Yes, this is a necessity, because of the limitations of the game.
Adding a choice of recipes to the furnace is a terrible decision that severely limits the gameplay.
Given that there is an obvious solution.
For example, the steel production chain:
Wood + Coal-> Crusher-> Mixture for coke-> Furnaces-> Coke.
Iron plates + coke->crusher->blend for steel-making-> Furnaces->steel plates (gears or beams).
Or
Rich iron ore+coke->crusher->mix for steel-making-> Furnaces->steel plates (gears or beams).
Two or more items for the recipe can always be replaced by one with the addition of just one step in production chain.
UPD: I've found a mod that levels out the limitations added to the gameplay and controls the furnaces with logic - "Crafting Combinator"