Cooking
Overview
Cooking improves the quality, safety and nutrition of prepared food, and unlocks better recipes.
Why It Matters
Good cooking stretches your food supply, improves mood through tastier meals, and reduces the risk of food-borne illness. On long runs, a skilled cook turns marginal ingredients into reliable nutrition.
Fastest XP Methods
Prepare meals constantly — even simple ones. Cooking on a stove or campfire grants XP, and skill books multiply it. Higher levels let you safely use ingredients a beginner would have to discard.
Best Books
The Cooking book series, tiered 1 through 5. Read before grinding meals.
VHS Priority
Cooking-themed VHS tapes give bonus XP and are a pleasant supplement to the books.
Common Mistakes
Not cooking enough early to bank XP while ingredients are plentiful; eating food raw or spoiled and getting sick when a cooked meal was an option.
Build 42 Changes
Build 42 adjusts food and crafting systems; confirm recipes in your build.