Buzz
I’ve fallen victim to titles like “Easiest (meal name) Ever.” It didn’t end well. The ingredients were bought, the prep work completed, but alas, the recipe wasn’t easy at all. The word ‘easy’ is enticing and often deceiving. While the recipe creator may find it simple, ‘easy’ holds different meanings for each person. Avoid being tricked by misleading recipe titles—use these checkpoints before diving in.
What’s the total time commitment?
Most recipes include an estimate of how long the author took to prepare the dish. This may break down into active time, inactive time, prep time, and cook or bake time. Prep time includes tasks like chopping or boiling water. Inactive time is the wait for things to happen without your involvement, like dough rising. Cook time is the period when the dish is actively being cooked. Add up these times to get an idea of the minimal time you’ll need. Keep in mind that the author’s experience with the recipe is factored into this estimate, and a long prep or cook time doesn’t always mean the recipe will be challenging. It suggests a commitment of your attention and possibly an extended time spent actively working on it.
Check the yield of the recipe to ensure it meets your needs.
When you’re at the top of the recipe, check the yield or serving size. This will help you assess whether the recipe fits your needs, abilities, and available equipment. The ‘easy’ sour cream cake recipe might call for enough batter to create four layers, but if you only have one cake pan, that could be a problem. Likewise, the dumpling recipe your friend recommended might yield 48 two-inch dumplings, but you’re cooking for only one person. Typically, the yield is listed near the top of the recipe. However, it's not always a standard part of the instructions, and sometimes it might be hidden at the end or missing entirely. Large yield recipes can sometimes be halved, but it’s crucial to be aware of this before starting so you can do the necessary math.
If the yield isn’t specified, you can make an educated guess based on the recipe’s ingredients. If the final dish has a measurable volume, like soup, stew, a type of filling, or batter, add up the large ingredient quantities. A chili recipe that calls for eight cans of crushed tomatoes and four cans of beans might be too much for one person, but perfect for a family of four. Recipes that are baked in specific-sized dishes also give you a clue to the yield. For example, a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish can help you estimate the number of servings. You can even measure out slices to get an accurate yield.
Examine the ingredient list.
The ingredient list is one of the first places I check to see what a recipe requires. Here, you can see how many ingredients you’ll need to gather, how many you might already have, and whether you’re familiar with them all. Are they all basic ingredients, or do some come pre-prepared, like ground meat and spices versus a bag of frozen meatballs? Looking through the ingredient list can reveal whether the ingredients are easy to find or if you’ll have to wait for the weekend to visit a specialty store.
What equipment will you need for this recipe?
While a list of required or specialized equipment isn’t always explicitly stated, it’s often found near the cook time and yield at the top of the recipe, or sometimes in the side margin. The recipe will likely feel more approachable if you already have the necessary tools and are familiar with using them. For example, a ‘pasta attachment’ would be pointless if you don’t own the machine to attach it to, and a recipe that calls for a deep fryer might seem simple if you already own one. But, if you need to use a pot of oil without a thermometer, it becomes more challenging. Likewise, a recipe requiring an immersion circulator you don’t have can easily turn from ‘easy’ to ‘easy if’.
Review the verbs, terms, and phrases used in the recipe.
Once you’ve confirmed that the time commitment works, the yield is right, the ingredients are all in order, and you have the required equipment, it would be unfortunate to be stuck on step 3 because you didn’t understand the term ‘blanch’. Carefully read through the recipe to identify the action verbs in each step. Most recipes begin with a short sentence starting with the main verb—blanch the asparagus, julienne the carrots, reverse-sear the loin, or cut-in butter. Be sure to spot any unfamiliar cooking terms or phrases like ‘deglaze the pan’ or ‘whip to stiff peaks.’ These will help you determine if the recipe is truly easy for you or if you need to do a little research. Just because a recipe seems difficult now doesn’t mean it can’t be an easy option for a quick Tuesday dinner in the future. As with any skill, cooking and baking improve with practice. Use these checkpoints to determine what’s easy for you.
