Cooking

Skill
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Cooking
Released 4 January 2001 (Update)
Members No
Type Production
Statistics
Players with
99
481,041
as of 1 August 2026 - update
Players with
200M XP
4409
as of 4 August 2026 - update

Cooking is a skill that allows raw food to be made edible, healing hitpoints when eaten. To do this, the player uses a raw, cookable food on a range or fire.

Depending on the player's Cooking level, food will sometimes burn, becoming unusable. Ranges burn food less often than fires at the same level, and some foods can only be cooked on ranges. Some ranges, such as the one in the Lumbridge Castle or in the Hosidius Kitchen, burn food less often than a normal range.

Cooking goes hand-in-hand with the Fishing skill as the player can cook the fish they obtain. If no range is nearby, having an axe and tinderbox on hand can allow the player to cut down a tree and make a fire to cook the fish on.

By levelling Cooking, the player is able to cook better foods such as swordfish, shark, pies, and pizzas. If a player achieves 32 cooking, they can access the Cook's Guild near the Grand Exchange.

Cooking Level Up!
The music that plays when levelling up.
Cooking Level Up! (Unlocks)
The music that plays when levelling up and unlocking new content.

How to cook

Cooking is known as one of the fastest skills to train, as players can cook in many different ways as well as being able to simply buy their raw food items from the Grand Exchange.

Before the Grand Exchange was created, the bulk of players usually fished and then cooked their catches. Generally a player who is manually gathering their raw items will cook their food items on a local campfire created through the Firemaking skill near where they are gathering, or take the items they have obtained to a range and cook there.

Ranges (which provide a lower burn rate) can be easily located and are almost always well labelled on the map as a cooking pan (The cooking range icon on the map) icon. There are other assorted things that a player can cook on, seen in NPC camps, or on iron spits. It is important to note that only meat, fish and stew can be cooked on an open fire. Foods like bread, cake, and pie must be cooked on a proper range, Most of these food items will generate an error message if the player attempts to cook it improperly while others, such as raw potatoes, will simply all burn. Raw foods loosely related to the Hunter skill, such as raw beast meat, raw chompy, and rabbit, must be cooked on an iron spit.

To actually cook something, players have to "use" their raw food item on a range or a campfire. If they have more than one food item of the same kind in their inventory, a picture of the food item will appear in the dialogue box. Ranges can also be left-clicked to automatically bring up this interface. The player can right-click on the picture and select how many they want to cook, or left click to cook all of them (default option).

If this is your first time cooking follow these steps for maximum effect:

  • Cook on the Lumbridge Castle range after completion of Cook's Assistant, as there is a bank directly upstairs and the range offers a lower burn rate than other ranges on selected foods.
  • Cooking at the Rogues' Den has a permanent fire and is directly next to a banker (members only).
  • Consider completing Easy Kourend and Kebos diary for 5% increased chance to succeed cooking anything when cooking in Hosidius range and completing Family Crest quest to gain increased chance of cooking successfully on selected few raw foods.

Burning food

As players train Cooking, they will sometimes fail to cook something at random, resulting in no Cooking experience gained. It is normal when you first begin training this skill to burn nearly anything you cook on a fire or range, but as you gain more levels the burn ratio of food decreases until you reach a level where you can no longer burn them.

A table of the levels where cooking food items becomes successful 100% of the time can be found here.

A useful item to equip while training are cooking gauntlets. Wearing these gloves while training Cooking will cut down time and money due to less food being burnt. This is useful for food such as sharks where even at 99 you have the chance to burn them; with the cooking gauntlets equipped, you will stop burning sharks at level 94. Alternatively, cooking food while wearing a cooking cape will ensure that no food may be burned by the player.

All ranges have a lower burn rate than fires, but there are also special ranges which offer decreased burn rates. These can work in conjunction with the cooking gauntlets. Unless the player is cooking something with 100% success rate, it is recommended to use these where possible to decrease the amount of burnt food. The recommended range to cook on for members is in the Hosidius Kitchen, usable after completion of the Easy Kourend & Kebos Diary. This range grants a 5% increased chance to successfully cook food (10% if Elite Kourend & Kebos Diary is completed) and is very close to a bank chest.

