Guide
How to make a family cookbook
The recipes worth keeping are rarely written down properly. Here is how to gather them and turn them into a hardcover you can hand on.
1. Gather the recipes
Start by collecting, not organising. Photograph the handwritten cards. Screenshot the ones in a family chat. Write down the dish a parent makes from memory, even roughly — you can fix the amounts later. The goal of this step is only to get everything into one place.
2. Get them into a clean, editable form
A photo or a screenshot is not yet a recipe you can lay out. Mise reads each one — handwriting, a webpage, plain text — into a structured recipe with separate ingredients and steps, so you are editing a real recipe rather than retyping a card. Nothing is invented; you review every line.
3. Choose a look that fits the food
A book of weeknight family meals wants a different feel from a book of a grandmother’s baking. Pick a template that matches — a warm, letter-like Maison, a fresh photo-forward Verdant, or a structured Column — and keep it consistent across the book.
4. Add the parts that make it yours
A title and an author line on the cover. A dedication page. A photo of the person the recipe came from. These are what turn a stack of recipes into a book that could only belong to your family.
5. Print a real hardcover
When it is ready, Mise prints a case-bound hardcover at 300 DPI and ships it — starting at $39. Order one for each sibling and one for the person who taught you.
Questions
How many recipes do I need for a family cookbook?
There is no minimum recipe count — a Mise hardcover needs at least 20 pages, which is usually 15 to 20 recipes. Most family books land between 30 and 80.
Can I include handwritten recipe cards?
Yes. Photograph the card and import it — Mise reads the handwriting into a clean, editable recipe. You can keep the original wording.
How much does it cost to print?
A hardcover starts at $39, with the first 20 pages included and extra pages priced per page. Shipping is shown at checkout.