GUIDE ~ Skills: THE SIMS 4 GOURMET COOKING AND COOKING SKILLS

RECIPE LIST, MOOD & ABILITIES INFORMATION AND LEVELLING FAST 


 
Sims' Animations improve as their Gourmet Cooking/Cooking Skills Increase


The Sims 4's Cooking Skill allows your Sim to make better meals for the Household. Gourmet Cooking is a separate skill, but intimately related to Cooking, so you wlll find both in this Guide. Each level of the Cooking or Gourmet Cooking Skill increases the likelihood a recipe will be made high quality, which gives a better Moodlet to the Sims who eat it. This can help a Sim easier achieve the Ideal Mood for their Skills, Career, or for Socializing. The ultimate reward for pursuing Gourmet Cooking is Ambrosia, which will allow you to bring Ghost Sims back to life, along with the Book of Life (Writing). This Guide will show you a full list of all recipes in The Sims 4 (aside from Quick Meals) and provide tips on levelling the Cooking Skill faster.


Getting Inspired & Good Traits
Both Cooking and Gourmet Cooking are Creative Skills, therefore their Ideal Mood is Inspired. Being Inspired will not only help you level the Skill faster, it also increases the likelihood your Food will be made in Excellent Quality, which is the highest quality in The Sims 4. To learn how to get Inspired, see the page on Inspired or Emotions Guides. An easy way for Sims to get Inspired is to take a Thoughtful Shower or Browse Art from the Computer. Sims with the Creative Trait will get random Inspired Moodlets, and those with the Foodie Trait can watch Cooking Show for Ideas or Search for Recipe Ideas on the Computer (found under Web).


In order to level the Skill faster, try to always cook while Inspired, and cook the highest level dishes. Upon completing a recipe, your Sim will get a big bump in Experience. This will sometimes be half a level's worth of Skill XP.

 
Foodies Can Search for Recipe Ideas. All Sims can later Research Cooking Techniques



Unlocking Gourmet Cooking
Gourmet Cooking unlocks automatically at level 5 of the Cooking Skill. If you read a Skill Book, you can level this Skill before reaching that point, but won't be able to cook Gourmet Meals until your actual Cooking Skill is at level 5. So, to do this, just work on your Cooking Skill and provide your Sims with better meals as you go. Unlocking Gourmet Cooking via Skill books is a waste of time that could be better spent practicing regular Cooking.


Meal TimesWhile you can cook any meal at any time, the hours for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner are:
Breakfast - 4AM - 10AM
Brunch - 10AM - 12PM
Lunch - 12PM - 4PM
Dinner - 4PM - 2AM


Skills that Complement Cooking
The Gardening and Fishing Skills are both obvious complementary Skills for Cooking and Gourmet Cooking. These will give you ingredients that help boost the quality of food and reduce its cost, while also allowing your Sim to pursue cooking the Ambrosia Recipe. A not-so-obvious choice of Skill to go with Cooking is Handiness. It helps greatly with levelling the Skill and making Sims happy in general, as you will get a +1 4h Happy moodlet from 'How Fresh' (upgrading the Fridge with Fresh Maker) and a short +1 Happy Moodlet for upgrading the Oven with Heat Sensors. You can also greatly reduce the likelihood of fire at the Oven and getting shocked by the Fridge when the two items break down.


Food Quality & Saving Meals for Later
While I've yet to see an awful quality food, they seem to go from Okay (edible) to Good and Excellent on the positive side. Food can spoil if left out too long. Food stays fresh about 30x longer in the Refrigerator, where your Sims can benefit from cooking Party-size meals and occasionally eating directly from the Refrigerator. To do this, simply drag the item from the counter to the fridge, or click Put Away. You can then select Open on the fridge and have some great, fast breakfasts before work. Fish Tacos might not be the best idea for breakfast, but Sims seem to like it! Fruits and Vegetables do not spoil, so there's no need to store them unless you want them out of the way. At time of writing, the refrigerator does not seem to keep Fish fresh, and they spoil very quickly.


