I really enjoy cooking in Breath of the Wild. Cooking is fairly simple, yet rewarding when you take a little bit of time experiment and whip up some culinary creations.
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To cook you simply find ingredients in the world, hold them, then dump them into a heated pot. Ingredients can be found all over the world. Some ingredients are fairly simple such as apples hanging from trees. Other ingredients may require you to find a rare fish, defeat an exotic beast, or explore certain regions are a time of day.
My wife and I are playing Breath of the Wild together, and she’s a big driving force behind the time we spend cooking. “OOoo, try that!” “Mix in some mushrooms!” “Let’s see what happens when we do this!” Â I enjoy the nudge she gives me to collect more resources. Sometimes I’ll just by running on my way to slay a Bokoblin and she’ll insist we stop to collect the mushrooms we needed for a steak we plan to cook.
I like the trial and error aspect of learning new recipes. Very early in the game you’re presented with an introduction to cooking where a character tells you to make a recipe for Spicy Meat Seafood Fry. He forgot the recipe and needed your help. I spent an hour mixing ingredients before realizing I forgot he said “Seafood” so I was mixing all sorts of meats together. The exercise resulted in my learning about all kinds of ingredients and how they all work together.
You can only have one food effect on a piece of food at a time.
Food Effects in Breath of the Wild:
- Chilly – Head Resistance
- Energizing – Restores Stamina
- Enduring – Extra Stamina
- Electro – Shock Resistance
- Fireproof – Flame Guard
- Hasty – Increases Movement Speed
- Hearty – Restores Full Health
- Mighty – Attack Bonus
- Sneaky – Stealth buff
- Spicy – Cold Resistance
- Tough – Defense Boost
Trying to combine two will not work.
You can add these effects to a protein like a piece of raw meat, chicken drumstick, or an egg to yield a meal.
Cooking is also woven into other game mechanics quite a bit. For example, I’m about to venture to the top of a big snowy mountain. My warm coat is not enough to help me survive. Therefore I have to plan ahead and cook up several heat-resistant recipes. There are also deserts you’ll need to traverse with food to chill you.
Lots of neat and creative food interactions happen when you try new things. For example, try dropping a bird egg into a hot spring and you get a hard-boiled egg. You can also drop a steak into the snow and it will freeze yielding a cooling effect. Neat things like that make for fun “WOAH!” moments.
The cooking system provides just enough reason to go off the beaten path and explore as well as a gentle nudge to stop chasing after the quests or the combat to take a little time to experiment. I’m a fan.