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| The Sims 3 Skills | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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The Sims 3 Cooking Guide
How to Learn the Cooking Skill and Raise it Fast
Guide Navigation:Cooking Overview | Master Cooking | Recipe List | Ambrosia | Good Traits
Challenges and Opportunities
Learning the Cooking Skill
If you want your Sim to learn cooking, and they haven't even learned the first level of the skill, I suggest you send them to a cooking class at the restaurant. Taking the class will cut a lot of time off the requirements to learn the skill. It costs 400 simoleons, but it's worth the time saved, most notably if your Sim is going to join the culinary career track.
Cooking Skill Books are of course an option for raising the skill. They can be purchased at the bookstore, or read for free at the library. I think reading them at the library is the absolute best option, because it increases the rate your Sim can read with its quiet environment moodlet. What's more, it's free. I never buy skill books, because if I bought one my Sim would do best to read it at the library anyway.
After your Sim has gained their first level in cooking, they can begin learning from the Cookin' Cable channel on TV. The cheapest television doesn't offer this channel. The channel will sometimes teach your Sim a recipe. The main benefit to this method is your Sim can have fun and raise cooking a bit at the same time.
Another, less used method, but perhaps beneficial to families, is the teach skill ability of high-level logic Sims. They can pass on their cooking skills to their friends and family this way.
The Best Way to Raise Cooking Skill - Cook Something!
The last method of raising cooking that I'll touch on is perhaps the most beneficial overall, cooking meals. Every Sim who cooks will occasionally gain a level in cooking, because the act of preparing meals raises the skill. This is beneficial to Sims in another, less obvious way. The Star Chef cooking challenge requires 50 meals to cook, so a Sim who raises the cooking skill by actually cooking something will make more progress toward completing this goal. Completing the challenge will increase the mood boost your Sim gets from eating food.
The bare minimum requirement for a Sim that's serious about pursuing cooking is a counter top and refrigerator. Unless you only want your Sim to be able to prepare non-cooked meals, such as Autumn Salad and Fruit Parfait, you'll need to buy them a stove. A food processor will come in handy, as it can speed the cooking process along, and improve meal quality at the same time. Find them under the small appliances category. I can't recommend the microwave. Other options for cooking are the grills you can buy and those at the park, the portable outdoor fire pit (grill fish).
Kids can get a head start on the cooking skill by purchasing the Rip Co. Little Baker Oven. At first they'll make muffins, but will eventually make pies that the whole family can enjoy (even as leftovers!) with a little practice.
Producing Better Quality Meals in the Sims 3
Higher quality meals will be produced from higher quality appliances. The better the refrigerator and stove, the better the end result. Low-end stoves will also occasionally cause uneven cooking, which is a let-down to the Sim. Sims who ascend to the tenth level in the culinary career track will receive the "Master Chef's Fridge," the MinusOne Kelvin Refrigerator. This fridge is so top notch it not only raises the quality of the meal, it also gives a Superior Equipment moodlet that provides a +30 boost to mood.
Cooking Guide Navigation:
Cooking Overview | Master Cooking | Recipe List | Ambrosia | Good Traits
Challenges and Opportunities
| The Sims 3 Skills | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tips | Cheats | Athletic | Charisma | Collecting | Cooking | Fishing |
| Gardening | Guitar | Handiness | Inventing | Logic | Martial Arts |
| Nectar Making | Painting | Parenting | Photography | Sculpting | Writing |