The range in Lumbridge Castle also has a lower burn rate for some foods, usable after completing the Cook's Assistant quest. The nearest bank to this range (for members) is the Culinaromancer's Chest in the cellar, which requires the first part of the Recipe for Disaster quest to be completed, or the bank at the top of Lumbridge Castle for free players.

Items needed

As Cooking is the skill of turning food from raw to edible, and there is a very wide range of available food types, there are many items that players need in order to cook food. Depending on what you are cooking, you will need a variety of items such as water or flour. Listed below are the cardinal cooking items which are used to make the most common types of food.

Types of food

Meat / fish

Level Item XP Healing Members
1 30 3 0
1 3 N/A 1
1 30 3 0
1 30 3 0
1 30 5 1
1 30 1 0
1 40 4 0
1 80 -5 1
1 40 3 1
5 50 5 0
7 12 N/A 0
10 60 6 1
11 60 6 1
12 70 5-7 1
13 90 9 0
15 70 7 0
16 80 7-10 1
16 80 7-10 1
16 70 7 1
17 80 5-8 1
18 75 7 1
20 80 8 0
20 23 N/A 0
21 82.5 8 1
21 85 8 1
21 100 10 1
22 95 7-9 1
23 73 4+4 (8) 1
25 90 9 0
28 95 6-10 1
30 100 10 0
30 190 18 1
30 100 10 1
31 100 11 1
31 92 6+5 (11) 1
32 106 7+5 (12) 1
33 31 N/A 0
35 110 11 1
38 115 7-11 1
40 120 12 0
41 160 15 1
41 124 8+6 (14) 1
43 130 13 1
45 140 14 0
46 43 N/A 1
48 145 14 1
51 143 9+8 (17) 1
53 30 14 1
56 150 15 1
59 154 11+8 (19) 1
62 150 16 1
68 175 12+9 (21) 1
69 177.5 17 1
71 180 17 1
72 109-124 N/A 1
73 180 18 1
77 200 19 1
79 200 19 1
80 210 20 1
82 211.3 21 1
82 215 13+10 (23) 1
83 212.5 20 1
84 230 3-22 1
87 215 22 1
90 215 22 1
91 216.2 22 1
91 225 24 1
92 220 14+12 (26) 1

Bread

Level Item XP Healing Members
1 40 5 0
58 40 N/A 1

Pies

Level Item XP Healing Effect Members
10 78 10 None 0
20 110 12 None 0
29 128 0 Thrown at enemies 1
30 130 14 None 0
34 138 12 +3 Farming 1
47 164 12 +3 Fishing 1
52 180 12 +4 Herblore 1
60 200 16 +4 Crafting 1
70 210 16 +5 Fishing 1
73 220 20 +4 Fletching 1
85 240 22 +4 Ranged, +5 Slayer 1
95 260 22 +5 Agility 1

Stews

Level Item XP Healing Members
25 117 11 0
60 280 19 1

Pizzas

Level Item XP Healing Members
35 143 14 0
45 169 16 0
55 182 18 0
65 195 22 1

Cakes

Level Item XP Healing Members
40 180 12 0
50 210 15 0

Wine

Level Item XP Healing Members
35 200 11 0
65 200 N/A 1

Note that every wine made resets the twelve second fermentation of the previously made wines, resulting in an enormous experience drop if a series of inventories are made fast enough. It is one of the fastest methods for reaching 99 Cooking (yielding 400k+ experience per hour if done optimally) and the cost of the required ingredients are low, but is not profitable unlike almost all other cooking methods. This method is also accessible to free-to-play players.

Hot drinks

Level Item XP Healing Notes Members
20 52 3 Restores 5% energy. 1

Vegetables

Level Item XP Healing Members
7 15 4 1
9 25 2 1
11 25 5 1
13 50 5 1
23 0 8 1
28 104 1-10 1
39 40 14 1
41 15 14 1
42 60 5 1
46 60 5 1
47 40 16 1
51 45 16 1
57 120 11 1
64 55 20 1
67 0 13 1
68 10 22 1

Dairy

Level Item XP Healing Members
21 18 1 1
38 40.5 N/A 1
48 64 2 1

Kebabs

Level Item XP Healing Members
1 40 19 1

Brewing

A brewing vat used to create ales.