Skill Level Unlocks
At certain points in each Skill, you will unlock new abilities, recipes aside. Here is a list showing the unlocks for both The Sims 4's Cooking and Gourmet Cooking Skill. What each significant ability will do is described below the table.


Get to Work - Sell Foods
The Get to Work Expansion Pack additions include the ability to open a retail store. This made listing the retail value of foods necessary. Prices are high for excellent quality meals, meaning cooking is a great way to make money with this Expansion. Restocking fees are 80% of Retail sell value, so it's better to cook the item again. This means a kitchen in your store is not a bad idea. Learn more about making money with cooking via the Baking Skill page.


COOKING/GOURMET COOKING SKILL UNLOCKS


LvlCooking SkillGourmet Cooking Skill
1New Recipes onlyNew Recipes only
2Combo Add trick move (an Animation)New Recipes only
3Talk about CookingFancy Spices trick move
4New Recipes onlyFood produces the Delicious Dish Moodlet, but doesn't it almost always, anyway?
5Unlocks Gourmet Cooking, Competent Cook (+1 4h Confident) Moodlet when Cooking.Air Slice trick move
6New trick movesNew Recipes only
7New Recipes onlyNew Recipes only
8Can Flavorize Oven to temporarily boost QualityResearch Advanced Cooking Techniques on Computer (+2 4h Inspired Moodlet)
9Can Give Cooking Tips to Other SimsShare Cooking Secrets with Other Sims
10New Recipes onlyGarnish Dishes to Improve Quality (if not Excellent)


Juggling Knives and other Trick Moves appear as you Level Cooking


Trick Moves
Trick moves make your Sim's animations for Cooking more complex. New abilities unlock as you raise the skill. These are primarily cosmetic and don't help your Sim. They add flair to the cooking process, making it more enjoyable to watch.


Flavorize
This ability lets you add flavor to dishes. Simply click the Stove and find the ability to Flavorize for $10. This will last for one stovetop meal and boosts the quality of the dish. At some point, it's rather useless since Sims do not get an extra Moodlet from eating the food, and a high level Chef will almost always make Excellent Quality Dishes.


Give Cooking Tips and Share Cooking Secrets
These are both Social Interactions that give Sims a small bump in their skill level. Give Cooking Tips will affect the normal Cooking Skill, while Share Cooking Secrets gives Sims some skill in Gourmet Cooking. It's a great way to make friends, as Sims won't really reject these attempts to mentor them.


Garnish
At level 10 Gourmet Cooking, you can Garnish dishes to bump the quality up one level. This helps if it comes out Okay or Good, but if your high-level Chef is doing the cooking, they'll rarely come in use. It's good if your Chef is in a bad mood and puts out lower quality food.


Moodlets from Meals
While normal foods that are cooked to an excellent quality can provide a +1, 4h Delicious Dish Moodlet, Omelets at level 7 of Regular Cooking start giving you a +2 5h Fantastic Food Moodlet when made at excellent quality. Every dish above that can provide this when cooked to the same level of quality.


For Gourmet Cooking and excellent foods, it's possible to get this 5h Moodlet much earlier in skill progression, at level 4 with prosciutto wrapped asparagus. However, at level 7 with the lobster dishes it can transform into a +3 6 hour Epic Meal Happy Moodlet. Everything thereafter can provide this huge boost.



COOKING RECIPE LIST

 
Regular Cooking Recipes




Costs in the recipe list are in the format of single serving/family size (4 servings)/party size (8 servings). Having Ingredients seems to improve the likelihood of an Excellent-Quality Meal, while also helping your Sim's budget by reducing the cost by 25%.


COOKING RECIPES

Retail Value is the price of an 'Excellent'-quality party size when sold via Get to Work's Retail Feature at 25% Markup. Thanks to Nutella on our Forum for providing this information. Restocking fees are 80% of this value, meaning Roast Chicken sells for $508 but costs $406 to restock. This means it's usually better to cook it again, rather than pay so much to restock a valuable item.

