they have just the recipes, and usually organized nicely with like a table of contents and sometimes even an index
just steal them https://annas-archive.org
additionally, ive recently discovered Cook Well which is perhaps one of the best food / recipe sites ive ever used. it's run by youtuber Ethan Chlebowski who does a lot of informational and entertaining food videos. he reminds me of alton brown who i grew up watching, so i might be a bit biased but overall as someone who's always struggled w my relationship to food and cooking his resources have been extremely helpful
the whole concept of cooking by technique and desired result, rather than recipe, has been my MO for cooking since practically ever. you don't boil the pasta for "six minutes on medium heat", you boil the pasta at whatever heat doesn't make it boil over, until it is done, and you know it's done by tasting one noodle every minute or two; not by an egg timer.
mozzarella sticks go in the (oven, air-fryer, Presto Pizzazz, aluminum foil/tray and heat gun) until they almost burst. the instant one lets out cheese, they're all done.
you don't "heat the pupusas for 3 minutes and flip", you keep heating them until they sizzle in that right way, then you flip. if it's not brown enough, you're learning.
chili, you don't follow a recipe. you combine ingredients (which? up to you! it's chili, use chili stuff!) and cooked beef, bring to a boil, and then turn it almost all the way down and just simmer it, keep simmering until it's reduced to just how you like it. the slower the simmer, the better it is.
more importantly, stoves and ovens vary and can even change over time! know where your settings live and how they're affected by the weather, altitude and power usage of your home (if electric). my stove might have 7 as the setting for "optimal pupusas" but yours might be 3 or 9 even. learn, get a feel for it. you might have something a little underdone - throw it back in, and next time, throw it in longer, or at higher temp. you might have something a little overdone - as long as it's not only carbon now, it's probably still edible! and you'll know how your stove or whatever behaves, now.
every time I've seen someone bring out and dirty up a whole measuring cup for a box of mac and cheese it drives me half insane
yeah this is pretty much accurate. cooking is alot more vibes-based than recipes might let on. times are sort of a vague guide on what you could maybe expect.
sometimes you're making a dish you make frequently, and do exactly what you did last time, and your shit comes out underdone or burnt. not every loaf of bread dough you make will cook the same way. not every steak is going to have the same fat content to render out.
the mark of a good cook is how quickly can you identify the situation you are in and react accordingly. funnily enough this is why the food network pivoted pretty much exclusively to stuff like chopped, cutthroat kitchen, and guy's grocery games, that's what those shows are all about.
This is why I hate cooking. Specifically because it is so vibes based. No. Fuck you. Give me exact instructions that have no room for interpretation. This is why baking is superior in every way.