http://unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/comment-page-1/#comment-378 Ryan Tue, 15 May 2007 13:43:57 +0000 http://development.unclutterer.com/2007/05/15/its-a-cookbook/#comment-378 I have a grandma. Works for me. You could digitize your collection and just print out what recipes your going to cook. I have a grandma. Works for me.

You could digitize your collection and just print out what recipes your going to cook.

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