Cooking Skill
Complete guide to the Cooking skill in inZOI: full recipe unlock table by level (Level 0: Pancakes through Level 5: Steak and Fried Chicken), how cooking reduces fire risk at higher levels, the Cold Tank Refrigerator furniture unlock at Level 5, recipes requiring ingredient items like Fish Fillet and Tomato, and tips for efficient leveling.
The Cooking skill governs a Zoi's ability to prepare meals at a stove or kitchen counter. It is one of the most fundamental skills in inZOI, directly tied to satisfying the Hunger Need efficiently for the entire household. As the skill rises, more complex and nutritious recipes unlock, food quality improves, and the risk of accidentally starting a Fire while cooking decreases. The Cooking skill is available from the Teenager Life Stage onward, though Child Zois and Adolescents can also attempt basic cooking.
How to Level Up Cooking
Activity | Notes |
|---|---|
Cooking meals at home | The primary and most efficient method. Each meal prepared at a stove or kitchen appliance contributes XP. Cooking when the Zoi is hungry queues meals naturally and makes leveling feel organic. |
Watching television while cooking | Watching TV provides a minor Cooking XP boost during a cooking session. Not necessary but a small efficiency gain. |
Reading cooking books | Available at bookshelves, libraries, and on tablets. Slower than active cooking but useful when other activities are prioritized. |
Cooking group meals | Group-sized dishes (unlocked at Level 3 and above) serve multiple household members from a single preparation, making them efficient for both XP and household hunger management. |
Recipes by Skill Level
The following table lists all confirmed recipe unlocks organized by the Cooking skill level at which they become available. Some recipes marked with an ingredient requirement need specific food items to be in the refrigerator before they can be prepared.
Skill Level | Recipes Unlocked |
|---|---|
Level 0 (base) | Pancakes, Egg Bread, Salad, French Toast |
Level 1 | English Breakfast, Buchimgae, Curry Rice, Tteokbokki, Chicken Breast Salad |
Level 3 | Pork Cutlet, Birthday Cake, Fish and Chips, Pizza, Cake, Flatfish Sushi (requires Fish Fillet × 1), Tomato Pasta (requires Tomato × 1), Egg Omelet |
Level 5 | Fried Chicken, Steak, Bakso, Steamed Fish, Salmon Steak, Yukgaejang |
Future updates | Additional recipes above Level 5 are not yet in the game as of early access. More are expected in future content updates. |
Recipes that require specific ingredients (Flatfish Sushi needs Fish Fillet; Tomato Pasta needs Tomato) can only be prepared when those ingredients are in the household's refrigerator. Fish Fillets are obtained through the Fishing skill. Tomatoes can be grown through Gardening or purchased from stores.
Furniture Unlock
In addition to recipes, the Cooking skill unlocks a furniture item when it reaches a milestone:
Skill Level | Furniture Unlocked |
|---|---|
Level 5 | Cold Tank Refrigerator: a new refrigerator variant available in the Build Mode furniture catalog |
Fire Risk Reduction
One of the most important gameplay effects of a high Cooking skill is reduced fire risk. At lower skill levels, Zois are significantly more likely to accidentally start a Fire while cooking; leaving a meal unattended or attempting a recipe above their skill level increases this risk. As the Cooking skill rises, the probability of burning food and starting a fire decreases substantially. At high skill levels, fires during cooking become very rare.
Players managing households with young or unskilled Zois should keep a fire extinguisher accessible in the kitchen and avoid leaving cooking unattended. Once the Cooking skill reaches Level 5 or higher, the fire hazard is low enough that brief distractions are unlikely to cause problems.
Food Quality and Hunger Satisfaction
Food quality scales with the Cooking skill level. Meals prepared by a high-skill Zoi satisfy the Hunger Need more effectively than the same dish prepared by a low-skill Zoi. A Level 1 Zoi making Pancakes produces a lower-quality version that satisfies less hunger than the same Pancakes made by a Level 5+ Zoi. High-quality meals also restore hunger more slowly over time, meaning less frequent meal preparation is required.
Group-sized meals (like Pizza, Birthday Cake, and Fish and Chips available at Level 3) feed the entire household in a single preparation, making them excellent for time management in large households.
Cooking and Business
The Business system introduced in v0.5.0 allows Zois to own and operate restaurants and food-service businesses. A Zoi's Cooking skill level directly determines the quality and price point of food they can prepare for customers. Higher-skill cooks produce more expensive meals, increasing revenue per table. For restaurant businesses specifically, having a high-Cooking Zoi working the kitchen is the primary driver of profitability.
Connection to Baking
The Baking skill, added in v0.5.0, is a separate skill from Cooking focused specifically on oven-based desserts and baked goods. The two skills do not overlap; a high Cooking skill does not automatically improve baking ability, and vice versa. For Zois working in businesses that sell both food and baked goods (like cafes or restaurants with a dessert menu), leveling both skills is necessary.
Tips
The most efficient way to level Cooking is to cook every meal the household needs rather than buying food from restaurants or stores. Each home-cooked meal contributes XP and satisfies needs simultaneously.
Aim to reach Level 3 as quickly as possible; that is when group meals unlock and a single cooking session can feed the entire household, dramatically reducing the total time spent cooking per day.
Fish Fillet for Flatfish Sushi is obtained through the Fishing skill. If a Fishing-skilled Zoi is available in the household, they can supply fillets regularly for the Cooking Zoi to use.
Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen at all times until the Cooking skill reaches Level 4 or higher. The risk of fire is genuine at low levels and a house fire can cause significant property damage.
Cooking while in a positive emotional state like Focused or Amused accelerates XP gain. Schedule cooking sessions after activities that reliably generate positive moods.