Cooking Guide by Spops

CAUTION!
This article is only a guide. Information expressed in a guide is usually more opinion than fact and should be taken as such. Guides are written by players, based upon their experiences, successes and mistakes, and are meant to aid other players. However, there may be differing opinions than those expressed in a guide.
Strategies and information in guides may not work for everyone.



About This Guide[edit]

This guide is intended to show a new player or an experienced player a path to level your cooking skill from 0-100. You will not find many sushi skillup recipes in this guide. Unless you are a high level fisherman most of the sushi fish are just too expensive to purchase from the Auction House. A couple of breaks can easily set you back some money if you are on a budget. My goal was to make each synth as cheap as possible. The downside is that it may require a little running around on your part to achieve that goal.

Any feedback that can improve this guide is always welcomed. If there is any recipe that you think is a decent alternative to what I have listed, please let me know. I will take a look at the recipe and try and incorporate it into this guide.

Why I Made This Guide[edit]

While I was leveling my cooking I used both of the current cooking guides on the wiki. For the most part they are both great guides. However I always found myself unsure of what to skill up on next, because I did not agree with some of their options. I sat down and did some research and came up with some alternatives that I found were easier and cheaper to make. I decided that I should take that information and make a guide for everyone to use. I feel that this guide should give everyone some more excellent alternatives to what is out there already.

A big thank you goes out to Tataru from my linkshell. He has helped me out with many of the alternate recipes listed here.

Time to Skill Up[edit]

I have given you a few different options to skill up off of in certain level ranges. Please do some research beforehand to see which would be a better option for yourself. Make sure you try and avoid the Auction House for most ingredients (unless it is cheaper on there). Stick to purchasing your ingredients from Standard Merchants and Regional Merchants. You can also purchase them from the Guild Merchant but just be aware that there prices vary drastically. Try to farm and fish ingredients wherever you can.

The recipes listed that look like this: ◄ Level ??? ~ ??? ► are recipes that i feel offer the best option to skill up off of. For the most part they have fewer and cheaper ingredients.

Good luck and happy crafting!


Level 0 ~ 3

Peeled crayfish.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 10 gil


Peeled Crayfish Cooking (3/14)

Yield: Peeled Crayfish x 1
Wind Crystal

Grab yourself a Halcyon Fishing Rod and some Little Worms to fish up the Crayfish. Even if your fishing skill is level 0 you should have very little trouble catching them, as they cap at level 7. There are a few good fishing spots around the Bastok area.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


◄ Level 0 ~ 5 ►

Pebble soup.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ???~??? gil


Pebble Soup Cooking (5/16)

Yield: Pebble Soup
HQ 1: Wisdom Soup
Fire Crystal

Flint Stones can be obtained from farming Worms. Alternatively you can purchase them from the Auction House for around 1k/stack

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 5 ~ 10

OrangeJuice.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ???~??? gil


Orange Juice Cooking (10/21)

Yield: Orange Juice
Water Crystal

You can purchase Saruta Oranges from Standard Merchants, Regional Merchants, or the Guild Merchant

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


◄ Level 5 ~ 11 ►

Sardine.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 57-58 gil


Sliced Sardine Cooking (11/22)

Yield: Sliced Sardine x 2
Wind Crystal

Grab yourself a Halcyon Fishing Rod and a Sabiki Rig to fish up the Bastore Sardines. Even if your fishing skill is level 0 you should have very little trouble catching them, as they cap at level 10. Head to any port to start fishing them.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


◄ Level 11 ~ 16 ►

RoastMushroom.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ???~??? gil


Roast Mushroom Cooking (16/27)

Yield: Roast Mushroom x 1
HQ 1: Witch Kabob x 1
Fire Crystal

This recipe can be rather expensive if you purchase the mushrooms off of the Auction House. You can however make a decent profit off of them if you go out and farm them. My personal favorite spot was in La Theine Plateau. Go down the ramp at H-7 and into the gorge, there you can target the Poison Funguar’s. They will only drop Sleepshroom’s at this location.

Note: Another good location to farm for the various shrooms can be found in Pashhow Marshlands. The path running from G-9 to G-6, and it's offshoots, are crawling with many Funguar. {Starlight}


◄ Level 16 ~ 20 ►

Selbina butter.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~15 gil

Selbina Butter Cooking (20/31)

Yield: Selbina Butter x 4
HQ 1: Selbina Butter x 6
HQ 2: Selbina Butter x 9
HQ 3: Selbina Butter x 12
Ice Crystal

Selbina Milk can be purchased for 55-64 gil from the Regional Merchant that owns the Zulkheim Region. You can also pick it up from the Guild Merchant but pay attention to the price they are charging. It can vary from 45 - 295 gil.


