"However much, or little, the original recipe gets updated, one thing is—to me—unequivocal: save the original."
I agree! From an archivist perspective, the original document retains its value as an object even when copies are made, especially when those copies are digital instead of physical. From an historian perspective, saving the original is also an important form of validation of its contents, which is especially important when later generations of cooks do want to or have to make modifications like ingredient swaps.
Of course, I do recognize that there's an argument to be made on the side of scanning the thing and throwing it out when you have limited space or means of keeping old documents safe... and many people just don't have that kind of storage at home!
The value of saving things like magazine clippings of recipes that were never made in the first place is a whole other discussion (one we're currently dealing with, too, when it comes to a grandmother's extensive-yet-barely-used cookie recipe collection), but when a document is determined to be worth keeping, I think that keeping the original IF storage allows is a good practice.
Sounds like being a sentimental nostalgic makes me a natural archivist! I love how many threads of discussion there are to be had on this topic. Another part of what compels me to not toss the less-desireable-today recipes is my sense that the collection as a whole--whatever my mom deemed of interest at some moment in time, worth cutting out and putting into her folder--is a reflection of her, of the life she lived, of the decades she was cooking. I can see at some point in the future I may trim the collection down, just not there yet.
My experience has been that recipes sometimes need “translation” to the present. A recipe for “unstuffed cabbage” calls for a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of ginger ale. So I have to think back to what were the sizes of bottles available then and measure accordingly. I wouldn’t part with my mother’s handwritten recipes (nor with her address book—a record of the community). Enjoying your column!
Dearest Cynthia, I've just gone down a Watson Kennedy rabbit hole!
"However much, or little, the original recipe gets updated, one thing is—to me—unequivocal: save the original."
I agree! From an archivist perspective, the original document retains its value as an object even when copies are made, especially when those copies are digital instead of physical. From an historian perspective, saving the original is also an important form of validation of its contents, which is especially important when later generations of cooks do want to or have to make modifications like ingredient swaps.
Of course, I do recognize that there's an argument to be made on the side of scanning the thing and throwing it out when you have limited space or means of keeping old documents safe... and many people just don't have that kind of storage at home!
The value of saving things like magazine clippings of recipes that were never made in the first place is a whole other discussion (one we're currently dealing with, too, when it comes to a grandmother's extensive-yet-barely-used cookie recipe collection), but when a document is determined to be worth keeping, I think that keeping the original IF storage allows is a good practice.
Sounds like being a sentimental nostalgic makes me a natural archivist! I love how many threads of discussion there are to be had on this topic. Another part of what compels me to not toss the less-desireable-today recipes is my sense that the collection as a whole--whatever my mom deemed of interest at some moment in time, worth cutting out and putting into her folder--is a reflection of her, of the life she lived, of the decades she was cooking. I can see at some point in the future I may trim the collection down, just not there yet.
My experience has been that recipes sometimes need “translation” to the present. A recipe for “unstuffed cabbage” calls for a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of ginger ale. So I have to think back to what were the sizes of bottles available then and measure accordingly. I wouldn’t part with my mother’s handwritten recipes (nor with her address book—a record of the community). Enjoying your column!