# Keeping track of recipes ...



## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

Yes, I know there is a Provisioning forum, and yes, it is sexist to assume that women are the ones doing the cooking, but if we can get past that then I have a question ..

How do you keep track of your cooking and canning recipes ?

I'm torn between trying to keep them electronically and keeping them in a book of some kind, or maybe on index cards.

What works best on your boat ?


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

I tried both. For space-saving purposes, I loved the idea of keeping them electronically. Dutifully transcribed, scanned, indexed, PDF-ed, all my favorite recipes and stored them on my Kindle. Then realized ... I'm sometimes a messy cook. The consequences of splashing hot soup on a sensitive electronic device, versus splashing hot soup on a printed page, are not comparable. Printed them all out and stored them in a looseleaf notebook. In a nod to the space constraints of the boat, the book uses half sheets, or 5x9 instead of 8-1/2 x 11.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Ill ignore the sexist remark. 

I keep mine on computer (not the ipad) because When I downlad a recipe off the net I will adjust it to my own purposes. I can then save it, or save my version of it. Also I tend to put a number of recipes of the same thing on one page if theres a few good ones.

The basic trouble I had was indexing them so I can find them easily.
Do you put Creamy Chicken Pasta under creamy, chicken or pasta? Chicken, pf course as the pasta is just the carbohydrate and could be rice etc and the creamy is a style of the chicken.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

:laugher:laugher:laugherWhats a recipie????????:laugher:laugher:laugher

Chefs dont use them:laugher:laugher:laugher:laugher:laugher

Use a flash drive. Down load onto hard drive. That way someone can give you their recipies easily also.

dave


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## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

I like your suggestion, WingnWing. My husband and I are in the process of buying a boat (S2-11C) and hope to begin as live-aboards by the second week in January. 

I'm a little concerned about using the stove/oven because they are fueled by alcohol...and I've never cooked with alcohol. I'm starting to save up recipes (online, at this point) and have purchased "Cruising Chef Cookbook" by Michael Greenwald. I want to get a binder to put recipes on paper...just our favorite meals...because, as you mentioned, food tends to fly about while cooking, especially on a boat I would think. 

I also like the idea of having a flash drive to save online recipes that I can transfer to a file online. Good idea.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

dsullyec1 said:


> I like your suggestion, WingnWing. My husband and I are in the process of buying a boat (S2-11C) and hope to begin as live-aboards by the second week in January.
> 
> I'm a little concerned about using the stove/oven because they are fueled by alcohol...and I've never cooked with alcohol. I'm starting to save up recipes (online, at this point) and have purchased "Cruising Chef Cookbook" by Michael Greenwald. I want to get a binder to put recipes on paper...just our favorite meals...because, as you mentioned, food tends to fly about while cooking, especially on a boat I would think.
> 
> I also like the idea of having a flash drive to save online recipes that I can transfer to a file online. Good idea.


I like the S2 11C- she is a boat with a layout that makes great use of the entire hull. I have had no problems cooking on an unpressurized alcohol stove for several seasons.
Dock Six Chronicles: Two-Burner Tastiness: The Recipes

As far as recipe (or as i call them "ideas") storage, anything on paper i like i have scanned onto my netbook and stored on a flash drive, because, as C2S said, it is a great way to share recipes, but also i keep an SD card of "go-to's" that I can drop into my e-reader, which is easier to work with in a small galley.


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## brokesailor (Jan 12, 2008)

Paprika. An app for your IPad. You can then check which recipes you plan for and generates a shopping list.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I've never actually cooked with a recipe in front of me. 

I read them in books and such, then wing it. I'm still alive, and the wife eats my food and seems to like it.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

chucklesR said:


> I've never actually cooked with a recipe in front of me.
> 
> I read them in books and such, then wing it. I'm still alive, and the wife eats my food and seems to like it.


The recipies are not for you Chuck, they are for the person who likes what you have made and wants to try and copy it, its a complement .Or for someone who makes something they like and want to able to duplicate it a month later.

The average person has the talent or ability to cook and adjust to their particular taste. Some like my wife need a step by step process and ingredient list. Others use a recipe like a general outline.

When ever I have been asked to give a recipe to be published in a magazine or have contributed toa published cookbook. I try and take both kind of people into account by leaving flexabiity of ingredients there but at the same time defining the process/ method technique of cooking.

People modify, change, add ingredients, but no one invents a new way to saute, roast etc.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Yeah, I also treat recipes more of an inspiration than a set of chemistry lab instructions (except for baking). And, when you're cruising dinner is often based on what's available in the market or onboard rather than exactly what a recipe calls for in any case.

In a galley that's 4' x 5' including all the countertops, appliances, floor space and storage, who has room for a safe place for a Nook/Kindle/iPad?

Dsullyec1, best wishes on moving aboard! We've been at it for 10 years now and absolutely love it. (Even last night at midnight, when we discovered that not one, not two, but _all three_ bilge pumps and backups weren't working! _Still _don't miss living on land!)


