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 as a purpose 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.

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 does need to be cooked. 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.) 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 the Buy catalog, and is ready to eat when bought. Livin' Large added Servo, which will produce food when told to serve a meal. It's not very good food, but it is free. The most significant upgrade was that of Makin' Magic, which provided a baker's oven which allows Sims to cook 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 even classified into three types: Snacks, Meals, and Dessert, with meals also broken down depending on the time of day: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. (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, but the Sim usually won't eat or serve that 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.

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.

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.

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.

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
Pizza can order from phone menu, pizza costs §25. There are 3 flavors:

Modded Food
Modded food (Modified food) is food downloaded from sites like The Sims Resource and ModTheSims2. 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.