Cooking is a skill that is pretty much ranked for leisure, it gives a small amount of stats, however you will be able to earn some money for your fabulous dishes! I will like to have it noted that in the skill training section, it is given that you are using the Cooking talent and are not receiving any other boost, from Double Rainbow or experience potions bought from the cash shop.
Advantages
- The food; starting from higher ranks can be used to earn some items from Glutton Monkeys; food that is of a high quality, generally 4 or 5 stars can be sold to players for their buffs.
- The cooking skill, gives some dexterity and intelligence for a small amount of ability power.
- Unlike other skills cooking does not add much combat power, which means you can rank it when you feel like, even before windmill.
- Some life skills such as refine require you to buy expensive ores, however with cooking the ingredients are generally cheap; with only a few ingredients costing substantial amounts.
- The tools can be expensive and for beginners and even some experienced players, getting into the secret shops and buying all the books can be expensive; especially without likability potions.
- At later ranks, the skill requires one to either buy tokens or complete kitchen dungeons which can be hard depending on your level. Even if you can complete these dungeons you will have to run them more than one time.
- Unless you are using a cooking ruler or have high dexterity, it can be hard to measure ingredients especially if they require amounts such as 48% which is not a whole number.
- When making noodles especially it can be horrendously tedious to gather flour bags which requires the use of a windmill.
The cooking skill is the easiest mini-game out of the life skills. If you have a ruler it is nearly impossible to fail, however for those to dislike all add-ons I will explain how to achieve the best results. Firstly after using the cooking skill you will be prompted with three empty boxes; depending on the dish you wish to create; (see Mabinogi Wiki for a list of dishes) you will fill these boxes with a specific ingredient. After checking the Wiki for the ratios of the specific dish proceed to add the respective values. The more dexterity you have the less the bar will jitter around, to accommodate for this; specifically at low levels you can add ingredients slowly.
Types of Cooking
Currently in Nexon America there are 10 different types of Cooking; these are listed below with their respective equipment that is required.
- Mixing requires a cooking table and cooking knife.
- Baking requires a cooking pot and ladle as well as a campfire, cooking oven or grill.
- Simmering requires a cooking pot and ladle as well as a campfire, cooking oven or grill.
- Kneading requires a rolling pin and cooking table.
- Boiling requires a cooking pot and ladle.
- Noodle Making requires a rolling pin and cooking table.
- Deep-Frying requires a cooking pot and ladle as well as a campfire, cooking oven or grill.
- Stir-Frying requires a cooking pot and ladle as well as a campfire, cooking oven or grill.
- Pastas requires a rolling pin and cooking table.
- Jam Making requires a cooking pot and ladle as well as a campfire, cooking oven or grill.
- Pie Making requires a rolling pin a cooking table.
I would like to point out now that you should have around 100k at your disposal to fully rank this guide, this is accounting the fact that you will earn your own tokens to access Glewyas' shop. It should also be noted that unless stated it is implied that all food made must be at least 4 start quality, otherwise it will not count (e.g. during rank F you must eat 10 deliciously cooked baked foods, so even though you can create 5 meals it will not count if you eat them unless they are 4 stars).
Novice Rank
Method One
Rebirth using the Cooking talent and you will be granted rank F all cooking talent skills which will save you 8 ability powers if you have not already ranked any of the cooking related skills to rank F.
Method Two
- Talk to Glenis using the Skills keyword.
- Read the book given to you; 'Step-By-Step Cooking Skill 101'.
- Read the book; 'Master Chef's Cooking Class: Baking' sold by Aeira for 5,500g. 50%
- Gather 3 eggs from the hens, south of Dunbarton.
- Mix 3 Mayonnaise; made with 72% egg, 20% olive oil (30g from Glenis) and 8% salt (10g from Glenis). 50%
- Read the book; 'Master Chef's Cooking Class: Simmering' sold by Aeira for 5,500g. 50%
- Eat 10 Curry and Rice; bought from Gordon for 2,050g each. 10%
- Gather 10 potatoes using a weeding hoe bought from Nerys for 320g, in the southern field of Dunbarton.
- Bake 10 Baked Potatoes; made with 89% potatoes and 11% salt (10g from Glenis). 30%
- Eat the 10 Baked Potatoes that was made previously. 10%
- Read the book; 'About Kneading' sold by Aeira for 6,000g. 50%
- Gather 15 water using an empty bottle bought from Walter for 400g, using the well east of the Church.
- Gather 15 eggs from the hens, south of Dunbarton.
- Gather 5 potatoes using a weeding hoe bought from Nerys for 320g, in the southern field of Dunbarton.
- Bake 15 Hard-Boiled Eggs; made with 60% water, 35% egg and 5% salt (10g from Glenis). 30%
- Eat the 15 Hard-Boiled Eggs that was made previously. 15%
- Bake 5 Baked Potatoes; made with 89% potatoes and 11% salt (10g from Glenis). 5%
- Buy as many Gift Rings from Eavan for 500g as possible.
- Travel to Emain Macha's restaurant and you will find Gordon.
- Gift a ring to Gordon by dragging the ring onto his figure, then speak to him about Private Story and Rumours.
- Repeat this process until there is an extra tab in his store. Sometimes he may get agitated, " Gordon is giving me a look that it may be better to stop this conversation" or something along those lines, if this happens gift Gordon 5g and then continue to gift rings.
- A much more expensive method is to gift him 7 likability potions however this method is much more expensive than the prior method.
- Read the book; 'Boiling: The Basics of Heat Cooking' sold by Gordon in his secret shop for 9,800g. 50%
- It is also a smart idea to buy these following books from Gordon's secret shop as his affection towards you will degrade over time; 'About Noodle-Making' which costs 9,900g and 'Master Chef's Cooking Class: Frying' which costs 11,210g.