I actually don't like recipes written in an imperative style and I don't think this is how cooks think about them internally. They are the norm for written recipes, but whenever I read one I (and I assume other experienced cooks) translate it into a functional style for internal storage.
Consider a recipe for macaroni cheese. In imperative style it might be written like this:
Thread 1, step 2: remove sauce from heat and stir in cheese.
Thread 2, step 1: bring water to boil, add salt, add 125g of pasta, simmer.
Thread 2: step 2: drain pasta.
Join threads: Fold pasta into sauce and serve.
Nobody thinks about how to make macaroni cheese like this. My internal record for macaroni cheese is more like this:
"Basically it's macaroni and cheese sauce mixed together. You cook pasta in boiling water with salt. Cheese sauce is béchamel sauce with grated cheese. Béchamel sauce is made with a roux and milk. A roux is butter and flour."
In fact, if you look in any decent cookery book, the information will be stored like this. A good book teaches you techniques and builds up raw ingredients into basic building blocks and then final recipes. Only a stupid book tells you how to make béchamel sauce 20 times because 20 different dishes use it.
Consider a recipe for macaroni cheese. In imperative style it might be written like this:
Thread 1, step 1: melt butter, add flour, gradually beat in milk, simmer.
Thread 1, step 2: remove sauce from heat and stir in cheese.
Thread 2, step 1: bring water to boil, add salt, add 125g of pasta, simmer.
Thread 2: step 2: drain pasta.
Join threads: Fold pasta into sauce and serve.
Nobody thinks about how to make macaroni cheese like this. My internal record for macaroni cheese is more like this:
"Basically it's macaroni and cheese sauce mixed together. You cook pasta in boiling water with salt. Cheese sauce is béchamel sauce with grated cheese. Béchamel sauce is made with a roux and milk. A roux is butter and flour."
In fact, if you look in any decent cookery book, the information will be stored like this. A good book teaches you techniques and builds up raw ingredients into basic building blocks and then final recipes. Only a stupid book tells you how to make béchamel sauce 20 times because 20 different dishes use it.