Cooking 101 by Stryke and Katianna
Allow us to start with a few notes before you begin. In the beginning cooking skill ups will be fast, but you also want to focus on profitable yet skillable synths. Another thing to watch is the auction house. If you see something that you can skill up on, and sell at the same time, go for it ! Cooking looks like it’s a relatively cheap skill to level up, but do not let it fool you. Use what you can on yourself and your friends, but you also want to npc/sell on AH what you can because you will need the gil later on. Once you get up to about 45-50, it will start to get expensive. You will want to farm and garden some of your materials. Some materials will be cheaper in Sandy than then will be in Windy too, so please know where your vendors are because that will save you a lot of running around.
You will notice some level gaps in this guide. This is done on purpose. Some of the materials are relatively cheap and honestly, you gotta take a few risks when you are leveling a craft. With food and synth support the level gaps are really not that significant. You will also notice test items. You will need to turn these in to rank up. Yes, they are a pain in the arse, but a necessary evil of cooking so you gotta bear with them. I’ll be frank too, some of these items you are better off just buying off the auction house, or having a veteran cook make them for you.
Once you hit novice rank with the cooking guild; you will be able to start to earn points towards key items like Pastier, noodle handler, and raw fish handling. Having these KIs will allow you to make money fast. People will buy sushi, red curry buns, and carbonara as fast as you can make it. You will also be able to get items like the apron and hat. These items will enhance your skill. At level 75-80 you will hit veteran status you will be able to get your emblem, a rare/ex item that you can use to make a cooking stall. This stall will give you +5 skill. It has +20 wind power, so you may have to rearrange your mog house till you get” Megamoglification: Cooking.” You will want most, if not all of these items.
0-6 GRILLED HARE
Fire Crystal, Dried Marjoram, Hare Meat
Npc this item or use this is a cheap low level DD/ACC food
6-10 ORANGE JUICE
Water Crystal, Saruta Orange x4 (you will need a LOT of these btw so make sure you have a lot of inventory space!)
Npc these or use as a cheap refresh drink for you and your friends
Guild Test Item: SALMON SUB- Earth Crystal, Crying Mustard, Black Bread, Apple Vinegar, La Theine Cabbage, Smoked Salmon, Mithran Tomato (turn in at level 9)
10-15 BUG BROTH
Water Crystal, Shell Bug x 2, Lugworm x2
This low level bst jug is good at hq levels to sell, but unless you know a bst that wants it just npc this stuff
15-20 SELBINA BUTTER
Ice Crystal, Selbina Milk, Rock Salt
You will want to save a fair amount of this for future synths
Guild Test Item: PEA SOUP- Fire Crystal, Blue Peas x3, Wild Onion, Dried Marjoram, Distilled Water (turn in at level 19)
20-25 MEAT JERKY
Ice Crystal, Dried Marjoram, Giant Sheep Meat, Rock Salt
These cap at 26 but stop at 25 and go to the next synth. A good DD type food or you can npc it, your choice.
25-29 PET FOOD GAMMA
Earth Crystal, Horo Flour, Dhalmel Meat, Bird Egg, Distilled Water
I threw this in for moderate profit. You will get some good levels off of it too. Just keep in mind that all flours do not stack so you will need inventory space.
Guild Test Item: MEAT MITHKABOB- Fire Crystal, Cockatrice Meat, Wild Onion, Mhaura Garlic, Kazham Pepper (turn in at level 29)
29-34 BLACK BREAD
Fire Crystal, Rye Flour, Rock Salt, Distilled Water
A break even craft but this is pretty darn cheap! Rye Flour can be found cheaper in Sandy at Rambroy’s Grocery.
34-39 PET FOOD DELTA
Earth Crystal, Rye Flour, Bird Egg, Distilled Water, Land Crab Meat
Yes, another pet food. But this one npcs at a good profit so I thought I would throw it in there for giggles. The more profit you gain now, the more you have to spend on cooking later. And if you have a bst friend, they would love you forever for giving them free food.
