Cooking Ingredients
Cooking Ingredients Pipeline guide for Starsand Island: the Separator, Charcoal Kiln, Brewing Barrel, Jam Maker, Pickling Jar, and Grinder. Includes all base ingredient mappings, processing station details, crop growth times, profit strategies, and example recipe chains.
Featured Article
This article has been recognized for its exceptional quality and comprehensive coverage.
Overview
Most cooking recipes in Starsand Island require processed base ingredients rather than raw crops. The Separator is the central processing station that converts raw materials (crops, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and insects) into seven base cooking ingredients. An eighth base ingredient, Fine Salt, comes from the Charcoal Kiln. Together, these eight ingredients form the foundation of the entire cooking system.
Beyond base ingredients, additional processing stations (Brewing Barrel, Jam Maker, Pickling Jar, Grinder) produce condiments, jams, pickled goods, and rice. Understanding how raw materials flow through these stations into finished dishes is the key to efficient cooking and maximising profit from your farm output.
The Separator
The Separator is the most important processing station in the game. It processes items instantly, no waiting time required. Place raw materials in and receive the output immediately. This makes it uniquely efficient compared to every other processing station, which all require real in-game time.
How to build the Separator
Detail | Info |
|---|---|
Blueprint source | Free Equipment Blueprint Pack from the register at Zerine's General Store |
Build station | Worktable |
Materials | 3 Stone, 3 Softwood, 5 Fiber |
Crafter (starter tier) |
The Equipment Blueprint Pack also includes blueprints for the Charcoal Kiln, Furnace I, and Cutter I. Pick it up from Zerine's store as soon as you start the game.
Separator outputs
The Separator produces seven of the eight base cooking ingredients. Each output accepts specific raw material categories:
Output | Input | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Flour | Wheat | Only Wheat works. Used in noodles, dumplings, pastries, and bread. |
Sugar | Beetroot or Sugarcane | Two possible source crops. Used in jams, desserts, and some drinks. |
Vegetable Juice | Any vegetable (Cabbage, Carrot, Cucumber, Leek, Water Spinach, Pumpkin, Cherry Radish, Winter Melon, Potato, Corn, etc.) | Flexible, any vegetable crop works. Use your cheapest or most abundant. |
Fruit Pulp | Any fruit (Apple, Banana, Orange, Watermelon, Grapes, Lychee, Snow Pear, Star Mango, Star Plum, Persimmon, Pineapple, Cherry Tomato, Blueberry, Strawberry, etc.) | Flexible, any fruit works. Also used in livestock feed (Cattle Feed, Sheep Feed) via the Feeder. |
Protein Powder | Any bug or insect | Any caught insect works. Compact protein source for recipes. |
Meat Bites | Pork, Fowl, Mutton, or Beef | Any standard meat. Meat is purchased from Zerine's General Store. |
Fish Fillet | Any fish | Any of the 105+ fish species. Used in fish-based dishes. |
Key pattern: Flour and Sugar require specific crops (Wheat for Flour; Beetroot or Sugarcane for Sugar). All other Separator products accept any item within their category. Use your cheapest vegetables for Vegetable Juice and your cheapest fruit for Fruit Pulp rather than wasting high-value crops.
Fine Salt (Charcoal Kiln)
The eighth base ingredient, Fine Salt, is produced at the Charcoal Kiln, not the Separator. Combine 1 Salt Brick + 1 Fiber at the Charcoal Kiln. Salt Bricks are mined from deposits in the Moonlit Forest. Fine Salt is used in many cooking recipes and is also required for the Pickling Jar.
Key crop growth times
These are the most important crops for the ingredient pipeline:
Crop | Season | Seed cost | Yield | Sell price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wheat | 18 hours | All seasons | 50 Coins | 4 | 17 Coins each |
Sugarcane | 3 days 12 hours | All seasons | 160 Coins | 4 |
|
Beetroot | 1 day | Summer, Autumn | 60 Coins | 4 |
|
Potato |
|
|
|
| 33 Coins each |
Watermelon |
| Summer |
|
| 104 Coins each |
Wheat is the most important crop, it grows in all seasons in only 18 hours and produces Flour, the foundation ingredient for the most recipes. Sugarcane requires a Paddy Field to grow.
