But I've always wondered why so many cookbooks are not spiral-bound!  Most of the ones that I have and love and use the most have traditional bindings and are nearly impossible to keep open when I'm using them.  I did have one (the Cake-Mix Doctor) that my mom fixed when she worked at a print shop.  She hacked off the binding and put in a spiral comb and it works great.

Just wondering how you guys deal with this.  I usually prop mine up with the sugar and flour canisters and I just know that somebody out there has invented the perfect tool to fix this!

I use cloths pins, works great for me

I've seen book stands sold before, but you would still have to use Meta's method with the clothes pins, I think.  Unless you want to break the binding to lay it flat. ;)

Somebody gave me a couple of leather things; kind of like straps, about eight inches long and 2-3 inches wide, with a weight on each end, flexible/bend-y in the middle; it keeps your cookbook (or whatever book) open to the pages you want.

They work great. I've seen them in catalogues but can't remember which.

There are also clear plastic stands that will hold your book open and standing up, with pages protected but you can still see/read them. .

I have one of those leather things that Betty mentioned.  I think it's called a book weight and you can find them at Books A Million or other big book chains. 

Another thing I've done is used a wooden pant hanger.  It can be used to clip the book open, and then if you wish, hang it on a cabinet nob to keep it from getting food splashed on it. 

brilliant, guys, thanks!!!