One of the reasons I wrote my cookbook, “COOKING, IT AIN’T ROCKET SCIENCE” hit me in the face this afternoon as I searched for recipes that would include the bags of fresh mangos that were graciously given me by a neighbor. For those who aren’t familiar with Florida in the early summer months, mangos drop from trees as often as iguanas do during a dry spell. Splat. I had made jars of mango chutney. I needed a cake recipe. That’s when the ball dropped.

Reading several recipes, I was struck by how ridiculous it was that we’re still using cups and multiple teaspoon measurements. One recipe read: “one cup, plus two tablespoons” — now isn’t that a waste of utensils and tools, not to mention the cleaning up?  Why not just write: place a medium bowl on the kitchen scale. Measure 100 grams of self-rising flour. Add to the bowl:  whatever additional measurements are required. Imagine the tools you won’t have to wash. Now, let’s get back to the bowls:

The recipe said the sugar, egg and oil were to be mixed in a small bowl; the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  THEN: the contents of the medium bowl were to be added to what was in the small bowl!!! Duh!  My small bowl overfloweth!  Use two medium bowls or put the sugar mixture in a medium bowl and the dry ingredients in the small bowl!

Cooking is a logical progression. It’s also a messy endeavor. Whatever we can do to make our time in the  kitchen easier, more creative, and less of a chore is where we should be headed. As if peeling and chopping mangoes isn’t messy enough! And swatting away all those iguanas can get tiresome!

THINK, recipe writers! The Recipe Police are out there, laying in wait!