Why Recipes With 20+ Ingredients Are a Cry for Help

…a dish or a scavenger hunt? You decide😉

Somewhere along the line, ambitious chefs decided that culinary greatness could be measured in teaspoons and tablespoons. Sure, there’s an allure to mastering complex recipes—until you’re halfway through prepping and feel like you’ve opened a small-scale grocery store on your counter top. If your ingredient list reads like a Hobby Lobby receipt, we need to talk..;)

The Illusion of Sophistication

In certain circles, there’s an unspoken belief that the longer the ingredient list, the fancier the dish. But more often than not, it’s just smoke and mirrors. Who has the time to zest a rare imported fruit and mince imported herbs that you can’t even pronounce? The pros might flex, but let’s be honest—when’s the last time you needed fenugreek on a Tuesday? 

The Problem with Complexity

When your recipe demands 15 herbs, three oils, and a truffle shaved by moonlight, it stops being food and starts being a performance piece. Cooking should be about flavor and enjoyment, not a test of endurance. A good dish sings with a few bold ingredients working in harmony—not an orchestra of chaos.

Simplicity: The Unsung Hero

Some of the best dishes in the world are built on three or four ingredients. Olive oil, garlic, salt, and lemon can transform almost anything into a masterpiece. Instead of burying flavors, simplicity allows ingredients shine. No one’s ever said, “I just wish that this recipe would have required more steps, more ¼ teaspoons of ingredients, and more dirty dishes!”

Embrace the Lazy (or “efficient”;) Chef Mentality

Cook with passion and creativity – not pressure! Lean into rolling with things a bit, cut out ingredients that you don’t have or don’t want to use, replace the recipe’s 6 different ¼ teaspoon spices with a larger amount of one or two that you love, focus on using a smaller amount of high quality ingredients, and have FUN! 

Dinner shouldn’t feel like an Iron Chef challenge. Sometimes less really is more—unless we’re talking about butter…then all bets are off. 😉

What’s the most insanely long recipe you’ve ever prepared or the most ridiculously unnecessary ingredient you’ve come across? Comment below!