Brewing involves the fermenting of raw ingredients into ales or cider. Brewing is useful because most products boost certain skills. The process, however, is quite slow and is not a viable means of training. These alcoholic drinks are not useful for healing, unlike most food made with Cooking. Brewing takes place at three fermenting vats, with one located in eastern Keldagrim on the 1st floor of the Laughing Miner Pub, one in Port Phasmatys underneath The Green Ghost pub, and one on Aldarin at the Moonrise Brewery and Winery. Only one brew can be made in a vat at a time.

During the brewing process it is possible for an ale to mature, normally a 5% chance, or 64% when adding the stuff. The stuff cannot be added to cider. Mature ales have stronger boosts. It can also turn into bad ale which has no use and is drained from the barrel.

To make an ale, 2 bucket of water, 2 barley malt, 1 ale yeast, and optionally: 1 the stuff are required:

Steps
1. Use 2 bucket of water on the fermenting vat
2. Use 2 barley malt on the fermenting vat
3. Optional: Use 1 the stuff on the fermenting vat, increasing the chance to mature the ale from 5% to 64%
4. Use the ingredients specific to the brew type you want to make
5. Use 1 ale yeast on the fermenting vat
6. Wait for 3 x 640 minute cycles (with the stuff added, between 3 x 640 and 16 x 640 minutes)
7. Use the valve to drain the completed ale into the barrel
8. Use 8 beer glasses or 2 calquat kegs on the barrel full of the completed ale

To make cider, 4 buckets of apple mush, 1 ale yeast are required:

Steps
1. Use 4 buckets of apple mush on the fermenting vat
2. Use 1 ale yeast on the fermenting vat
3. Wait for three 640 minutes farming cycles
4. Use the valve to drain the completed ale into the barrel
5. Use 8 beer glasses or 2 calquat kegs on the barrel full of the completed cider

Each apple mush requires 4 cooking apples and one bucket added into the Apple Press. 16 cooking apples are required per cider.

Most brews boost certain stats, some boost a variable amount based on the skill's level, boosting more as the level increases.

Ale Cooking Boosts Heals Deboosts Distinct ingredient
Level Experience
14 182 +1 1 2–3
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
+2 2 3–4
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
19 215 +1 1 2–5
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.04)
+2 2 3–6
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.04)
24 248 +2 1 2–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
+3 2 3–7
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
29 281 +1 1 2–5
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.04)
+2 2 3–6
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.04)
34 314 +2–3
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
1 1–5
1 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
+3–4
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
2 2–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
39 347 +2 1 2–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
+3 2 2–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
44 380 N/A 4 N/A
6
49 413 +1 1 2–3
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
+2 2 3–4
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
54 413 Cooking +1–5
1 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
1 3–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
Cooking +2–6
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
2 4–7
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05)
59 479 +2 1 2–3
2 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)
+4 2 3–4
3 + floor(CurrentLevel * 0.02)

Gnome cooking

Gnome cooking is very complicated, and is best left with its own specially dedicated guide. The gnome foods plays a big part in the Gnome Restaurant minigame. More detailed information can be found in article linked to above, but following is a general guide for how a player can get acquainted with gnome cooking.

Although it is complex, somewhat expensive, and requires a wide variety of unusual ingredients, gnome cooking can provide a good way to level Cooking from around 10 up to about 30 in good speed. To obtain the cookbook with all the recipes for gnome foods, a player can go to The Grand Tree in the Gnome Stronghold and find Aluft Gianne Sr. He is on the west side of the first level up of the Grand Tree and is dressed as a chef. Talk with him, and offer your assistance to him. He will assign you a succession of dishes to prepare. Once you have prepared the dish to his satisfaction, he will ask you to make another, then another moving steadily up the assortment of gnome foods. If you are using this method to train your Cooking and get an assignment you do not have the correct level to prepare, then you simply need to train until you do. Use the shops and resources in the Gnome Stronghold to make more gnome foods if you wish, or cook other foods that you may have. For each dish, the player can buy supplies from the shop run by Hudo who is found by the cooking range nearby Gianne, but ever since the shop stock update this has been severely limited. Players going through the tutorial will start by making crunchies, which can stored at a bank in the Grand Tree and later sold on the Grand Exchange. As your skill levels improve, you will be able to make battas then eventually bowls. Once you have completed the training exercises he gives you, you can start the minigame, which has several useful rewards.