◄ Level 20 ~ 22 ►

BakedPopoto.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~82 gil


Baked Popoto Cooking (22/33)

Yield: 1 x Baked Popoto
HQ: 1 x Pipin' Hot Popoto

Purchase the Popoto's from the Regional Merchant that owns the Sarutabaruta Region. 99.99% of the time this will be Baehu-Faehu located in Windurst Waters at (G-5). Use the Selbina Butter that you saved.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 22 ~ 25

Meat jerky.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 30 gil


Meat Jerky Cooking (26/37)

Yield: Meat Jerky x 2
HQ 1: Sheep Jerky x 2
Ice Crystal

Giant Sheep Meat is very easy to farm. If you are not up to farming you can also purchase it from the Regional Merchant that owns the Zulkheim Region.


Level 25 ~ 27

Boiled crab.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Boiled Crab Cooking (27/38)

Yield: Boiled Crab
HQ 1: Steamed Crab
Fire Crystal

Land Crab Meat can sometimes be a little bit expensive on the Auction House. If you choose this recipe go out and do some farming.


◄ Level 22 ~ 29 ►

InsectPaste.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 5 ~ ??? gil


Insect Ball Cooking (29/40)

Yield: Insect Ball x 12
Earth Crystal

All of the ingredients can be purchased from Regional Merchants or Standard Merchants.


Level 29 ~ 31

Sardine paste.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 5 ~ ??? gil


Sardine Ball Cooking (31/42)

Yield: Sardine Ball x 12
Earth Crystal

Horo Flour can be purchased from Pawkrix located in Lower Jeuno at (H-10). You can also purchase it from the Regional Merchant that owns the Aragoneu Region.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 27 ~ 33

Nebimonite bake.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 307 gil


Nebimonite Bake Cooking (33/44)

Yield: Nebimonite Bake x 1
HQ 1: Buttered Nebimonite x 1
Fire Crystal

If you have your fishing around level 20, you may find this as a good alternative to Black Bread. There are 2 different areas where you can catch Nebimonites depending on your level. If you are level 75 I would highly recommend going to Sea Serpent Grotto and fishing them up at (J-12) on the first map. If you are a lower level character than I would suggest you use the Selbina to Mhaura Ferry. Use a Halcyon Fishing Rod and a Shrimp Lure.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC, or sell on the Auction House. Honestly see which works better on your server. It looks like they do sell on the Auction House but not to often. That may be because this item is usually not listed.


◄ Level 29 ~ 34 ►

Black bread.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 30 gil


Black Bread Cooking (34/45)

Yield: Black Bread x 4
HQ 1: Pumpernickel x 4
Fire Crystal

Buy all of the ingredients from Merchants. The Rye Flour can be purchased through the Guild Merchant at the time you are synthing. Rye Flour does not stack, so make sure you have some free inventory room.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 34 ~ 38

JackOLantern.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Jack-o'-Lantern Cooking (38/49)

Yield: Jack-o'-Lantern
Fire Crystal

Make your own Beeswax it is a Alchemy (5/16) synth.



◄ Level 34 ~ 39 ►

Pet food delta.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 96 gil


Pet Food Delta Biscuit Cooking (39/50)

Yield: Pet Food Delta Biscuit x6
HQ 1: Pet Food Delta Biscuit x8
HQ 2: Pet Food Delta Biscuit x10
HQ 3: Pet Food Delta Biscuit x12
Earth Crystal

This can be a fairly profitable synth depending on the market of your server. Land Crab Meat is usually the most expensive ingredient. I recommend that you head out to do some farming to save yourself some money.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC or Sell on the Auction House depending on your server.


Level 35 ~ 40

Melon juice.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~ 224 gil


Melon Juice Cooking (40/51)

Yield: Melon Juice
Water Crystal

Watermelon's and Thundermelon's can both be purchased from the Regional Merchant that owns the Kuzotz region.


◄ Level 39 ~ 42 ►

Pie dough.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 20 gil


Pie Dough Cooking (42/53)

Yield: Pie Dough x 4
HQ 1: Pie Dough x 6
HQ 2: Pie Dough x 9
HQ 3: Pie Dough x 12
Water Crystal

I hope you saved that leftover Selbina Butter, if not go and make yourself some. San d'Orian Flour does not stack, so make sure you have some free inventory room.

  • Recommendation: Hold onto this, you will be using it for Apple Pie next.