. Lunch, Dinner, May be grilled
LevelRecipe NameCostRetail ValueIngredientsMeal Type/Notes
1Mac and Cheese$4/11/14$62N/ALunch, Dinner
1Chocolate Cake$15$60N/AN/A
1Hamburger Cake$25$80N/AUp All Night DLC (Digital Deluxe Upgrade)
1Garden Salad$3/9/12$50TomatoLunch, Dinner
1Grilled Cheese$3/10/13$52N/ALunch, Dinner
1White Cake$15$58N/AN/A
1Scrambled Eggs$3/8/10$45TomatoBreakfast, Brunch, Lunch
1Franks and Beans$15$0OnionRequires Outdoor Retreat. Lunch, Dinner, May be grilled outdoors
2BLT$4/12/16$68TomatoBrunch, Lunch
2Fish Tacos$5/14/18$72Any Fish, Any VegetableLunch, Dinner
2Eggs and Toast$4/13/17$70N/ABreakfast, Brunch
2Chips and Salsa$5/14/19$75Tomato, OnionN/A
2High Energy Protein Plate$8/23/30$102N/AMust be Energized. Makes Sims Energized
3Pan Fried Tilapia$6/17/22$90TilapiaDinner
3Chocolate Chip Cookies$21$88N/AN/A
3Taco Casserole$43$188N/ADinner
3Pancakes$5/15/20$85Any FruitBreakfast, Brunch
3Silly Gummy Bear Pancakes$7/20/28$105N/AMust be Playful. Makes Sims Playful
3Flirty Heart Cookies$23$92N/AMust be Flirty. Makes Sims Flirty
3Fried Fish$20$0Any FishRequires Outdoor Retreat. Dinner, May be grilled
4Black and White Cookies$24$105N/AUp All Night DLC (Digital Deluxe Upgrade)
4Spaghetti$6/19/25$108Tomato, Onion, MushroomDinner
4Angry Flaming Spaghetti$10/28/36$135Tomato, Onion, MushroomMust be Angry. Makes Sims Angry
4Strawberry Cake$15$82N/AN/A
5Fish and Chips$8/24/31$135Any Fish, PotatoDinner
5French Toast$8/26/34$145Any FruitBreakfast, Brunch
5Signature Cake$25$120N/ARequires Level 6 Culinary Career, Chef Branch
5Breakfast Scramble$32$0Potato, Onion, Any MushroomRequires Outdoor Retreat. Breakfast, May be grilled
6Chili$10/28/36$170Tomato, OnionLunch, Dinner
6Blue Confetti Cake$15$120N/AN/A
6Camper's Stew$34$0Carrot, Potato, Any MushroomRequires Outdoor Retreat
7Omelet$10/29/39$210Spinach, Mushroom, OnionBreakfast, Brunch
7Blackened Bass$10/34/40$120BassDinner
7Fruit Cobbler$37$0Any FruitRequires Outdoor Retreat, May be grilled
8Apple Pie$45$270AppleN/A
8Gumbo$47$0Onion, Any Crawdad, Any InsectRequires Outdoor Retreat. Lunch, Dinner, May be grilled
9Chicken Stir Fry$14/41/55$362Onion, MushroomDinner
9Cioppino$50$350Any Fish, TomatoDinner
9Walleye Surprise$56$0Walleye, Huckleberry, LocustRequires Outdoor Retreat. Dinner, May be grilled
10Tuna Casserole$16/46/60$508Any VegetableDinner
10Roast Chicken$63$508Carrot, PotatoDinner

GRILLING OUTDOORS & THE CUPCAKE FACTORY


 
The Cupcake Factory



Both Outdoor Grills and the Cupcake Factory will let your Sim showcase their Culinary prowess through alternative means. The following are unlocked as you level the Cooking Skill. None of these require any Ingredients. All Cupcakes are $0, but the machine itself is $1200, so it takes some time to pay off if feeding your Sims with it. You can offset this with the Sell to Local Bakery interaction, which lets you make a profit off your baked/cooked cupcakes and actually earn money with cooking without going into Retail.


