I lost my entire HDD due to Microsoft Update bricking my AMD system, where
only God knows why and only God knows how to recover the data.

After buying a new HDD and installing Windows 10 on it, I'm trying really
hard to not tweak the system (except for the barest of minimum tweaks that
are necessary for efficiency).

I suspect all my tweaks are things Microsoft Update hated, so I'm trying
/not/ to tweak the new setup but Lord knows, I need a KISS cascading menu
because that stupid Cortana thing just sucks for too many reasons to
elucidate here.

Without resorting to Classic Shell or Winaero, what's the easiest way to
create a very simple working cascading menu of the style that we're all
used to, which, in words is something like:

Start menu
archiver [list of archival program shortcuts, e.g., 7-zip]
browser [list of browser program shortcuts, e.g., Opera]
cleaner [list of cleaner program shortcuts, e.g., Ccleaner]
database [list of database program shortcuts,. e.g., Google Earth]
editor pic [list of picture editor shortcuts, e.g., Pinta]
editor pdf [list of PS/PDF editor shortcuts, e.g., Foxit]
editor txt [list of text editor shortcuts, e.g., GVim]
editor vid [list of video editor shortcuts, e.g., Shotcut]
finance [list of finance program shortcuts, e.g., TurboTax]
game [list of game program shortcuts, e.g., Steam]
etc.

Must I resort to the Classic Shell or WinAero?

Or does Windows 10, by now, so many years after the release, finally have a
way to implement a basic KISS cascading shortcut like that which worked
just fine in Windows XP?