Guild Test Item: VEGETABLE GRUEL- Fire Crystal, Sand’Orian Flour Chamomile, Frost Turnip, Rarab Tail, Distilled Water, Beaugreens (turn in at level 39)
39-42 PIE DOUGH
Water Crystal, Rock Salt, San d’Orian Flour, Selbina Butter
Again there’s that pesky butter. I would advise you to cap at 42 on this, and make a bunch of extra stacks beyond this and save them for Rolanberry Pie (84-90) if you choose take cooking beyond 60.
42-50 APPLE PIE
Fire Crystal, Pie Dough, Cinnamon, Maple Sugar*, Faerie Apple, Lizard/Bird Egg
Two things with this synth: ok yes it’s a huge level gap. With food and synth support it’s not too bad. I put the star by the maple sugar because that is a woodworking synth. Buddy up with a woodworker and have them make this for you way cheaper than you can buy it on the auction house or from the guild. These are a test item too. You will be sick of apple pie by the time you are done, I promise :-D
Guild Test Item: APPLE PIE- Fire Crystal, Pie Dough, Cinnamon, Maple Sugar, Faerie Apple, Lizard/Bird Egg (turn in at level 49)
50-55 BEAUGREEN SAUTEE
Fire Crystal, Batagreens/Beaugreens, Selbina Butter
Yes you are still using all that butter. But by now you probably ran out have had to make more, but congratulations of making it to the point where you can high quality mass amounts of it!
55-60 YAGUDO DRINKS
Dark Crystal, Yagudo Cherry, Buburimu Grape x3
These babies are nothing but profit if you slowly put them up on the auction house. If you have a mage job, make sure you save some for yourself, as they make excellent refresh drinks in a pinch. Save one and turn it in as a test item to the guild. But only do so if you plan on going past 60.
If you go past this point, I will advise you to start looking to the synths that are 90+ and start trying to stock up on the materials that are hard/impossible to find, and expensive. You will be thanking yourself later on. Think lots of Dragon Meat. If you are buying it from the auction house, NEVER pay more than 20,000 per piece of dragon meat.
60-68 Colored Egg
Fire Crystal, Lizard/Bird Egg, Distilled Water, La Theine Cabbage, San D’Orian Carrot
Again, another massive level gap and I debated putting it on here. But the mats are cheap for the level and they npc semi decent, so it’s more bang for the gil, so to speak. I will advise using bird eggs instead of lizard eggs however, as they are usually cheaper and can be bought at airship docks of cities in first and second place.
Guild Test Item- RAISIN BREAD- Fire Crystal, San d’Orian Grape, San d’Orian Flour, Distilled Water, Rock salt, Maple Sugar, Selbina Butter (turn in at level 69)
68-73 CHALIAMBILLE
Dark Crystal, Carbon Dioxide, Uleguerand Milk x2, Rock Salt
This synth requires a little tag team action from an alchemist. The Carbon Dioxide is a 20s level Alchemy synth. The milk can be bought in Jeuno from an npc. Npc this.
73-80 PAMAMA AU LAIT
Water Crystal, Selbina Milk, Pamamas x2, Honey
Level gap again But this simple synth will not only conserve space, it sells ok on the auction house. If I remember correctly, it npcs okay too. As with the previous synth, Honey is an alchemy synth. Have someone make your honey for you and you will avoid paying high auction house prices for it.
Guild Test Item- WHITEFISH STEW- Fire Crystal, San D’Orian Carrot, Selbina Milk, Bastore Bream, Black Pepper, Popoto, Wild Onion, Distilled Water, Rock Salt (turn in at level 79)
80-84 Yellow Curry
Fire Crystal, Coeurl Meat, Curry Powder, Distilled Water, Popoto, Selbina Milk, Turmeric, Wild Onion
Ok a lot of ingredients for one synth yes- however if you have the pastier KI (the curry does not stack and will cause inventory issues) turn these puppies into Yellow Curry Buns, and watch them sell on the auction house. This is just a warm up of what is to come.
