Food

Food is a vital substance for Sims to consume, as it replenishes their hunger need. Over time, a Sim's hunger need will deplete. In the long run, not consuming food will cause a Sim to die of starvation. Throughout the series, food comes in a number of varieties, such as cooked meals, instant meals, snacks, and raw ingredients.

Initially, food only served to replenish a Sim's hunger. Later series enhanced the mechanism of food, such as requiring ingredients for cooking, changing a Sim's fitness and body shape, and giving special effects and benefits to Sims who eat certain food.

Food is usually obtained from a refrigerator, and depending on the recipe, will need to be prepared on a preparation surface or food processor, and/or be cooked using a stove or microwave. Sims can choose to have a meal, which will produce a single serving for themselves, or serve a meal, which will produce a serving platter that up to six Sims can get plates from. Sims can also choose to have a quick meal that requires minimal cooking, or obtain a snack that requires no preparation. In general, foods that require preparation and cooking are better at satisfying the hunger need than quickly prepared foods. Certain types of foods, such as wedding and birthday cakes, may also be purchased from buy mode or a grocery store, ready to eat.

Most food must be served in a plate or bowl, which will be "generated" out of thin air for the occasion. Once Sims are finished eating, empty plates and bowls will need to be washed in a sink or dishwasher. In The Sims 2 and The Sims 4, Sims without a sink or a dishwasher can throw empty or dirty dishes into the garbage. While dirty dishes can be disposed of in The Sims 3, Sims will not do this autonomously, and the player will have to manually drag dirty dishes into the garbage.

The Sims
The Sims featured only a few types of food. Sims with a fridge can have a snack, or can prepare a meal. The meal will be either steak and beans, a salad, or a can of beans, depending on what else is available. If the Sim doesn't have, or can't get to, a stove, microwave, or toaster oven, the meal becomes a salad. If the Sim doesn't have, or can't get to, a preparation surface, the meal becomes a can of beans. Sims can choose to have a 'quick meal', which does not need to be prepared, but can be cooked for best results. Sims can use the BBQ grill to cook a plate of hamburgers. Sims do not have to buy food, but are instead charged each time they prepare a meal or have a snack. They are charged §20 for a group meal (which serves six), §10 for a single meal, and §5 for a snack. (If Unleashed is installed, they are not charged for meals prepared from a pantry, though they'll still be charged for snacks.) Sims can also use the phone to order pizza, which will cost them §40.

Later expansion packs provided more food for Sims to eat, including a birthday cake, cookies, and turkey. This food is bought from buy mode, and is ready to eat when purchased. Livin' Large added Servo, which will produce food when told to serve a meal. It's not very good food, but it is free. In Unleashed, dogs and cats can be fed pet food using a food bowl. The most significant upgrade was that of Makin' Magic, which provided a baker's oven which allows Sims to prepare more types of food, as long as the required ingredients were in the Sim's inventory.

The Sims 2
Food in The Sims 2 is more complicated, featuring many new choices, like Mac and Cheese, Lobster Thermidor and Baked Alaska. Food is now classified into three types: snacks, meals, and dessert, with meals being further categorized as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sims are only able to prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner recipes depending on the time of day; for instance, Sims cannot make pancakes in the afternoon, as it is classified as a breakfast food. Open for Business added the ability to make any type of food the Sim is able to prepare, except for a TV Dinner, at any time of the day, but the Sim will not eat or serve the food unless the player directs them to. Sims can use the phone to order pizza, which costs §40. With the University expansion pack, Sims can also order Chinese takeout, which costs §30.

The types of food Sims can prepare depends on their level in the cooking skill. Also, some foods require certain equipment to make, e.g. needing a microwave to make Cup O' Ramen. If food preparation is interrupted, the food will be left as partially prepared. The player can click on the partially prepared meal and direct a Sim to discard it ("Clean Up") or to continue making it ("Resume Cooking"). In some cases, a Sim who does not have enough cooking skill to make the meal from scratch may not be able to finish making it once it has been started.

During preparation of certain items, a milk carton appears. This carton has a missing person on the back, and depending on the meal, the person can be Bella Goth, the Tragic Clown, or the Social Bunny.

Unlike other games, Sims in The Sims 2 who have been instructed to serve a meal will attempt to set each individual place at the nearest dining surface when they have finished cooking. When doing so, they will take into account the number of Sims present on the lot, and will generally not set more places than there are available Sims. If Apartment Life is installed, Sims can cook and serve meals in the apartment communal area, if the necessary amenities are present. However, they are not able to eat at a neighbor's apartment.

