What the heck is a Fuss Factor?
Okay. This information may be a bit redundant, but I’m a scientist by training, and scientists always love more data. I’ve basically tried to distill the amount of work and brainpower required for a recipe into a single number, which I dub the Fuss Factor. The Fuss Factor takes into account not only the time a recipe takes, but also the amount of food prep involved (washing, peeling, chopping), amount of dishes or counter space needed, number of steps, number of different components to a recipe (meatballs + sauce, for example), and just general brainpower required. For example, baked potatoes might get a fuss factor of 2: they will take about an hour to cook, which is annoying on a weeknight, but you can literally set them and forget them, so that’s not too bad. Anyway, hopefully, this number can help you quickly evaluate whether a recipe is a do or don’t on a given day. And if you find it too fussy (!!!), feel free to ignore it!
Here’s a brief description of each Fuss Factor (FF), from least fussy (1) to most fussy (5):
FF1 – Easiest recipes on the website. Require about 5 ingredients or less, not a lot of food prep, with easy, straightforward directions, maybe 5 steps total. Usually take 30 minutes or less to make.
FF2 – A bit more involved than FF1, but still relatively straightforward. One or two elements may be harder than the FF1, such as a longer ingredient list, more food prep, or more steps. Usually take 30 – 45 minutes total to make.
FF3 – Not too easy but not too hard either. The boring middle child in every way – moderate amount of ingredients, food prep, and cooking instructions. Usually take 45 minutes – an hour total to make.
FF4 – Wading into dangerous territory. May have a long ingredient list, a lot of food prep, or require a lot of steps that use a lot of dishes and counter space. Usually take an hour – an hour and a half total to make.
FF5 – Fussiest recipes, the ones you’ll be yelling at me are NOT weeknight dinners (what can I say, sometimes I feel inspired on a Tuesday!). Require the most ingredients, may have two or more different components, require a lot of food prep, and a lot of things to keep track of mentally. Usually take about an hour and a half – two hours total to make.