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## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

Ohhh...that doesn't sound like fun at all, WingnWing. Was there water coming into the Bilge? I hope not, that could be serious. 

I truly hope I like living aboard as much as you. I've only been on a sailboat several times, and it was only for a few hours each time. Didn't get seasick, so that's a plus. However, actually living on board is a completely new way to live life. Time will tell. Truthfully, I am looking forward to it. A new chapter in life.

As for recipes collecting, I really like recipes on paper so I can pin it up in front of me or prop up a book and look at it. To me, a cookbook with goop all over it is proof of a good recipe and book. I don't have all the fancy tech tools that are being mentioned here, and really don't think I want them. Just my handy computer is all I want. But in the kitchen, I prefer paper. I know...just an old-fashioned girl. (Anachronism?)

We love our S2-11C. You're right, BlJones, it has so much room below, especially the galley, the head and the master berth. The head is about 3 times larger than others we've seen and even has a small bathtub. The galley is about 1 1/2X larger, and the master berth is like a bedroom. We think we'll love living on it. It's an older boat (Tiara doesn't make S2's anymore, only power boats) but it's in good shape...we think she has a lot of life left in her, and plan on caring for her so she'll stay that way.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Dsullyec1, thanx for your concern, no, it was fresh water. That makes the fix important, rather than urgent. 

We seem much alike, I also enjoy cookbooks that show a bit of their "history," wine spills, oil spatters and all. Granted, I don't have many cookbooks any more, get most of my recipe inspirations online. My regular go-tos, though, are all paper.

As for the tech stuff, I've found that for recreational reading, novels and the like, can't beat a Nook/Kindle. Moving aboard, you suddenly realize that the books you have with you, are all you have. Once you've read them, then what? Books, along with cooking condiments, souvenir t-shirts, and a few other items, are a few of the categories of possessions that seem to multiply and gradually accumulate through your life, no matter how careful you are. x10 when you're living in a small space like a boat. So, space alone seems to dictate that some of your books are either given away when you've finished them, or stored in electronic format to conserve space. We've only got so many shelves and they're mostly filled with boat reference books. Paper books are quite subject to mold aboard. Plus, we can get e-books from our library wherever we are, whatever port we're in that has signal. LOVE it.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

Thank you all for the great responses! 

I have not decided how I am going to keep track of the recipes, but the comments you have provided really give me a lot of ideas.

One thing that was mentioned in this thread by a number of people (chef2sail, chuckles, maybe someone else) is that some don't always use recipes, and I smiled when I read that because that is one of the reasons I am trying to figure out how to keep track of recipes. What I mean is that I also don't cook with recipes, I like having food taste a little different every time I make it, seasoned to taste. What I have found, however, is that I don't like surprises when I do pressure canning and get "interesting" results and then have to eat 16 pints of it  so that is the motivation for starting the thread -- I want to find a way to keep track of these recipes I have created so that I get a more consistent canning product. I want to be able to make batch after batch of the same thing and have it taste the same every time I make it, unless I decide to change the recipe.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Nice boat Dsullyec1 / Diane.

Welcome to the center cockpit club


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## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

Hi Chuckles,
Thanks for the welcome. We love the center cockpit. Are there quite a few with center cockpits? 

Diane


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Plastic waterproof Ipad cover to protect against spills is an idea. They make stands for the ipad as well.


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## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

WingnWing, I do have a kindle, so maybe I'm not that old fashioned after all.  We traveled (on land) to Ecuador, Panama, and Costa Rica for 5 months last year and were both so thankful we had invested in kindles! We love to read, and when one travels, there just isn't room for carrying a bunch of books, and it's often difficult to find English printed books in some countries. We absolutely adore our kindles and don't go anywhere without them. 

As for the cookbooks, I'll only have a couple (probably three), the one I just bought (Cruisers Chef Cookbook), and another on crockpot recipes, and hopefully one more on pressure cooking recipes. I, too, have been getting lots of recipes online. Even opened a "Pinterest" page for "Recipes for live-aboards" and have been selecting easy recipes to save there. 

I also thought about the idea of having a small recipe box like I used to have, but 1/3 the size, with recipes on small index cards in a small recipe box. OR, maybe put recipes on index cards, put them in plastic, something like a photo album type of book. 

I was glad to hear that your bilge problem is not a major one. Whew! I dread the day we start having major problems and only hope those are far off in the future. 

We had looked at a CSY 33' before we found the S2-11C we're buying. The CSY has lovely lines, and we loved the cockpit. The reason we didn't go for it was because it had a ton of work we would've needed to do, and we just didn't want to do that much work for the price they were asking. I hope you're enjoying living on yours. It seems like a boat that would be very livable. Are you staying warm on it this time of year? We won't need our heater very much down in Kemah (by Galveston, TX), but we at least have the option of aircond vs. heat...which I like. I would think you'd really need heat very much at this time of year, unless you're anchored in a warmer place.