◄ Level 42 ~ 50 ►

Apple Pie.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 80 gil


Apple Pie Cooking (50/61)

Yield: Apple Pie x4
HQ 1: Apple Pie +1 x4
Fire Crystal

You may want to start off this recipe using Lizard Egg’s so that you will have fewer breaks. You can than switch to using Bird Egg’s to take this recipe to level 50. Use the Pie Dough that you made, and hopefully saved. Purchase the remaining ingredients from Regional Merchants or Guild Merchant.


Level 45 ~ 50

Grape juice.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~ 189 gil


Grape Juice Cooking (50/61)

Yield: Grape Juice
Dark Crystal

San d'Orian Grape's can be purchased from the Guild Merchant, Aveline in Southern San d'Oria at (F-7), or from the Regional Merchant that owns the Ronfaure region. 99.99% of the time that will be Corua in Southern San d'Oria at (G-9). Something to note is that if you plan on skilling up on Marron Glace from 80-86, Grape Juice is one of the ingredients used in it. You may want to hold on to the juices to save time and gil later. They are non-stackable, so it might help to store them on a mule, if possible.



Level 50 ~ 52

CrayfishBall.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Cooking (52/63)

Yield: Crayfish Ball x 12
Earth Crystal

Crayfish would probably be your best bet to target for this recipe.


◄ Level 50 ~ 55 ►

BeaugreenSautee.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~ 160 gil


Beaugreen Sautee Cooking (55/66)

Yield: Beaugreen Sautee
HQ 1: Monastic Sautee
Fire Crystal

Purchase the Beaugreens from the Guild Merchant or the Regional Merchant that owns the Fauregandi Region. Make your own Selbina Butter.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 55 ~ 58

TentacleSushi.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Tentacle Sushi Cooking (58/69)

Yield: Tentacle Sushi x 1
HQ 1: Tentacle Sushi x 2
HQ 2: Tentacle Sushi +1 x 1
HQ 3: Tentacle Sushi +1 x 2
Earth Crystal
Key ItemRaw Fish Handling

This is the only sushi skillup recipe I used because I had a bunch of Cone Calamary sitting in my Mog House from skilling up fishing. This recipe does require that you have the Key ItemRaw Fish Handling. If you have not had the chance to get the Key ItemRaw Fish Handling go onto one of the other recipe’s listed.


Level 55 ~ 60

Yagudodrink.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~ 69 gil


Yagudo Drink Cooking (60/71)

Yield: Yagudo Drink
Dark Crystal

Both ingredients can be purchased from the Regional Merchant that owns the Kolshushu region.


◄ Level 55 ~ 61 ►

StoneCheese.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 69 gil


Stone Cheese Cooking (61/72)

Yield: Stone Cheese x 4
HQ 1: Rock Cheese x 4
Dark Crystal

I chose this recipe over the ever popular Yagudo Drink because the ingredients are cheaper, and I can purchase them from the Guild Merchant. You can also make a slight profit by selling them to an NPC.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


Level 60 ~ 64

Melon Pie.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 122 gil


Melon Pie Cooking (62/73)

Yield: Melon Pie x 4
HQ 1: Melon Pie +1 x 4
Fire Crystal

Make your own Pie Dough to save yourself some money.


◄ Level 61 ~ 68 ►

ColoredEgg.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 96 - 106 gil


Colored Egg Cooking (68/79)

Yield: Colored Egg x 1
HQ 1: Party Egg x 1
Fire Crystal

You may want to start off this recipe using Lizard Egg’s so that you will have fewer breaks. You can than switch to using Bird Egg’s to take this recipe to level 68.

  • Recommendation: Sell to an NPC


◄ Level 66 ~ 72 ►

PearauLait.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~125 gil


Pear au Lait Cooking (72/83)

Yield: Pear au Lait
Water Crystal

Purchase Derfland Pear’s from the Regional Merchant that owns the Derfland Region.


Level 72 ~ 75

DhalmelPie.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 120 - 122 gil


Dhalmel Pie Cooking (75/86)

Yield: Dhalmel Pie x4
HQ 1: Dhalmel Pie +1 x4
Fire Crystal

I personally did not make this recipe as I was skilling up. A friend recommended it to me as a decent alternative to starting Pamama au Lait early on. There can be some money made off of these as you skill up on them.