Level Item XP Healing
6 50 9
8 70 9
10 100 8
12 100 7
14 100 8
16 100 7
18 110 5
20 120 5
25 150 11
26 152 11
27 154 11
28 156 11
29 Cheese and tomato batta 158 11
30 170 12
32 160 5
33 170 5
35 175 12
37 180 7
40 185 15
42 190 15

2-tick cooking

2-tick cooking demonstrated at the range in Myths' Guild.

It is possible to cook most foods at double speed, provided that they only have one cooking interface option. To perform this, drop the raw food items in front of a cooking range and then alternate between picking up raw food and left-clicking the range. This works because the cooking interface is skipped when only one raw food item is in the inventory, and the item is cooked with no delay. Due to the time it takes to drop items, the experience rate will not be exactly double, but this is still the fastest way to cook most foods. An inventory of food cooked on a range will take approximately 1 minute and 5 seconds. With efficient dropping, and using the 2-tick method, an inventory can be dropped and cooked in approximately 40 seconds total. This makes the 2-tick method around 30-40% faster than afk cooking, depending on shift-click drop speed.

Temporary boosts

Boost Level
increase
Visibility Other info
1 Visible When the Cooking cape is equipped, nearly any food cooked by the player will never become burnt.
1 Visible Hitpoints 10
1 Visible Hitpoints 2
1 Visible Hitpoints 2
1 Visible Hitpoints 3
1 Visible Hitpoints 2
1 Visible Hitpoints 2
2 Visible Hitpoints 1

Sailing 3
Agility -2
When onboard in a keg, it grants a +2 invisible Sailing boost and gives the crew a minimum of 2 Deckhandiness and 2 Helmsmanship.

3 Visible Farming -2

Sailing Requires access to the Ardent Ocean
Cannot be reobtained after use, and must be consumed on a boat.

±0-5 Visible Hitpoints 11
Depending on type of stew, any skill except Hitpoints can be boosted or reduced by 0 to 5 levels randomly.
1-5 Visible Hitpoints 1
Cooking Cooking 1 + floor(StaticLevel * 0.05)

Attack - floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05) - 2
Strength - floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05) - 2

2-6 Visible Hitpoints 2
Cooking Cooking 2 + floor(StaticLevel * 0.05)

Attack - floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05) - 3
Strength - floor(CurrentLevel * 0.05) - 3

Quests

Quests requiring Cooking

Quests rewarding Cooking experience

Diaries Requiring Cooking

Skill choice

Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Cooking. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.

QuestExperience
reward
Skills availableSkill requirements
X Marks the Spot300AnyNone
Client of Kourend500 twiceAnyNone
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen2,500Any skill above 30 49 , 57
The Great Brain Robbery5,000Any skill above 30 16 , 30 , 50
King's Ransom5,000Any skill above 50 65
A Tail of Two Cats2,500 twiceAny skill above 30None
Darkness of Hallowvale2,000 three timesAny skill above 30 5 , 20 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 40
A Taste of Hope2,500 three timesAny skill above 35 48 , 40 , 40 , 45 , 38
Curse of the Empty Lord
(miniquest)
10,000Any skill above 50Some players will need 31
In Search of Knowledge
(miniquest)
10,000Any skill above 40None
A Kingdom Divided10,000 twiceAny skill above 40 54 , 52 , 52 , 50 , 42 ,
38 , 35
One Small Favour10,000 twiceAny skill above 30 36 , 25 , 18 , 30
Recipe for Disaster
(The final battle)
20,000Any skill above 50 175 , Cooking 70 , 48 , 50 , 53 ,
53 , 25 , 59 , 40 , 50 ,
40 , 40 , 10 , 10 , 36
Sins of the Father15,000 six timesAny skill above 60 62 , 60 , 56 , 52 , 50 , 50 , 49
The Blood Moon Rises30,000 six timesAny skill above 70 74 , 74 , 72 , Cooking 72 , 70 , 66 , 65 , 64 , 64 , 57
Total382,300


Level up messages

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Click here for the transcript.

See also

Source

Content from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (operated by Weird Gloop), licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

Source siteOld School RuneScape Wiki
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