Evernote Rocks for Recipes, Shopping Lists

I've tried several methods of storing recipes, including separate text files for each recipe, one big document with each page being a recipe, databases, etc. etc. Each method has several inherent problems, but the two biggest I've found are simplicity and portability.  I want my recipes stored somewhere safe that I can access from anywhere, any time. This last part is critical; I want to be able to get my favourite recipes when I want them; if I'm at the grocery store and at a loss for what to make for dinner, I want to be able to look up some recipes and get myself a shopping list going. Enter Evernote.

What is Evernote? From the Evernote website:

Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Did we mention that it's free?

For all of the above reasons, I love Evernote; it's perfect for storing recipes and shopping lists.  If you're at a friend's house and want to make that killer risotto recipe you have but can't seem to remember, use your friend's computer or your mobile to look up the recipe in your Evernote recipes notebook.  If you want to save paper and have an accessible shopping list, use your mobile to look up your list on Evernote.

I have a notebook in Evernote called "Recipes" that houses my favourites that I may want to access from anywhere. The tagging feature allows me to separate recipes by their type or ingredients, so finding vegetarian or chicken recipes is simple. Last but not least the powerful Web Clipper feature allows me to quickly and easily grab recipes found online and put them in my recipe notebook.

Similarly, I have an ever-changing shopping list note that stores what I need to get from the grocery store that I access from my mobile using the Evernote for Windows Mobile. I always have my mobile with me so I can (almost) never forget the list at home, and it saves on guilt from using countless scraps of paper.

If you're looking for a powerful, flexible, and portable method of storing your recipes and shopping lists, I'd highly recommend you check out Evernote.