Cooking



Cooking is one of the many skills to be gained in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

A higher Cooking skill reduces the chances of a Sim accidentally causing a fire while cooking. In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, Sims will learn to make different meals as their Cooking skill increases, and the chance that they will burn a meal will go down. Some careers require Cooking skills, most notably the Culinary career. Sims with high cooking skill have less of a chance of starting a fire.

To increase a Sim's Cooking skills, they may need to buy a bookcase and read a cooking book. In The Sims 2, preparing food, even cold food such as cereal or sandwiches, also increases the skill. Even so, it's still recommended to have a few skill points before attempting to cook on a stove, as one constant in the Sims games is that an unskilled cook using a stove is liable to start a fire.

In The Sims and The Sims 3, the Cooking skill determines how satisfying a meal is when a Sim has made it. The better the Sim's Cooking skill, the faster the Hunger bar will be filled. Cooking with fresh food improves the quality of the meal in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

The Sims
In The Sims, Cooking is a very important skill, as using a stove with less than three points carries a risk of fire, and using one with no Cooking skill at all is a high fire risk. Sims with low Cooking skill can use a microwave, which only has a small chance of starting a fire, but meals made in a microwave are not as satisfying as those cooked on a stove. Also, if a kitchen has both a stove and a microwave, the player cannot choose which one the Sim will use. The only way to be sure that a low-skilled Sim uses a microwave is to not give him or her anything else.

Higher Cooking skill will reduce the amount of time a Sim without a food processor needs to prepare and cook a meal.

The Sims: Makin' Magic
In The Sims: Makin' Magic, Cooking is vastly improved, with Sims able to collect ingredients and bake bread, pie, or cake. However, the baking oven carries a slightly higher fire risk than a regular stove; Sims need at least five points to use it safely. Several new appliances included in the expansion pack can increase a Sim's Cooking skill, such as the Old-Fashioned Butter Churn and the Wax 'n' Honey Maker. There is also a cookbook with recipes for baked goods and nectars, as using incorrect ingredients will produce a burned mess or undrinkable liquid, regardless of the maker's Cooking skill.

In Makin' Magic, the Cooking skill also determines how many charges a magical Sim will get when making a spell.

The Sims 2
Cooking skill can be gained from the bookshelf, by preparing a meal, by using the Culinary career reward object, which is the chocolate maker, or by watching the cooking channel (Yummy Channel) on television.

While Cooking skill does not actually determine amount of satisfaction of the same food, a higher cooking skill means the Sim can cook other things, with a higher satisfaction, and less chance of fire or burning. In addition, high-level Sims will occasionally giggle and mock the program when watching the Yummy Channel.

Food by Cooking level
Open for Business allows Sims to Make any meal, except for a TV Dinner, they have the skill to prepare at any time of day.

The Sims 3
Cooking returns as a skill in The Sims 3.

The skill is augmented by the Natural Cook trait. Perfectionist Sims take longer to cook for better result. Vegetarian Sims learn vegetarian versions of meat dishes. The cooking skill is also an excellent skill for making legendary parties; high quality food makes guests happy!

When your sim is cooking a recipe with a random ingredient such as pancakes, he/she uses the first ingredient available in your sim inventory. If there's no eligible ingredient, he/she uses the first ingredient in the fridge.

Statistics
Favorite Meal, Meal Most Prepared, Highest Quality Meal, Recipes Prepared, Recipes Known

Challenges
Star Chef
 * Star Chefs have prepared at least 50 meals, so they clearly know their way around the kitchen. The dishes they prepare are more pleasing to those that eat them.


 * World-Class Chef


 * World-Class Chefs have prepared at least 75 dishes and are masters of the kitchen. World-Class chefs are known to prepare meals significantly faster.


 * Menu Maven


 * Menu Mavens have learned to prepare all recipes. Recipes are earned by improving the cooking skill and can be purchased at the bookstore. Menu Mavens prepare higher quality food.
 * Note: 28 recipes total, ca. 3.5% per recipe (35 recipes in World Adventures)

Abilities
Better meals give progressively better and longer lasting positive moodlets. The moodlets vary depending on the quality of the meal. The higher the quality,the better the moodlet. Certain foods have special abitlites such as ambrosia reseting a sims's life stage or a lesser effect such as "warm fuzzies" from angel food cake. Having flamefruit on your inventory also gives you a "cosy" moodlet that you would get from warming yourself by a fire.

Once you reach level 10 of cooking skill, you can cook lobster thermidor which can possibly give you the divine meal moodlet if cooked with perfect ingredients and if it is the sim's favorite food. To accomplish having all meals cooked by the sim perfect, the sim must accomplish the "Menu Maven" challenge, get an upraded stove or MinusOne Kelvin Fridge, and "Star Chef" challenge(if you want a better moodlet for meals you cooked).

Recipes
Dishes that have a 'Recipe' source can be learned in a number of ways. Even WA recipes can be learned by sharing cooking secrets and watching the cooking channel.
 * Purchasing and reading recipes from the bookstore. See list of cooking books. Recipes for foods available with World Adventures can be purchased at the bookstores in Al Simhara, Champs Les Sims and Shang Simla.
 * 'Trade Cooking Secrets' social interaction. Target Sim must have cooking skill, active Sim must have unknown recipes.
 * Watching 'Cookin' Cable' TV channel.

Mealtimes thanks to Carl's Sims 3 Guide

Opportunities

 * Cooking Contest
 * Prepare and submit a meal to the restaurant, better food means better chance to win first prize. Time limited. Cash Reward.


 * Prepare Meal
 * Prepare a 'perfect' meal for a neighbor. This is only accomplished when the Sim has made a meal with a quality of Perfect.


 * Fresh Cookies for Sale!
 * Bake two group servings of Cookies for a class.::Prepare hot dogs and give it to a Sim neighbor. Cash Reward::Prepare a very nice group meal. Time limited. Cash Reward
 * Prepare a group serving of Tri-Tip Steaks and give it to a Sim neighbor.::Bring [Sim] a great group meal. Time limited. Cash Reward
 * Prepare hot dogs and give it to a Sim neighbor. Cash Reward::Prepare a very nice group meal. Time limited. Cash Reward


 * Very Nice!
 * Bake two group servings of Cookies for a class.::Prepare hot dogs and give it to a Sim neighbor. Cash Reward::Prepare a very nice group meal. Time limited. Cash Reward