◄ Level 72 ~ 80 ►

Pamama au lait.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price 147 - 150 gil


Pamama au Lait Cooking (81/92)

Yield: Pamama au Lait
Water Crystal

This is a big stretch, prepare to break a bunch of synths early on. You can purchase Pamamas from the Regional Merchant that owns the Elshimo Uplands region. Alternatively one of the best places to purchase them is from Ghemi Sinterilo located in Kazham at G-7


◄ Level 80 ~ 82 ►

EmperorRoe.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Emperor Roe Cooking (82/93)

Yield: Emperor Roe x 4
HQ 1: Emperor Roe x 6
HQ 2: Emperor Roe x 8
HQ 3: Emperor Roe x 10
Lightning Crystal

Only make this if you plan on making Tonosama Rice Ball ‘s later on. If not start Marron Glace at 80.

  • Recommendation: Hold onto it, you will need it for Flint Caviar later on.


◄ Level 80 ~ 86 ►

Marron Glace.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ~320 gil


Marron Glace Cooking (86/97)

Yield: Marron Glace
HQ: Bijou Glace
Dark Crystal

If you did Emperor Roe at 80, start this recipe at 82. This recipe is best done when San d'Oria is in 1st or 2nd place in the Conquest. That way in a short distance you have every ingredient available to you. You are however going to need a lot of Dark Crystal’s for this recipe. If you didn't save your Grape Juice from earlier, the recipe is Dark Crystal + 4 x San d'Orian Grape. Keep in mind that Grape Juice is not stackable.


◄ Level 86 ~ 90 ►

Rolanberry Pie.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~140 gil


Rolanberry Pie Cooking (90/101)

Yield: Rolanberry Pie x 4
HQ 1: Rolanberry Pie +1 x 4
Fire Crystal

Gelatin is the only hard ingredient to find for this recipe. If you have Bonecraft level 16+ you can make it yourself. If not you might want to make friends with a Bonecrafter.


◄ Level 90 ~ 92 ►

FlintCaviar.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~175 gil


Flint Caviar Cooking (92/103)

Yield: Flint Caviar x 3
Dark Crystal

Just like with the Emperor Roe, only do this recipe if you plan on making Tonsoma Rice Ball’s next.


◄ Level 92 ~ 94 ►

Tonosama Rice Ball.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~367 gil


Tonosama Rice Ball Cooking (94/105)

Yield: Tonosama Rice Ball x 2
HQ: Shogun Rice Ball x 1
Fire Crystal

If you decided to skillup earlier using Flint Caviar You can now put it to good use with this recipe. Pamtam Kelp is usually never on the Auction House, luckily it is fairly easy to fish up at many locations. You can also purchase it from the fishing guild for around 24 gil if they have it in stock.


Level 90 ~ 95

RiceDumpling.JPG

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price 135 - 140 gil


Rice Dumpling Cooking (95/106), Woodworking (15/26)

Yield: Rice Dumpling x3
HQ 1: Rice Dumpling x6
HQ 2: Rice Dumpling x9
HQ 3: Rice Dumpling x12
Fire Crystal

Many people have recommended this as a great skillup synth. There are however 2 downsides to it. First it requires Woodworking (15/26), and second it requires Coral Fungus that is sometimes hard to come by on the Auction House. If you have no problem with either of those, I say go for it.


◄ Level 94 ~ 99 ►

Sweet Rice Cake.png

Misc. Information
 Stackable CheckCheck.gif
 Resale Price ~ 99 gil


Sweet Rice Cake Cooking (99/110)

Yield: Sweet Rice Cake x 9
HQ 1: Sweet Rice Cake x 12
Fire Crystal

This is a tough recipe. Ingredients are expensive and hard to come by, and some do not stack. It is however probably the fastest way to get to 99.

  • Recommendation: Depending on your server you may be better off just selling these to an NPC.


Level 95 ~ 100

Red curry.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price ??? ~ ??? gil


Red Curry Cooking (100/111)

Yield: Red Curry
Fire Crystal

Very expensive recipe, but if you do this slowly you can make some decent money off of it. Dragon Meat is hard to come by because it only drops off of a few high level NM’s.


◄ Level 99 ~ 100 ►

Cursed Soup.jpg

Misc. Information
 Stackable XEks.gif
 Resale Price 1500 gil


Cursed Soup Cooking (100/111)

Yield: Cursed Soup
Water Crystal

This is a very cheap alternative to doing Red Curry. The downside is that you will need to farm your own Royal Jelly. It can not be purchased as it is EX. Your best bet is to head down to Crawlers' Nest to farm Death Jacket’s. Keep in mind that the drop rate is fairly low on these. I only suggest you do this for one level if you can not afford to do Red Curry.

This article uses material from the "Cooking_Guide_by_Spops" article on FFXIclopedia and is licensed under the CC-BY-SA License.