diff --git a/recipes/findutils/recipe.toml b/recipes/findutils/recipe.toml
index 65ec7db45f25ae6ca4cf4996a111a3d43e3a3ff3..4da7c2cb7c83026cb6126c1cb10b6ea1db8393da 100644
--- a/recipes/findutils/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/findutils/recipe.toml
@@ -4,8 +4,5 @@ git = "https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/findutils.git"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS+=(
-    --bin find
-)
-cookbook_cargo
+cookbook_cargo --bin find
 """
diff --git a/recipes/iced/recipe.toml b/recipes/iced/recipe.toml
index 447f93d5f3657358a2b60ead1d77dc51e3a3da92..ae7dc4f18a1dc04cee4a272697377f0b544d4fff 100644
--- a/recipes/iced/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/iced/recipe.toml
@@ -5,17 +5,5 @@ branch = "redox"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-EXAMPLES=(
-    styling
-)
-set -x
-for example in "${EXAMPLES[@]}"
-do
-    ${COOKBOOK_CARGO} build \
-        --release \
-        --manifest-path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/Cargo.toml" \
-        --package "${example}"
-    mkdir -pv "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/bin"
-    cp -v "target/${TARGET}/release/${example}" "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/bin/iced_${example}"
-done
+cookbook_cargo_packages styling
 """
diff --git a/recipes/libcosmic/recipe.toml b/recipes/libcosmic/recipe.toml
index 3832b9f985d495997e08b16d378f125e70421846..cd89c2f618e38bbae5ac81daa99966681a0ef134 100644
--- a/recipes/libcosmic/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/libcosmic/recipe.toml
@@ -5,11 +5,5 @@ branch = "redox"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-    set -x
-    ${COOKBOOK_CARGO} build \
-        --release \
-        --manifest-path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/Cargo.toml" \
-        --package cosmic
-    mkdir -pv "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/bin"
-    cp -v "target/${TARGET}/release/cosmic" "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/bin/libcosmic"
+cookbook_cargo_packages cosmic
 """
diff --git a/recipes/orbterm/recipe.toml b/recipes/orbterm/recipe.toml
index 8692545822658c29c3b991d0d9146a2f5faec635..2d247c14a564df35f2a718354116ad921467775c 100644
--- a/recipes/orbterm/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/orbterm/recipe.toml
@@ -4,12 +4,7 @@ git = "https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/orbterm.git"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS=(
-    --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}"
-    --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/ui"
-    --locked
-    --no-track
-)
+COOKBOOK_STAGE="${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/ui"
 cookbook_cargo
 """
 
diff --git a/recipes/orbutils/recipe.toml b/recipes/orbutils/recipe.toml
index 920ed576de7924ddba63eede471c584a0671940c..b38bb830298ba796635443843ab0532c77bb3fc5 100644
--- a/recipes/orbutils/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/orbutils/recipe.toml
@@ -4,28 +4,12 @@ git = "https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/orbutils.git"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS=(
-    --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/orbutils"
-    --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/ui"
-    --locked
-    --no-track
-)
+COOKBOOK_STAGE="${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/ui"
+ORIGINAL_SOURCE="${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}"
+
+COOKBOOK_SOURCE="${ORIGINAL_SOURCE}/orbutils"
 cookbook_cargo
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS=(
-    --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/calculator"
-    --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}/ui"
-    --locked
-    --no-track
-)
+
+COOKBOOK_SOURCE="${ORIGINAL_SOURCE}/calculator"
 cookbook_cargo
 """
-
-[package]
-dependencies = [
-    "orbital",
-    "expat",
-    "fontconfig",
-    "freetype",
-    "libpng",
-    "zlib",
-]
diff --git a/recipes/redoxerd/recipe.toml b/recipes/redoxerd/recipe.toml
index 16d4a5a7f80d458dffb33e13b812b629785c9575..8a49ef48bcc25cc29156f84e609ea8ec55cbc7d3 100644
--- a/recipes/redoxerd/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/redoxerd/recipe.toml
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@ git = "https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/redoxer.git"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS=(
-    --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/daemon"
-    --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}"
-)
+COOKBOOK_SOURCE="${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}/daemon"
 cookbook_cargo
 """
diff --git a/recipes/uutils/recipe.toml b/recipes/uutils/recipe.toml
index e346a12bf97831e6cd16f47e623e9bb7c2a3048a..c04c571879949799bc70c1ac80a39586c89c5c29 100644
--- a/recipes/uutils/recipe.toml
+++ b/recipes/uutils/recipe.toml
@@ -5,12 +5,7 @@ branch = "redox"
 [build]
 template = "custom"
 script = """
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS+=(
-    --no-default-features
-    --features feat_os_unix_redox
-    --bin coreutils
-)
-cookbook_cargo
+cookbook_cargo --no-default-features --features feat_os_unix_redox --bin coreutils
 
 BINS=(
     base32
diff --git a/src/bin/cook.rs b/src/bin/cook.rs
index b055920b6f9799982c6523b9f5940e45d0d843a9..9fe35867b6602e24674f8da1542a3a551fa3bbdb 100644
--- a/src/bin/cook.rs
+++ b/src/bin/cook.rs
@@ -461,14 +461,13 @@ export PKG_CONFIG_SYSROOT_DIR="${COOKBOOK_SYSROOT}"
 
 # cargo template
 COOKBOOK_CARGO="${COOKBOOK_REDOXER}"
-COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS=(
-    --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}"
-    --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}"
-    --locked
-    --no-track
-)
 function cookbook_cargo {
-    "${COOKBOOK_CARGO}" install "${COOKBOOK_CARGO_FLAGS[@]}"
+    "${COOKBOOK_CARGO}" install \
+        --path "${COOKBOOK_SOURCE}" \
+        --root "${COOKBOOK_STAGE}" \
+        --locked \
+        --no-track \
+        "$@"
 }
 
 # helper for installing binaries that are cargo examples