84-90 Rolanberry Pie
Fire Crystal, Pie Dough, Rolanberry, Maple Sugar, Selbina Milk, Gelatin, Bird Egg, San d’Orian Flour
You will be swimming in this pie too but this pie will be profitable if you toss it on the auction house a few stacks at a time. Gelatin is a bonecraft synth, so find someone to hook you up with a fair amount or you will be overpaying on the auction house.
Guild Test Item: SEAFOOD STEW- Fire Crystal, Black Pepper, Distilled Water, Gysahl Greens, Popoto, Rock Salt, Shall Shell/Istiridye, Nebimonite/Ahtapot, Gold lobster/Istakoz (and yes the is the LAST test item!-turn in at level 89) Congratulations on reaching Veteran status!
Congratulations to making it to level 90! Now here’s where it gets to be tricky. Some materials are just downright hard or impossible to find, or they cost an arm and a leg. And here’s where “Murphy’s Rule of Crafting” applies- If it’s expensive, you will lose it in a failed synth. You will want to have some gil banked for this final portion of crafting. Also, you will want to have max tensudo fame- as this will give you lower prices on materials. This is not for the faint of heart or for the tight of pocketbooks. I hope you read our warning before about stocking up on the hard/impossible/expensive materials. You will need them now.
90-94 TONOSAMA RICE BALL
Fire Crystal, Tarutaru Rice, Pantam Kelp, Flint Caviar, Rock Salt, Distilled Water
Flint Caviar in itself is its own set of synths- Emporer Roe> Flint Caviar. Please keep this in mind. But also know that unless you have fishing leveled your chances of seeing this fish on the auction house is slim to none so I will include an alternate synth below.
90-95 RICE DUMPLING
Fire Crystal, Bamboo Stick, Coral Fungus, Dhalmel Meat, Distilled Water, Maple Sugar, Rock Salt, Sticky Rice
A few catches about this one. It requires level 15 woodworking, and the sticky rice does not stack. However, it’s a better alternative to the three tier Emporer Roe> Flint Caviar> Tonosama Riceball Synth.
95-100 RED CURRY
Fire Crystal, Coriander, Curry Powder, San d’Orian Carrot, Mithran Tomato, Distilled Water, Kazham Peppers, Dragon Meat
Ok I’ll admit this synth sucks but its better alternative to making Cursed Soup and farming Royal Jelly. And yes if this synth breaks, you will lose the dragon meat; that is a PROMISE. Do this in batches and save your dragon meat as you go along. I’ve found that If I do this in batches of 24-36 I see more skill ups than I do if I just done one or two pieces. Again if you have the pastier KI, and you have inventory issues, turn this into buns and watch them sell on the auction house.
COOKING FOR PROFIT:
Remember those key items? This is where they come into play. The pastier and fish handling, in particular, will make you a lot of money if you know how to use them and can high quality your synths. By watching the auction house you will see what sells and you will see what other skills you can use to your advantage to make a max profit. Half of the sweets sold on the auction house will require the use of the pastier key item. Cream Puffs (which sell well) and Muffins (which well semi-good) fall into this category. In the case of sushi, if you fish up your own fish, you will make a killing in profit and save yourself a lot of gil in materials. Another good thing to make and sell is Tavnazian Tacos; but I will warn you ahead of time, this is a complicated three tier synth that includes Flint Caviar, so you will want to have your fishing skills up because you will not find the fish you need on the auction house. If you don’t fish, buddy up with a fisherman and work out a deal
Another thing to consider making is pet food and jugs. This is good when you can high quality them. Make friends with a bst and make them a good deal. Not only will they keep you busy and keep you in profit; they will tell their other bst friends about you and you will have more business. Pet Food Zeta is a good synth to start with. Pet jugs, you have to pick and choose wisely on. Some sell better than others, but the sheep jug sells very well. There are other jugs out there too, but I will warn you in advance- there is a couple out there that requires different craft subs in order to make. And some jugs have materials that are a pain in the arse to obtain, but they make a good profit.
In closing, please remember that cooking can be a very profitable craft if you play it right. Know what profits and what doesn’t. Pay attention to the auction house, hoard your hard to obtain materials, and more importantly- have fun with it!