Sims who have less than three neat points can "Lick Clean" empty plates as a faster alternative to washing them, which will provide a slight hunger boost. They cannot lick clean bowls, however.

One difference from The Sims is that it's possible for a Sim to become distracted while waiting for their food to cook, especially if they're using an oven. This can result in a burned meal, or even a fire. Even if the Sim doesn't get distracted, they can still burn a meal, as even the best cooks don't always get it right. Another difference is that cold foods, such as cereal and lunch meat sandwiches, are available, so Sims with little Cooking skill can eat without risking fire. Also, The Sims 2 fridges occasionally have to be restocked, which means that it's necessary to buy groceries once in a while, either at a grocery store, or by using the phone or computer to have them delivered. Food is bought and stocked in units, which normally cost §2 apiece, though a Sim-owned business may charge more. If groceries are delivered, there is an extra §50 charge for delivery.

Children can only prepare food using the toy oven, which makes a muffin that is fairly filling. Like adults, they can get distracted while cooking.

In Pets, dogs and cats can be fed using a food bowl or with pet treats. They can also be fed plates of Sim food that have been placed on the ground. Pets can be trained to prefer eating pet food by praising them for eating from the food bowl or scolding them for eating Sim food, and vice versa. Pets may also beg Sims who are eating at a table for food scraps, which will promptly be tossed down to the animal.

Later expansion packs such as Holiday Party Pack, Open for Business and Seasons added more foods for Sims to cook. Bon Voyage adds special foods that can only be eaten on vacation. With FreeTime, Sims who have sufficient enthusiasm in the Cuisine hobby can get chips & dip, cheese, and appetizer platters from the fridge. These platters are treated as group meals, though they do not have the "Call to Meal..." option that other group meals do. Since they require no preparation, they do not depend on the Sim's Cooking skill.

A list of in-game food can be found here.

The Sims Castaway Stories
Food in Castaway Stories has changed, mainly because it has to be collected. Food can be collected much as resources can. Here are the ways:
 * Collecting fruit from trees (coconuts, papayas, bananas),
 * Fishing (bigger fish bring more food),
 * Going to work (this also brings resources).

The Sims 3
Food in The Sims 3 can be moved out of the fridge by clicking on it and clicking "open". Unlike The Sims 2, foods can be chosen when bought from a grocery store. Food can be made into meals by Sims that have enough cooking skill. As in The Sims and The Sims 2, Sims can burn food and start fires. There are also "quick meals" which are filling, but don't give a Sim any mood benefit, such as the Good Meal moodlet. As in The Sims 2, children can use the toy oven to make muffins and other sweets. These were later broken down into vanilla, chocolate, and other goods for the bake sales in The Sims 3 Ambitions.

Festival Food
The Sims 3: Seasons introduces food kiosks to the game and new kiosk food and drink. They cannot be made at home.

The Sims 4
Food in The Sims 4 is now categorized by the way it is prepared, rather than by time of day it is served. Sims can cook homestyle and gourmet meals in the kitchen, or bake pastries with the cupcake factory. Unlike The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, but in a throwback to The Sims, they don't have to buy food, but are instead charged each time they prepare a meal. Quick meals, which are not needed to be prepared don't cost money. By using freshly grown ingredients, Sims can both decrease the cost of the meal prepared and affect its quality. Sims can also use the phone to order pizza, of which they have three varieties to choose from, each costing them §25.

When Sims eat, their meals can consist of both a food item and a beverage. Beverages available are milk, juice, coffee, tea, or anything they either mix themselves or order from a bar.

A list of in-game food recipes can be found here.

Quick meals from the cooler
With The Sims 4: Outdoor Retreat, Sims can buy a cooler that can be used to get quick meals. The coolers do have normal quick meals, but they do also have some special ones as well.

Pizzas
Like previous games, Sims can order a pizza over the phone, which costs §25. They can order from three different types of pizza:

Sack lunches
In The Sims 4: Parenthood, Sims can prepare sack lunches, that they can bring to work or school in their inventory. If they do so while their hunger need is low, they will eat the food and come back home with full hunger.

Modded Food
Modded food (Modified food) is food downloaded from sites like The Sims Resource and Mod The Sims. These sites have a dedicated "food" section, where players can download several types of food like ice cream, Chinese chicken and French bread. Earlier versions of food for The Sims 2 have had many problems which creators tried to overcome, such as food not disappearing when eaten, among other things.

Downloads for The Sims 3 can also add new recipes, make recipes more complex, and increase the price for ingredients if a Sim doesn't own them.