MNN - Mother Nature Network

 

I started using Pinterest recently, and I thought it was a pretty good way of bookmarking the recipes that I make or want to make. And, it is. But, I’ve found an even better way of bookmarking and organizing online recipes – KeepRecipes.

 

Earlier today, I received an email from Gooseberry Patch publishers announcing that they were partnering with KeepRecipes and offering 750 of their premium recipes on the site. I decided to check it out, and after adding a handful of recipes online and linking my online account with the KeepRecipes app for my iPhone, I can see how useful this is going to be to me.

 

Once I signed up for a free KeepRecipes account, I added their + Keep Recipe button to my toolbar. Now, if there is a recipe online that I want to add to my KeepRecipes account, I simply click button. If I have the directions highlighted on the page before I click the button, those directions will show up in the directions box on the KeepRecipes page I’m creating. If I don’t highlight them, I can copy and paste them on my own. Then, I copy and paste the ingredients list into the ingredients box. I can then choose a photo from the web page if I want and add tags and some of my own notes. That’s it. I’ve saved the recipe. I can also manually add any recipes of my own that aren’t online and keep them in my account.

 

Now here’s where the brilliant part comes in. My online account is connected to the free KeepRecipes app, and I can pull up any recipe on my account on my phone. Let’s say I’m at the farmers market in the summer, and I spy some beautiful, colorful peppers that have just come in season. I think to myself, “Oh, I need to make my Sourdough Panzanella with Summer Vegetables this week.” Since I’ve added that recipe to my KeepRecipes account, I can pull out my iPhone and refresh my memory about all the ingredients I’ll need to make it. I can do the same at the grocery store.

 

This is the app I’ve been waiting for to help me get ahold of the ingredients list for my favorite recipes when I’m away from my home.

 

KeepRecipes is a social site. You can follow other KeepRecipes members and save the recipes that they’ve added. You can also browse some cookbooks (like the Gooseberry Patch options) and add those recipes to your recipes.

 

I don’t need another social network at the moment. For now I’m going to be using KeepRecipes simply to keep the recipes that I’ve made and loved so I have them handy for future reference.

 

If you haven’t checked out KeepRecipes yet, head over there and see if it makes sense for your needs. If you’re already using it, what are your thoughts?

 

Also on MNN: How do you organize your recipes?