Cooking – Skill progression & practical money notes (Level 0 → Level 10)
While building up my Zois Business, I took a closer look at the Cooking skill and wrote everything down for future reference — so I’m sharing my notes here in case it helps others.
Settings: 96-minute day
Quick Summary
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Mid/late game leveling tends to sit around ~3h–4h+ per level-up.
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Cooking times vary a lot by dish — in my tests some meals took only ~5–7 minutes, while others needed 20–30 minutes.
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Unlocks: Level 5 Cold Tank Refrigerator (Build Mode) 3200 Mew, all stats Excellent. Level 10 has no major unlocks; higher average food quality (Medium still happens).
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Cooking is not top-tier as an inventory-only money skill unless you consistently hit Excellent/Perfect (details below).
Leveling speed (my run)
(Total time per level-up using a mix of cooking + Cooking Channel = 10 min per watch*)*
| Level-up | Actions used (example mix) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0 → 1 | ~ half a dish | ~0h10m |
| Level 1 → 2 | ~3× cooking~1h35m | |
| Level 2 → 3 | ~4× cooking | ~2h20m |
| Level 3 → 4 | ~5× cooking | ~2h45m |
| Level 4 → 5 | ~9× cooking + ~3× channel | ~3h00m |
| Level 5 → 6 | ~6× cooking + ~8× channel | ~3h10m |
| Level 6 → 7 | ~11× cooking + ~8× channel | ~4h00–4h30 |
| Level 7 → 8 | ~6× cooking + ~10× channel | ~3h20m |
| Level 8 → 9 | ~1× cooking + ~18× channel | ~3h20m |
| Level 9 → 10 | ~6× cooking + ~12× channel | ~3h30m |
Sell value scaling (pattern found)
Based on testing 3 dishes (English Breakfast, Steamed Fish, Pancakes), sell values appear consistent:
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Medium = 1× (dish-specific base)
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Good = 2× Medium
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Excellent = 3× Medium
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Perfect = 4× Medium
Serving size note: Family-size dishes scale consistently at ×8 vs single (costs and sell values in the examples).
Money-making perspective (inventory vs business)
As an inventory-only money grind, Cooking felt comparatively repetitive and not consistently profitable unless you roll Excellent/Perfect.
Best upside comes from higher-cost family-size dishes like Steamed Fish, Oyster Ceviche, and Fish and Chips (they scale well with quality). Absolute Topseller is Salmon Steak.
Business selling can change the math significantly. Family-size dishes sell as 8 portions, so:
total revenue = (price per portion) × 8
boost vs base = total revenue / base value (inventory)
Business selling examples (★ rating) — low-level vs top seller
Crafting cost is for the full dish. Business sell price is per portion.
Example 1: English Breakfast (Level 1 dish, 8 portions) — “low level, surprisingly high value”
Crafting cost: 120 Mew
Sell price per portion (Business):
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Excellent: 90 (1★) / 102 (2★) / 108 (3★) / 120 (5★)
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Perfect: 136 (2★) / 144 (3★) / 160 (5★)
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Excellent: 90 (1★) / 102 (2★) / 108 (3★) / 120 (5★)
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Good: 50 (0★) / 60 (1★) / 68 (2★) / 76 (4★) / 80 (5★)
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Medium: 34 (2★)
Boost vs inventory base value (includes ×8 portions):
| Quality / ★ | Base value (inventory) | Price/portion | Total (×8) | Boost vs base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent (5★) | 240 | 120 | 960 | 4.0× |
| Perfect (5★) | 320 | 160 | 1280 | 4.0× |
| Excellent (3★) | 240 | 108 | 864 | 3.6× |
| Perfect (3★) | 320 | 144 | 1152 | 3.6× |
| Good (2★) | 160 | 68 | 544 | 3.4× |
Example 2: Salmon Steak (8 portions) — absolute top seller in my tests
Crafting cost: 80 Mew (family-size)
Business sell price per portion (5★):
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Perfect: 320
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Excellent: 240
Inventory base (single): Excellent 60 / Perfect 80 → (8 portions inventory base = 480 / 640)
| Quality / ★ | Base value (inventory) | Price/portion | Total (×8) | Boost vs base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent (5★) | 480 | 240 | 1920 | 4.0× |
| Perfect (5★) | 640 | 320 | 2560 | 4.0× |
Stand capacity matters: for 8-portion dishes, ideally use an 8-slot large stand; smaller stands can cause portion loss.
