I kept my recipes in a big binder until a friend asked why I never just write the date on them
My friend Dana flipped through it at my kitchen table in Boise last month and pointed out I had four versions of the same chili with no clue which one I liked, so now I jot the date and a one word note like "spicy" or "too soupy" right on each card, and I want to know if anyone else marks up their recipe cards or keeps them clean.
I used to keep mine spotless because I figured a clean card meant I actually knew what I was doing. Then I made the same banana bread three times and each batch came out different, and I had no idea which card was the good one. Now I scribble stuff like "9/14 dry, add more oil" right in the margin. Turns out the messy cards are the useful ones.