Cooking in Breath of the Wild requires gathering ingredients and lighting a campfire first. If you want to know how to cook botw, you have come to the right place. This guide will walk you through every step, from finding a pot to making meals that restore hearts and give you special buffs. Let’s get started with the basics.
Getting Started With Cooking In Breath Of The Wild
Before you can cook anything, you need two things: ingredients and a heat source. You can find ingredients all over Hyrule, from apples on trees to meat from animals. For the heat source, you can use a campfire or a cooking pot. Cooking pots are found near stables, towns, and some enemy camps.
To start cooking, stand next to a lit campfire or cooking pot. Open your inventory and select the ingredients you want to use. You can hold up to five items at once. Then, close the inventory and press the A button to drop them into the pot or fire. Wait a few seconds, and your meal will appear.
How To Cook Botw
Now that you know the basics, let us break down the exact steps for how to cook botw. Follow these steps carefully, and you will be making meals in no time.
Step 1: Gather Ingredients
You need ingredients to cook. Here are some common ones you will find early in the game:
- Apples and wildberries for fruit dishes
- Raw meat from animals like boars and deer
- Hyrule bass and other fish from rivers and lakes
- Mushrooms like Hylian shrooms and stamella shrooms
- Herbs like hearty radishes and spicy peppers
You can also find rare ingredients like hearty durians and mighty bananas in certain regions. Always stock up when you see them.
Step 2: Find A Cooking Pot Or Light A Fire
Cooking pots are your best option. They are metal pots hanging over fire pits. You can find them at:
- Stables like Dueling Peaks Stable
- Towns like Kakariko Village and Hateno Village
- Some enemy camps with a pot over a fire
If you cannot find a pot, you can light a campfire. Use a flint and a piece of wood, or strike a metal weapon against a rock near dry grass. Then, drop your ingredients directly into the fire. This method works but gives you less control over the result.
Step 3: Select Your Ingredients
Open your inventory and hold up to five ingredients. You can mix different types, but be careful. Some combinations create dubious food or rock-hard food, which are not very helpful. Stick to ingredients that go together, like meat and veggies or fruit and herbs.
Step 4: Drop Them In And Wait
Close the inventory and press A to drop the ingredients into the pot or fire. A short cutscene will play, and your meal will appear. You can then pick it up and add it to your inventory.
Essential Cooking Tips For Beginners
Cooking in Breath of the Wild is simple, but there are some tricks to make better meals. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Cook With Multiple Ingredients For Better Results
Using one ingredient gives you a basic dish. Using five ingredients gives you a much stronger meal. For example, five apples make a fruit pie that restores more hearts than a single apple. Always try to cook with the maximum number of ingredients.
Use Monster Parts For Elixirs
Monster parts like bokoblin horns and lizalfos tails cannot be eaten raw. But you can combine them with critters like bugs or frogs to make elixirs. Elixirs give you buffs like stealth or speed. You cannot cook monster parts with food, so keep them separate.
Cook During The Day For Better Results
This is a small detail, but cooking during the day sometimes gives you slightly better results. It is not a huge difference, but it can help. Also, avoid cooking during a thunderstorm, as lightning can strike your pot.
Understanding Meal Effects And Buffs
Meals in Breath of the Wild do more than restore hearts. They also give you temporary buffs. These buffs last for a set amount of time and can be very helpful in combat or exploration.
Heart Restoration
Every meal restores some hearts. The amount depends on the ingredients. Hearty ingredients like hearty radishes and hearty durians give you extra yellow hearts on top of your normal health. These yellow hearts are temporary but can save your life.
Stamina Restoration
Stamina is important for climbing, swimming, and sprinting. Endura carrots and stamella shrooms restore stamina. Endura carrots also give you extra yellow stamina wheels.
Attack And Defense Buffs
Mighty bananas and mighty thistles increase your attack power. Armoranth and ironshell crabs increase your defense. These buffs last for a few minutes and stack with armor bonuses.
Elemental Resistance
Spicy peppers give you cold resistance. Cool safflina gives you heat resistance. Electric safflina gives you shock resistance. These are essential for exploring different regions.
