A guide for the recipe drawer
What to do with old handwritten recipe cards
That shoebox of splattered cards is worth more than any cookbook. Here’s how to keep them safe, make them usable, and keep the recipes in rotation.
- 1
Keep the originals safe
Store cards flat in acid-free sleeves or a photo box, away from the stove, sunlight, and damp basements. Don’t laminate or tape them — both can damage old paper and ink over time.
- 2
Make a readable copy you’ll actually cook from
Faded pencil and cursive are lovely to look at and hard to follow with flour on your hands. Scan each card into clear text with real amounts and steps, then cook from the copy and let the original rest.
- 3
Fill in what the card leaves out
“Butter the size of an egg” and “bake till done” made sense to the person who wrote them. Ask relatives while you can, test it once, and write down what you learn as a private note.
- 4
Share them with family
Once a recipe is typed up, printing a copy for a cousin or saving it as a PDF takes seconds — no retyping, and nobody has to borrow the precious original.
- 5
Keep the handwriting, too
A photo of the card in someone’s own hand is a keepsake on its own. Hold onto those images for framing, gifts, or simply remembering.
Try it on one card
Snap a photo of a recipe card and see it turned into clean text. Free, no account needed.
Try it free — no account
See it read Grandma's handwriting
Private by default. Nothing is published.
Questions people ask
How do I preserve handwritten recipes?
Protect the original cards in acid-free sleeves stored somewhere cool and dry, and make a digital copy so the recipe survives even if the card fades. Photograph each card in daylight without flash, then turn it into searchable text.
Can handwriting really be turned into text?
Yes. Cook What You Got reads cursive, faded ink, and stained cards and sorts them into a title, ingredients, and steps. You always review and edit the result before it’s saved.
Will my family recipes be public?
No. Scanned recipes are private to your Recipe Box, and the photo of the original card is never shown publicly.