Too many ingredients - Information Overload in recipes?

Hi, just your average American complaining yet again about something that honestly seems like an inconvenience at times. I’m a casual cooker and can follow directions but seriously, there are some things in recipes that I question how much of a difference that ingredient makes. With the list of ground ginger or turmeric as an example, I lose myself more in the daunting shopping list and buying these things to make the dish whole. Help me make it make sense.

Answer

Ginger and turmeric are good staple items to keep in your spice rack, especially if you make Indian food. The idea here, is to always keep stocked, things that many recipes require…so that you never have to buy more than 2 or 3 things to cook most things…Garlic and onion powder, pepper, chili powder, cumin, etc…

Answer

Actually, the two ingredients you highlighted as examples are quite strong aromatics and do make a significant difference in terms of flavour and aroma. Not sure about where you live, but fresh ginger is relatively inexpensive and widely available in most major urban centres. Fresh turmeric is less so (often only sold in ethnic grocers), although turmeric powder is likewise relatively inexpensive and widely available in most major urban centres.