I'd argue it's the authors trying to differentiate (and add value to ) their copy of the recipe vs the 100s of others. And I suspect some do believe that adding dialogue or slightly changing the recipe covers them from copyright claims (not realizing recipes aren't covered) or provide them with some copyright protection of their own.

Others probably do it because that's the way it's always been done, but don't realize what they're trying to emulate...

It's the Martha Stewart / Alton Brown recipe for success, where the details are more interesting than the underlying recipe. But people mistake the extra detail for sentimental fluff (Martha Stuart) or technical babble that they don't understand (Alton Brown), and so they just perceive the formula as recipe plus fluff, without seeing the value that fluff should add.

Or they misjudge the value that they think they are adding with their own fluff.

Also probably relevant: recipes (along with product pages) are a couple of categories that Google treats drastically different than general web pages. And as a result has had unintended consequences for the worse, as far as overall quality of the web goes. I'm looking at you, affiliate links.

This. There are some blogs that really succeeds with the story-telling. I don’t mind the stories on Food Lab for example. But if it’s just an incoherent and fluffy word salad, then I’d rather just read the recipe straight away.

The experience narratives can certainly be constructive as well, like maybe describing different versions of dishes tried at various restaurants when trying to recreate a recipe. But even most of these aren't helpful, depending on the author.

And of course the worst is the people who just try to describe an appropriate weather condition or family feeling that goes along with a meal, ala the Giada. Of course Giada is proof that even some people can make that model work well. It's just that most people on the internet don't.

Some experts on Mashable agree [0]:

> SEO and marketing experts agree that Nelson's approach is a smart one, especially in such a saturated landscape. "Because a recipe usually consists of a listing of ingredients and steps, it’s often very difficult for a search engine to discern what this article is trying to convey,"

[0]: https://mashable.com/article/why-are-there-long-stories-on-f...

That makes sense to me. More keywords related to search topics means more hits.

>Nelson thinks there's an element of sexism to the critiques she sees about recipe writing.

Give me a break.

> "The feeling seems to be that they don't think these writers have something of value to offer," Nelson said.

I mean yes, most people do not care about your home life.

> By sharing stories on blogs, people get to know the types of foods [and] flavors that specific recipe creators enjoy. You figure out who is a good match for your own palate."

Do this after the recipe? Oh wait, that would mean I don't have to scroll past more advertisements... This is what everyone is complaining about. Getting to the actual recipe is quite annoying, especially on phones without ad blockers.

I realize sometimes the articles are pure fluff, but if you are passionate about what you are making, you want to read the how and why, the trial and error, and maybe even the history and backstory of the dish.

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