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How to Create a Family Cookbook
By Jeff
McRitchie
Putting together a family cookbook is a fun and rewarding project. Here
are a few tips to get you started.
Gather The Recipes
This sounds like a bit of a no brainer, but might be a little more
difficult than it sounds, depending on the size of your family and the
number of recipes you want to include. There are other factors to
consider as well, as there may be some family favorite recipes that were
never written down and that different families have prepared in slightly
different ways. What you have to do then is simply to gather as much
material as possible and pick and choose from there what versions you
would like to include. You may also have different versions of the same
dish in the book, with explanations such as "Grandma used four cloves of
garlic, but Mabel likes to use five" or something of the sort. The key
is to be as inclusive as possible, and to have a lot of fun in the
process.
Organize the Material
Again, depending on the scope of your project, you can choose many
different ways to organize your cookbook. You can go by dish type
(appetizer, main course, dessert), by region/style of cuisine, or by the
person contributing. If you find that there are a few different versions
of the same dish, it would be a good idea to place them together so
those who are using the book can make their choices easily.
If you want, you can also include family anecdotes or memories that go
along with all or select dishes. When you are gathering your material,
ask your cooks when they first remember having the dish or dishes that
they are contributing, when they first attempted to make it themselves,
photos of the completed dish or while in process, or anything else that
they would like to contribute.
You may also want to create and attractive cover for your cookbook, or
if you lack those sorts of skills, enlist another member of the family
or find a nice template to work from.
Bind It
There are a number of different options to consider when you are binding
your cookbook. The first is, of course, usability and functionality. You
will want to make sure that you choose a binding style that allows the
book to lie flat, so you cooks can use it in a hands free fashion. There
are a couple of relatively inexpensive binding options that allow for
this sort function: plastic comb and spiral coil. In this case, spiral
coil might be the way to go because with this binding style you can also
wrap the pages completely around so the book takes up less room on the
countertop. Take a look online, or down at your local print shop to see
what your options are. A simple three ring binder might do the trick as
well, but unless you laminate or use sheet protectors to otherwise
reinforce the pages, you will find that this method produces a book that
may not be as durable as the other two, and with even normal handling,
you might find that pages tear out a little too easily. Machines that do
the aforementioned types of bindings are relatively inexpensive, and for
frequent or ongoing projects, you might find that doing your binding
yourself is a nice option.
Just keep in mind that the stronger you bind you cookbook, the longer it
will be around for other generations to enjoy.
About the Author:
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Binding Machine can
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of all styles, types and capabilities. Check it out today! |
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