GRILLING AND CUPCAKE RECIPES

Simolean values listed are cost to make/Retail value when sold with the Get to Work Expansion. As previously noted, it's better to cook items again than restock them, because there is an 80% restocking fee - meaning to restock steak it is $96, as opposed to $37 to grill a new one.


The Outdoor Retreat Game Pack (OR) adds some recipes, which may be grilled, listed in the table above. The grill-exclusive recipes are listed here. I'll likely reformat this table in the future when there are more recipes and data organization is more important:

LevelOutdoor GrillCupcake Factory
1Hamburger ($17/$62), Hot Dogs ($13/$62), Tofu Dogs ($15/$62), Veggie Burger ($18/$62), Grilled Fruits (OR, $14/$0)Classic Vanilla ($0/$12)
2Baked Potato (OR, $12)Minty Mocha ($0/$18)
3Grilled Chicken ($19/$82)Carrot Cake ($0/$26)
4Shish Kababs (OR, $27)Butterscotchman ($0/$51)
5Salmon ($25/$120)Strawberry Fizzy ($0/$82)
6Red Velvet ($0/$126)
7Steak ($37/$202)Super Chocolate Tummers Bomb ($0/$142)
8The Baconing ($0/$331)

GOURMET COOKING RECIPE LIST

Gourmet Cooking Recipes


Ambrosia


Ambrosia is the main dish that gives Sims something special for their cooking efforts. Everything else gives a basic Moodlet that doesn't do much. The process of Cooking Ambrosia requires your Sim to hit level 10 Gourmet Cooking, but also to gather special items. Ambrosia has its own page as a result, in order to help you collect the Angelfish, Death Flower, and Potion of Youth that are required for the recipe.


Costs in the recipe list are in the format of single serving/family size (4 servings)/party size (8 servings). Having Ingredients is only required in the case of Ambrosia. Any other time, it seems to improve the likelihood of an Excellent-Quality Meal, while also helping your Sim's budget by reducing the cost by 25%.


GOURMET COOKING RECIPES
Retail Value is the price of an 'Excellent'-quality party size when sold via Get to Work's Retail Feature at 25% Markup. Thanks to Nutella on our Forum for providing this information. Restocking fees are 80% of this value, meaning Lobster Thermidor sells for $328 but restocks at $272. This means it's usually better to cook it again, rather than pay so much to restock a valuable item.

LevelRecipe NameCostRetail ValueIngredientsMeal Type/Notes
1Garlic Noodles$4/12/16$80N/ALunch, Dinner
1Fruit & Yogurt Parfait$5/14/18$85Any FruitBreakfast
1Pasta Primavera$4/12/15$78Any Vegetable, Any HerbDinner
1Caprese Salad$4/13/17$82Tomato, BasilBrunch, Lunch, Dinner
1Black & White Cake$25$100N/AN/A
1White & Black Cake$25$100N/AUp All Night DLC (Digital Deluxe Upgrade)
2Butternut Gnocchi$6/18/23$72Any HerbDinner
2Chicken Saltimbocca$5/16/21$102Lemon, SpinachDinner
3Herb-Crusted Salmon$7/22/29$135Any Herb, SalmonDinner
3Spinach Frittata$7/20/27$82SpinachBreakfast, Brunch
3Salt & Pepper Shrimp Cocktail$25$120N/AUp All Night DLC (Digital Deluxe Upgrade)
4Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus$8/24/32$152Any HerbN/A
5Tiered Cake$25$100N/AN/A
5SimCity Cheesecake$37$212Any FruitN/A
6Rack of Lamb$42$255Carrot, Potato, Any HerbDinner
7Lobster Tortellini$12/37/48$328Tomato, Any HerbDinner
7Lobster Thermidor$12/37/49$340Lemon, Any HerbDinner
8Monte Cristo Sandwich$14/41/55$438Any FruitLunch
9Trout Meuniere$19/59/78$650Trout, Lemon, ParsleyDinner
10Baked Alaska$25/75/100$878Any FruitN/A
10Ambrosia$0$7801Angelfish, Death Flower, Potion of YouthBrings Ghosts Back to Life
Reference : carls-sims-4-guide
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