I am a whole-food, plant-based enthusiast in search of great-tasting recipes I am willing to share. Of course it is difficult to remember the hundreds of recipes I have made over the years and how they turned out so having a grading system for my recipes has been invaluable.
In the early years I would grade my recipes with a word. Was it okay? Was it good? Was it amazing? Or was it a ‘don’t bother’?
Then I switched to a number system where they were ranked on a scale of 1-10. Personally, anything that got a 7 or less was never repeated because I believe life is too short to eat mediocre food!
But I have simplified and streamlined my method even further; now I use a simple system of 3 symbols. If the recipe is not worth repeating it gets an ‘x’. If I would like to make it again it gets a ‘checkmark’. If it is absolutely amazing – that would be a 10/10 – then it gets a ‘star’.
Whatever method you decide to use, here are some additional tips:
1. Mark beside the title on the recipe page as well as in the index at the back of the book.
2. Record the title and page number of favorite recipes on the inside cover of the cookbook. Your selections will be quicker to find than flipping through the index pages at the back.
3. Include any comments such as substitutions or adjustments to ingredients, method or cook times that were made or should be made the next time. I usually jot my ideas on a sticky note which I place on the page. When the recipe is perfected I mark my changes directly in the cookbook.
4. Place a date beside the recipe and include the occasion and guests. Each time I come across these notations they bring back fond memories. In essence, the cookbook becomes a journal for me and also for future generations of my family.
How do you grade your recipes?