All processing stations
Station | Function | Processing time | Blueprint source | Profession tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Flour, Sugar, Vegetable Juice, Fruit Pulp, Protein Powder, Meat Bites, Fish Fillet | Instant | Equipment Blueprint Pack (free, General Store) | Crafter (starter) | |
Fine Salt, Charcoal, Glue, Rubber, Moonflower Pollen, Plainberry Powder, Fluffweave Ash | Timed | Equipment Blueprint Pack (free, General Store) | Crafter (starter) | |
Cooking Oil, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Sugar | Timed | Junior Farmer | ||
16 jam varieties + Spirit Fruit Pulp + Tomato Ketchup | Timed | Junior Farmer | ||
9 pickled vegetable varieties | 15 in-game hours per unit | Intermediate Farmer | ||
Rice, premium seeds | Timed | Senior Farmer | ||
Cooks meals from recipes | Timed | Tutorial quest (free) |
| |
Cooks meals (same as Campfire) | Timed | Crafter | ||
Drinks (Lemonade, Grape Juice, etc.) | Timed | Crafter |
Example recipe chains with sell prices
Complete chains showing raw materials to finished dishes, with confirmed sell prices:
Dish | Ingredients | Sell price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Smashed Cucumber | Cucumber | 127 Coins | Simple early recipe |
Stir-Fried Water Spinach | Water Spinach | 90 Coins | Basic vegetable dish |
Grilled Mushroom Skewers | Mushroom | 166 Coins | Good mid-game dish |
Golden Fried Rice | Rice + Egg | 246 Coins | High value, requires Grinder |
Lemonade | 2 Lemons (Juicer) | ~750 Coins | Top money-maker, no Separator needed |
Soup Dumplings | 2 Meat Bites + 3 Flour |
| +55 Energy + Forest's Gift buff |
Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms | 4 Fowl + 3 Mushroom + 1 Fine Salt |
| +105 Energy + Battle Spirit buff |
The ingredient pipeline
Here is how raw materials flow through processing stations into finished dishes:
Raw material | Station | Processed ingredient | Then used in |
|---|---|---|---|
Wheat | Flour | Noodles, dumplings, pastries, bread | |
Beetroot / Sugarcane | Sugar | Jams (via Jam Maker), desserts, drinks | |
Any vegetable | Vegetable Juice | Veggie Noodles, soups, stir-fries | |
Any fruit | Fruit Pulp | Drinks, livestock feed (Feeder) | |
Any insect | Protein Powder | Protein-based recipes | |
Pork / Fowl / Mutton / Beef | Meat Bites | Soup Dumplings, meat dishes | |
Any fish | Fish Fillet | Fish dishes, sushi | |
Salt Brick + Fiber | Fine Salt | Many recipes, Pickling Jar input | |
Crops | Cooking Oil, Soy Sauce, Vinegar | Braised, fried, and sour dishes | |
Fruit + Sugar | Jams (16 varieties) | Direct sale or gift | |
Vegetable + Fine Salt | Pickled vegetables (9 varieties) | Direct sale (highest profit items) | |
Rice crops | Rice | Rice-based dishes |
Profit strategies
Processing raw crops into cooked dishes or preserved goods dramatically increases their sale value. Here is the profit hierarchy from lowest to highest:
Raw crops lowest value. Wheat sells for just 17 Coins. Never sell unprocessed crops if you can help it.
Separator products (Flour, Fruit Pulp, etc.) slightly more than raw crops. Only sell these if you have massive surplus.
Cooked dishes significantly more valuable. Golden Fried Rice sells for 246 Coins, Grilled Mushroom Skewers for 166 Coins.
Jams consistently profitable. Watermelon Jam is particularly valuable.
Lemonade approximately 750 Coins per unit via the Juicer. One of the best single items to produce.
Pickled goods over 200% multiplier over raw vegetables. The best processed goods for sale.
Pickled goods at the Merchant Ship the ultimate combination. Pickling multiplier stacked with the Merchant Ship's 200% sell rate produces the highest returns in the game.
Station building costs
Station | Materials |
|---|---|
3 Stone, 3 Softwood, 5 Fiber | |
5 Stone | |
6 Iron Ingot | |
5 Iron Ingot, 4 Glass, 2 Gloris Crystal Core |
Tips
Build the Separator immediately. The blueprint is free from the Equipment Blueprint Pack at Zerine's General Store. The materials (3 Stone, 3 Softwood, 5 Fiber) are trivial.
Place the Separator near your cooking stations. Group the Separator, Campfire, Charcoal Kiln, and later the Brewing Barrel, Jam Maker, and Pickling Jar together for efficient workflows.
Farm Wheat and Sugarcane early. Wheat (all-season, 18-hour growth, 50 Coins per seed) is the foundation for Flour. Sugarcane (all-season, 3.5-day growth, 160 Coins per seed, requires Paddy Field) produces Sugar. Both appear in the most recipes.
Use cheap crops for flexible inputs. Vegetable Juice and Fruit Pulp accept any vegetable or fruit. Use your cheapest or most abundant crops rather than high-value ones.
Stockpile base ingredients. Since the Separator is instant, process raw materials in bulk. Having these on hand lets you cook any recipe on demand.
Build multiple timed stations. Campfires, Charcoal Kilns, and Grinders take real time. Two or three of each running in parallel dramatically increases throughput.
Prioritise Pickling for profit. Pickled goods have the highest profit margin of any processed item. Rush the Intermediate Farmer tier to unlock the Pickling Jar.
Lemonade is a top money-maker. Lemons + the Juicer produces Lemonade worth approximately 750 Coins each. No Separator needed, just raw fruit and the Juicer.
Sell processed goods at the Merchant Ship. The Merchant Ship pays 200% of normal value. Pickling + Merchant Ship is the most profitable combination in the game.