Stay safe!!
Diane


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Diane, not to totally hijack this thread, just sent you a PM.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

wingNwing said:


> Diane, not to totally hijack this thread, just sent you a PM.


I'm the OP, feel free to hijack the thread, I think I got out of it what I needed.


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## Ruby Vee (Jan 12, 2013)

wingNwing said:


> I tried both. For space-saving purposes, I loved the idea of keeping them electronically. Dutifully transcribed, scanned, indexed, PDF-ed, all my favorite recipes and stored them on my Kindle. Then realized ... I'm sometimes a messy cook. The consequences of splashing hot soup on a sensitive electronic device, versus splashing hot soup on a printed page, are not comparable. Printed them all out and stored them in a looseleaf notebook. In a nod to the space constraints of the boat, the book uses half sheets, or 5x9 instead of 8-1/2 x 11.


I'm messy, too. I put the sensitive electronic device in a sealed plastic ziplock bag -- no hot soup splashes to ruin the device. Keeps it safe from the odd drips of water, too.


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## janice142 (Feb 12, 2001)

I like writing notes and mostly use 3x5 cards. Still each time I read a ladies magazine I try to find at least one recipe to clip and attempt. Too often I find myself fixing the same things over and over. The "try something new with each mag-rag" seems to get me out of my food rut and has opened up new vistas. For instance one recipe called for all sorts of tropical fruits (based on chicken) and because I had a fruit cup ... well, adaption is almost always necessary but I don't know that I'd have tried dumping a cup of mixed fruit on an almost done chicken thigh. Surprisingly (to me at least) it tasted very nice and I've since tinkered a bit. 

Just a couple weeks ago I dropped off a 1949 cookbook at a marina swap library. I'd not used it for over a year and it was just "one more thing" aboard. So now it's not! I do still have Grandma's cookbook circa 1946 and a few loose pages from recipes I've cut from magazines. Tomorrow I'm going to shore so will try to roust up some ingredients and try something new. 

For me, I'm just not as comfortable using an electronic version of a recipe. It's the notes in the margin that make a real cookbook a treasure, isn't it? 

Good luck to you wind_magic and happy cooking afloat.


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## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

Hi ladies,

This thanksgiving, my hubby and I spent our day with the live-aboards at our marina. It was a group of about 20 folks, and had a great time. I used my new pressure cooker to make a potato/green bean/bacon with cream of potato soup and mustard casserole. It was so yummy. Only took a few minutes to cook, too. Excellent. Will be doing a lot of cooking in it, I think. Also made Crockpot Rocky Road Cake that was decadent. It's actually better as a topping for ice cream, because it is gooey and hot and delicious. One of the guys said it should be called Sex in a Crockpot, or Crockpot orgasm.  As for keeping track of recipes, I believe I will get me a regular small 3 ring binder and put them in that. For now! We're thinking about getting an iPad, and with that, we may be able to put everything on that. 

I didn't know one could send info to their Kindle. Ours is an older version though…so maybe it doesn't. We bought our Kindles in 2011, before the Kindle Fire. It may not have the capabilities of the newer ones. 

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will enjoy your Christmas season as well.

Diane
S/V Sea Casa


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## LesleyS (Sep 25, 2010)

I'm glad to see this thread, I had JUST been looking for a recipe clipping app for Android. I see someone mentioned Paprika for iPad. Does anyone have a similar recommendation for Android? especially if it will generate a provision list for shopping!


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## LesleyS (Sep 25, 2010)

Hello Diane,

Yes, you can send info to your Kindle. I have one of the older ones, and send PDFs or other appropriate file-types to my Kindle on a regular basis. (Well not so regular now that I have the Android tablet which has become a substitute laptop, but not a substitute eReader - the screen, while excellent, is very hard on the eyes for reading.)

Log into your Amazon account and look at Your Account / Manage Your Devices and Personal Document Settings.

Do-able, but a bit kludgy compared to the newer color / touch interfaces on the Kindle Fire and the other tablets, iPad, Android, etc.

Merry Christmas, and I would LOVE to see those recipes!! (Do we have a section for that here on herSailNet? 

Lesley
s/v Sheer Joy



dsullyec1 said:


> Hi ladies,
> .....
> I didn't know one could send info to their Kindle. Ours is an older version though&#8230;so maybe it doesn't. We bought our Kindles in 2011, before the Kindle Fire. It may not have the capabilities of the newer ones.
> 
> ...


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

We don't have a specific section for recipes and cooking on board, but here are some threads that you might like to browse:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/provisioning/77296-two-pot-cook-off.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/provisioning/77336-when-two-pots-just-aint-enough.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruis...252-anyone-have-recipes-can-made-one-pot.html

Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there are more in the Similar Threads section.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Recipes??? :laugher


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Ocean Brine Roasted Turkey:

Place Turkey or other poultry in a mesh bag
Tie off to stern cleat and tow for two days
Roast at 300 degrees until juices run clear


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Sorry. We accidentally let Chef escape from the chat room. We'll try to do better.


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