Preserving Family Recipes

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Heirlooms come in all shapes and sizes, but few are more precious than recipes. This holiday season, take the time to save and share your family's culinary treasures, and make a few delicious new memories while you're at it.

Here are some tips to get started.

Recording Recipes

Know that box of hand-written and clipped-out recipes in your grandmother's kitchen? Ask her if she'll part with it for an afternoon so you can scan or photocopy the contents. You'll have a lasting record of these family treasures, and it'll never fade, run, or get covered in tomato sauce.

Custom Cookbooks

Once you've got digital scans or photocopies of these beloved recipes, don't keep them all to yourself. Bind printed pages into books at your local copy shop, or use an online print-on-demand service and surprise family members with a gift of custom cookbooks. Don't forget to include a photo of the chef!

Get in the Kitchen

Want to know just how the dough should feel beneath the rolling pin, or when to add a pinch more salt to the sauce? Get in the kitchen and cook alongside the family members who've spent decades perfecting these dishes. Not only will you learn the art of the recipe; you'll also make memories that will last a lifetime.

The Write Stuff

Many of the world's greatest cooks have never committed their recipes to paper, so when they've passed on, the dishes are forever lost. The next time Aunt Thelma is whipping up her famous cherry pie, make sure you're there with a pen in hand. Some amounts -- a pinch, dash, a bit -- may not translate into standard measurements, but even rough sketches can be very helpful.

Lights, Camera, Cook!

Recipes are only one part of a family's culinary culture. The stories that go along with the dishes are just as vital. Grab a tape recorder or a video camera, sit your family members down, and start conversations about how they first learned to make their favorite dishes. Chances are, you'll end up with more than just a recipe or two -- you'll have living history that can be passed on to future generations. The Southern Foodways Alliance's Oral History Initiative has a great set of tools to get you started.

Savory Snaps

Keep a camera handy in the kitchen and at the table. You might not be able to capture the flavors and scents of these traditional dishes, but you'll have a record of how it's supposed to look. If you're awfully sweet, you may even convince the chef to pose with her delectable handiwork.

Pass It On

Your grandpa's marinara and great aunt's chicken and dumplings have made them superstars at family gatherings. How about letting the rest of the world know? The internet has made it easier than ever for people to share their family's favorite recipes; with people near and far. Make sure to include stories and a little bit of history so folks know just why this dish -- and its creator -- are so very special.