Why are chefs and home cooks so cagey about their recipes?

Decades ago, while accompanying my grandmother — an excellent cook — to various homes, I remember her and my mother discussing how, when they asked the host for the recipe of a dish we relished, a key ingredient was often left out. At the time, I thought they were just being critical, but over the years, I’ve noticed this as a defining characteristic when people ask others for recipes. Very rarely will you get the real recipe out of people.

This thought resurfaced when I recently watched an interview with celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor. During an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kapoor spoke about the fierce competition surrounding the creation of popular dishes and their “secret recipes.” He said, “When we went to learn something, the master would tell us to go fetch something when it came to a critical component. So, there was a lot of secrecy. Recipes used to be secret.”

I find it quite amusing how restaurant chefs are hesitant to share recipes when diners ask for them. It’s a strange insecurity, considering it is highly unlikely that a diner will be able to replicate the dish. And if they do, frankly, chefs should be impressed.

It’s quite a trademark to claim dishes as “family recipes” and withhold details and avoid training cooks outside the family. Ashok Bar and Restaurant in Fontainhas, Goa, established in 1969 by Krishna and Pandurang Narvekar, is an example. For 55 years, they’ve been serving chicken xacuti and mutton xacuti made from a secret family recipe passed down only to female family members. Then there’s Daryaganj’s secret butter chicken recipe, supposedly created by Kundan Lal Jaggi. Even on a more commercial scale, you have KFC’s 11-ingredient secret recipe or Coca-Cola’s closely guarded formula.

According to a Guardian article, Coke’s “famous ‘Merchandise 7X’ flavourings have remained unchanged since 1886, and the recipe is today entrusted only to two Coke executives, neither of whom can travel on the same plane for fear the secret goes down with them.” John Pemberton, an Atlanta chemist and former Confederate army officer, crafted this seven-ingredient formula, originally for cough medicines. (That explains a lot!) It’s no wonder Coke didn’t foresee competition from Rasna’s cola variant back in the day.

I understand why conglomerates guard their recipes; commercial implications of a competitor replicating the product would be drastic. But, when restaurant chefs or home cooks are secretive, it raises the question: where does this paranoia come from? Do chefs really believe someone will replicate their dish and open a competing restaurant if they share their recipe? If they do, shouldn’t that be seen as entrepreneurial spirit? Does your friend Leena think you’ll start making the best roast chicken now, just because she shared her recipe?

Do chefs really believe someone will replicate their dish and open a competing restaurant if they share their recipe? (Photo: Freepik)

The reality is, a recipe is much more than just a list of ingredients and steps. It’s about how one sauté ingredients, how meat is cut, whether the spices are freshly ground or store-bought, and how long the marination is. These subtleties can completely change the outcome. Even if Tundey’s galouti kebab or Karim’s korma recipes were shared, it’s unlikely anyone would replicate them at home.

Sometimes, the secret isn’t in the technique—it’s in the shortcut. A friend once served me a spectacular biryani, only to later reveal it had been ordered from down the road. In some cases, key components of a dish come from a packet mix, even in high-end restaurants. Many don’t grind their own spices, and instead, use pre-made masala mixes. Sometimes, chefs give you the recipe off the box but tweak one or two ingredients to ensure it won’t turn out exactly the same. In other cases, there’s an unusual ingredient involved. For example, I once discovered that a famous Bengali restaurant chain added baking soda to their Daab Chingri (prawns cooked in a coconut shell) to maintain the coconut milk’s texture.

There are, of course, chefs who freely share their recipes and have published cookbooks that I swear by. Ritu Dalmia’s Italian Khana is perfect for anyone wanting to master tiramisu or chocolate torta. Anjum Anand’s cookbooks are excellent, as are those by James Beard, Jacques Pepin, Marion Grasby, Ina Garten, and Martha Stewart. Keep in mind, though, that restaurant recipes can’t always be replicated at home—mainly because of the sheer amount of butter, fat, and sugar that go into them.

That said, a sign of a good chef is one who isn’t cagey about his recipes. However, some recipes probably should remain a secret. When I was 23, living in a handkerchief-sized room in Bombay, I would cook a dish now and then. Star TV had a celebrity cooking show in which a famous Punjabi singer shared his recipe for Old Monk Chicken Curry. I, believing that the recipe must have been tested before being telecast, followed the recipe to the T, only to find that 250 ml of rum to 500 gms of chicken, is a direct route to drowning your taste buds.

This is my homemade “secret” recipe for mayonnaise.

Garlic Mayonnaise

2 large eggs
1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard or any mustard you have at home
Juice of two large limes
1/2 teaspoon salt
250ml vegetable oil – not olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon garlic paste

You can enjoy mayonnaise in salads, sandwiches and even with French fries. (Photo: Freepik)

Process

Add the eggs to a bowl, and using a hand mixer whip them up.
Add the mustard, lime and salt. Whip till creamy – 30 seconds or so.
Start to slowly add the oil.
Do not pour it all in at one go, because the oil needs to emulsify properly. Patience is key.
The mixture will start to thicken and emulsify. Add the pepper and garlic puree and whip for 30 seconds more.
Store your mayonnaise in a glass jar in the fridge, it should last for at least a month.

Next week, I’ll be writing about two of my favourite preparations – paturi and patrani – and why a dolma isn’t really a dolma in India.

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