Here’s the deal, if you’re a passionate home cook, chances are you’ve been piling up cookbooks for years. Yes, we all start with one cookbook that catches our eye, but then there’s another one and another one. One day, you have no more storage space for new cookbooks or anything else for that matter.

Cookbooks are awesome, but so is technology, and today there’s no need to hoard recipe books to have the recipe you need in hand. So, what to do with your old cookbooks? Here are a few ideas to help you organize your cookbook collection.

When It’s Time to Get Rid of a Cookbook?

First things first. Some cookbooks are more special for us than others. Some are gifts, and others were our mother’s. There’s no reason to throw away all your cookbooks. Instead, choose a few you want to keep. Maybe they have a colorful spine and look nice on your shelf, or perhaps they mean something to you. Keep those!

The rest of your cookbooks, often worn-out magazines, and not very special compilations of recipes you never use, you can get rid of them. Of course, preserve the absolute best recipes in every cookbook and magazine for eternity, but we’ll get there in just a second — there’s an app for that.

What to do with Your Old Cookbooks?

Old cookbooks make your living room smell like a damp cellar, and they become home to booklice, creepy crawlers that, although harmless, are annoying. So, what to do with old cookbooks?

There are many ways to get rid of old cookbooks that don’t include throwing them into the trash. As you’ll soon discover, there’s satisfaction in classifying and sorting your old cookbook collection, determining what to do with each, and then taking care of them appropriately.

Here are the best ways to get rid of your cookbooks without feeling bad about it. You don’t have to pick one — instead, think of different ways for taking care of different books.

Sell them, More Money for New Cookbooks!

Before publishing your books on Amazon, visit your local bookstore and see if they buy used books. As you can surely imagine, some books are more valuable than others — some are unique prints, and others are simply hard to find. Who knows, you might have a hidden gem in your bookshelf waiting to be cashed out.

Then you can sell some other cookbooks online, even in bulk. Some collectors are passionate about cookbooks and might offer you an interesting amount. A yard sale is also a good way of getting rid of some old books and other stuff you don’t want anymore. Bake some cookies and make a lemonade pitcher, and you’ll soon have all your neighbors browsing around your stuff.

Gift Your Cookbooks and Share Some Knowledge

You probably won’t get rich selling old cookbooks, so why not give some of them away? Here’s where you need to be picky and find the right cookbook for the right person. Then, call your loved ones and say something like, “I found this old cookbook at home and just thought you’d want to learn how to make curry.”

Books are always lovely gifts, and old books are even better. If you know someone who’s always asking you how you cook things, then it’s time to give them wings and let them follow their own path into culinary greatness. It comes without saying, gift your more special cookbooks to your most cherished friends and family members.

Visit your neighborhood library and see if they’re accepting cookbook donations. Now, more than ever, preserving our culture and traditions matters. A great way of doing it is to make sure your cookbooks help future generations by donating knowledge to libraries and schools.

Make sure your cookbooks are in good condition before donating them — it’s simply good manners. And if you don’t find where to donate your cookbooks, offer them for free on your social media or with a classified ad in the newspaper. Donating feels good, and you always get the feeling someone will give good use to your old cookbooks.

Recycle Your Old Cookbooks

If you have too many cookbooks that aren’t selling or donating material, then it’s time to give back to Earth and turn those pages into clean sheets of paper again.

Each ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees; that’s a fact. And you don’t even need to remove staples or the covers of books and magazines. Just remove the plastic bags, if any. See if there’s a curbside recycling program near you, but keep in mind they might not accept hardcover books.

Sadly, your books won’t become new books, but coffee filters and egg cartons, but you’re still helping reduce waste, and every effort matters.

What to Do with Recipes You Want to Keep?

Here’s where things get interesting. You might want to get rid of your cookbooks, but that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your recipes!

Here’s where the Spiciko Recipe Keeper app comes in. The beautiful app allows you to take pictures of recipes in books and magazines, save them as photo recipes and view the photos full screen when you want to cook the recipe. You can also type in your favorite recipes manually and give them your personal touch — then add your own photos!

If you thought you had to resign to your recipe collection, Spiciko lets you do the opposite; you can preserve it for posterity and always have your entire cookbook collection in your pocket.

Cookbooks Are Part of Us!

Let’s face it. If you love cooking, you’ll never get rid of your favorite recipes. You can sell, donate or recycle the cookbook, but the knowledge in those pages, that will stay with you forever!

Download Spiciko and start adding your favorite recipes to your personalized collection. You’ll find it addictive, and you’ll be able to get rid of some of those old books sooner than you think!