It’s Day 9 – time for a relatively easy challenge – COOKBOOKS!
I have to admit that I love reading cookbooks (in the same way that I love watching other people exercise) – but my collection has been getting a little out of control. The problem is that some of my recipe books have just one or two recipes that I use quite often, which is a lot of shelf space for just a few uses. Plus, I keep MEANING to make things. What if I donate a recipe book and then NEED it a few weeks later?
Thankfully I have developed a system that has worked quite well for me in the past. I pull out cookbooks that have not been used in a while and place them in a pile on the floor next to me. I quickly sort through the remainder of books on my shelf and organise them by “type” – grouping authors together and then loosely categorising the remainder into children’s cookbooks, baking specialty books and then the remainder.
The pile next to me gets a quick once-over – books that I really have no intention of using get added immediately to my donate pile. The remainder gets temporarily housed in a cupboard in case I need them. If they haven’t been used in the next 6 months, I know they can be donated.
Other ideas include making a copy of those one or two recipes in each book that you DO use and placing them in an easily accessible file. A great idea if you have the time and/or inclination – and something I would love to do one day (I have some of my Gran’s recipes floating around that need a home, so this would make sense to do). But for now, it’s just not a priority, so the above system is the way forward for me.
When it comes to storing your cookbooks, there are quite a few fun ideas. You can house them in your regular bookshelf, on a shelf in the kitchen, or be inspired by some of the images below (also pinned on my Simpler Kitchen Storage Pinterest page here).
Even if you subtract just a few cookbooks, it will make a difference. And at the very least, you might discover a few old favourites! Enjoy!
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