All tested recipes (Level 0–5 unlocks) – base values included (Inventory sell)
Legend: S = Single serving • 8P = 8-portion dish (Family-size / Whole)
Base ladder: Medium / Good / Excellent / Perfect
Single servings (S) — base value ladder (Inventory sell)
| Level | Dish (S) | Time | Craft cost | Medium | Good | Excellent | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Egg Toast | 17m | 6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| 0 | French Toast | 17m | 6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| 0 | Pancakes | 23m | 7 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| 0 | Banana Cue | 30m | 2 + 1 Banana | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 0 | Salad | 10m | 10 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 1 | Roasted Shrimp | 14m | 6 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 |
| 1 | Curry Rice | 14m | 10 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 1 | Buchimgae | 24m | 8 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 |
| 1 | Tteokbokki | 15m | 8 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| 1 | Chicken Breast Salad | 13m | 12 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 |
| 1 | English Breakfast | 14m | 15 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| 2 | Pumpkin Soup | 20m | 2 + 1 Pumpkin | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 2 | Candied Yams | 19m | 2 + 1 Sweet Potato | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 3 | Fish and Chips | 17m | 20 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 52 |
| 3 | Flatfish Sushi | 5m | 8 + 1 Fishfilet | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 3 | Dumplings | 15m | 6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| 3 | Pork Cutlet | 20m | 16 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 |
| 3 | Pumpkin Candy | 20m | 2 + 1 Pumpkin | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 3 | Egg Omelet | 24m | 8 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| 3 | Tomato Pasta | 15m | 2 + 1 Tomato | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| 4 | Gemista | 16m | 15 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 |
| 5 | Oyster Ceviche | 7m | 18 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| 5 | Steamed Fish | 10m | 37 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 44 |
| 5 | Salmon Steak | 17m | 10 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 |
| 5 | Whole Steak | 7m | 75 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 |
| 5 | Yukgaejang | 14m | 12 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 |
8-portion dishes (8P) — base value ladder (Inventory sell)
(This includes explicit “Family-size” dishes and “Whole” dishes that are also 8 portions.)
| Level | Dish (8P) | Time | Craft cost | Medium | Good | Excellent | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Family-size Egg Toast | 17m | 48 | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 |
| 0 | Family-size Pancakes | 23m | 56 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 |
| 1 | Family-size Roasted Shrimp | 14m | 48 | 72 | 144 | 216 | 288 |
| 1 | Family-size Buchimgae | 24m | 64 | 56 | 112 | 168 | 224 |
| 1 | Family-size English Breakfast | 14m | 120 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 |
| 2 | Family-size Candied Yams | 19m | 16 + 1 Sweet Potato | 48 | 96 | 144 | 192 |
| 3 | Family-size Fish and Chips | 17m | 160 | 104 | 208 | 312 | 416 |
| 3 | Family-size Dumplings | 15m | 48 | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 |
| 3 | Family-size Pork Cutlet | 20m | 128 | 72 | 144 | 216 | 288 |
| 3 | Whole Pizza | 16m | 32 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 72 |
| 5 | Family-size Oyster Ceviche | 7m | 144 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 |
| 5 | Family-size Steamed Fish | 10m | 296 | 88 | 176 | 264 | 352 |
| 5 | Family-size Salmon Steak | 17m | 80 | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 |
| 5 | Whole Steak | 7m | 75 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 |
Observed-only values (kept as logged)
These don’t fit the ladder cleanly from a single value (or the quality label wasn’t consistent), so I’m leaving them as observed:
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Mango Sticky Rice (S): Good 15 (2 + 1 Mango)
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Ratatouille (S): Perfect 22 (2 + 2 Tomatoes)
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Bakso (S, craft 11): Medium 6 / Excellent 19 / Perfect 26
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Fried Chicken (S): 54 (craft 35; quality not logged consistently)
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Whole Holiday Festival Roast Chicken (S): 45 (craft 40; quality not logged consistently)
Practical takeaway
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If you want easy leveling, Cooking Channel (10 min) is a reliable filler.
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If you want profit, Cooking mainly shines when you reliably hit Excellent/Perfect, especially on the higher-cost family-size dishes.
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Level 5 fridge is the main concrete unlock; Level 10 gives you better quality more often.
This will come in very handy - thank you..!!
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