Stealth And Speed
Silent shrooms and sunset fireflies increase your stealth. Fleet-lotus seeds and rushrooms increase your speed. These are great for sneaking past enemies or running away.
Advanced Cooking Techniques
Once you master the basics, you can try more advanced techniques. These require specific ingredients and careful timing.
Cooking With Dragon Parts
Dragon parts like shards of Farosh’s horn or Dinraal’s claw are very rare. They give you 30-minute buffs instead of the usual few minutes. You can only get them by shooting dragons with arrows. Use them wisely.
Making Dubious Food On Purpose
Dubious food is usually a mistake, but it can be useful. It restores very few hearts and gives no buffs. However, it is easy to make and can be sold for a small profit. If you have extra ingredients, make dubious food and sell it.
Cooking In The Rain
If it is raining, your campfire will go out. You cannot cook over a wet fire. Find a cooking pot under a roof or wait for the rain to stop. Cooking pots are usually covered, so they work in any weather.
Best Recipes For Early Game
Here are some simple recipes that are easy to make and very helpful in the early game. These use common ingredients you can find near the Great Plateau.
Hearty Steamed Meat
- 1 raw meat
- 1 hearty radish
- 1 Hylian shroom
This meal restores a lot of hearts and gives you extra yellow hearts. It is perfect for boss fights.
Spicy Pepper Steak
- 1 raw meat
- 1 spicy pepper
This gives you cold resistance for a few minutes. Great for exploring the cold regions near the Great Plateau.
Fruit And Mushroom Mix
- 2 apples
- 2 stamella shrooms
- 1 wildberry
This restores stamina and a few hearts. Good for climbing and running.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Even experienced players make mistakes when cooking. Here are some common errors and how to avoid them.
Mixing Food And Monster Parts
If you mix food with monster parts, you get dubious food. This is a waste of good ingredients. Keep them separate. Use food for meals and monster parts for elixirs.
Overcooking
If you leave ingredients in the fire too long, they burn. You get rock-hard food, which restores almost no hearts. Pay attention and pick up your meal as soon as it is done.
Using Too Many Different Effects
If you mix ingredients with different buffs, the effects cancel out. For example, combining a spicy pepper with a cool safflina gives you no resistance at all. Stick to one buff per meal.
How To Store And Use Meals
Once you have cooked meals, you need to store them properly. Your inventory has limited space, so be selective.
Organize Your Meals
Meals stack in your inventory. You can carry up to 999 of the same meal. But different meals take up separate slots. Try to cook in bulk to save space. For example, make 10 spicy pepper steaks instead of 10 different meals.
Use Meals Wisely
Do not eat meals when you are at full health. Save them for when you need them. Also, use buff meals before a big fight or a long climb. The buffs last for a few minutes, so time them carefully.
Sell Extra Meals
If you have too many meals, sell them to vendors. They pay good rupees for high-quality dishes. Hearty meals and elixirs sell for the most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about cooking in Breath of the Wild.
Can I cook without a pot?
Yes, you can cook over a campfire. But the results are less predictable. Cooking pots are better for consistent results.
What is the best meal for healing?
Hearty meals are the best. Use hearty durians or hearty radishes to get extra yellow hearts. Five hearty durians make a meal that restores all your health plus 20 extra hearts.
How do I make elixirs?
Combine monster parts with critters like bugs or frogs. For example, a bokoblin horn with a restless cricket makes a stamina elixir. You cannot use food in elixirs.
Can I cook during a thunderstorm?
It is not recommended. Lightning can strike your pot and destroy your meal. Wait for the storm to pass.
Why did my meal turn into dubious food?
You probably mixed food with monster parts, or used ingredients that do not go together. Stick to simple combinations until you learn more.
Final Thoughts On Cooking In Breath Of The Wild
Cooking is one of the most important skills in Breath of the Wild. It helps you survive, fight better, and explore longer. With this guide on how to cook botw, you should be able to make meals that keep you alive through any challenge. Practice with different ingredients and find your favorite recipes. Remember to always carry a few hearty meals for emergencies. Happy cooking, and enjoy your journey through Hyrule.