Nov 14

Hey, That was MY Idea! :)

By Michael Kindness Uncategorized Add comments

I have a lot of cookbooks. A LOT of cookbooks.Cooking magazines too. It’s a bit of a problem actually. There’s the physical storage of them all, but there’s also the frequent question I ask myself: “Which book was that recipe in?”

About a year ago, I dreamed of creating a website where I could enter all of the cookbooks I own, then enter my favorite recipes in each book. I could then easily search for a recipe and I’d know in which cookbook I’d find it. As more people joined the site and rated recipes, I could even discover hidden gems in the cookbooks I already own. The model for the idea was Ravelry, a knitting site that my wife uses to keep track of her projects.

Unfortunately, I’m not fluent in HTML or website creation and I didn’t really know anybody who was, so the idea remained just that, an idea. That is, until Andrew Gray came along. He had a similar problem finding recipes in his books.The difference is that he did something about it. He created Cookbooker. It’s exactly what I wanted in a site and I’m thrilled!

The site is still in its infancy. There are only 112 members, but that number will grow. Tim Spalding, founder of LibraryThing, just tweeted about them, now we need to spread the word even more! The more people that rate and review recipes, the more useful the site will become. Plus, Andrew seems genuinely open to ideas and suggestions, so I know the site will continue to evolve and get even better than it already is.

I’m looking forward to adding more and more of my cookbooks and magazines and rating all of my favorite recipes. Join me, won’t you?

  • http://www.litchick.typepad.com melanie

    This is VERY exciting. Great idea Michael, er Andrew. Off to check it out.

  • http://www.litchick.typepad.com melanie

    This is VERY exciting. Great idea Michael, er Andrew. Off to check it out.

  • http://www.cookbooker.com Andrew Gray

    Thanks for the great review, Michael! I think these ideas are ‘floating around’ out there to some degree. Not in a metaphysical way, but rather that the time is right for them. I’m sure you and I are not the only people to have thought of this. I must have kicked it around for a year before I finally decided to knuckle down and learn to program, etc. If I had been told at the time it would take me two more years, I likely would have given up. Ignorance is useful sometimes…

    And yes, I am open to suggestions and ideas. This is a member-focused site and I want it to be truly useful for people.

  • http://www.cookbooker.com Andrew Gray

    Thanks for the great review, Michael! I think these ideas are ‘floating around’ out there to some degree. Not in a metaphysical way, but rather that the time is right for them. I’m sure you and I are not the only people to have thought of this. I must have kicked it around for a year before I finally decided to knuckle down and learn to program, etc. If I had been told at the time it would take me two more years, I likely would have given up. Ignorance is useful sometimes…

    And yes, I am open to suggestions and ideas. This is a member-focused site and I want it to be truly useful for people.

  • dottie

    Well — I really needed to spend more time online entering books on a shelf and then page numbering recipes BUT I joined and have shelved the mere 20 titles which I grabbed at first glance — I LOVE the idea/theory so hope this helps me keep my organization heading in the right direction. Michael, you mentioned Ravelry — that has helped me begin organizing that aspect of my chaotic doings — yarn and projects so thans for alerting me to the cookbook/recipe site.

  • dottie

    Well — I really needed to spend more time online entering books on a shelf and then page numbering recipes BUT I joined and have shelved the mere 20 titles which I grabbed at first glance — I LOVE the idea/theory so hope this helps me keep my organization heading in the right direction. Michael, you mentioned Ravelry — that has helped me begin organizing that aspect of my chaotic doings — yarn and projects so thans for alerting me to the cookbook/recipe site.

  • http://bookdwarf.com Megan

    Sold! I’m signing up. I have tons of cookbooks too. I constantly feel like I’m underutilizing them. Thanks for posting about this Michael!

  • http://bookdwarf.com Megan

    Sold! I’m signing up. I have tons of cookbooks too. I constantly feel like I’m underutilizing them. Thanks for posting about this Michael!

  • Lee A.

    Awesome idea! I just signed up too.

  • Lee A.

    Awesome idea! I just signed up too.

  • http://www.bostonbibliophile.com Marie

    I signed up too. It looks like a fun site. I hope to add some reviews as the holiday season progresses and I start really using some of my baking books.

  • http://www.bostonbibliophile.com Marie

    I signed up too. It looks like a fun site. I hope to add some reviews as the holiday season progresses and I start really using some of my baking books.

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