Ark: Survival Evolved is a popular open-world survival game that challenges players to thrive in a prehistoric world filled with dangerous creatures and harsh environments. As you explore the game’s vast landscapes, it’s essential to keep your character fed and nourished to stay alive. In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide on how to cook food in ark to keep your character healthy and thriving.

Gathering Ingredients

One of the first steps in cooking food in Ark is to gather ingredients. The game offers various food sources, including meat, berries, fruits, vegetables, and fish. Each food source has its unique properties, and some are more effective at filling your character’s hunger and thirst levels than others.

To effectively gather ingredients, you’ll need to explore the game’s different landscapes, including forests, oceans, and plains. You can also hunt animals and fish to collect meat and fish, respectively.

It’s crucial to remember that some food sources spoil faster than others. For instance, cooked meat lasts longer than raw meat, and berries spoil quickly. Therefore, it’s essential to have a plan for preserving your ingredients to ensure they last longer. Some of the best methods for preserving ingredients include smoking, salting, and refrigeration.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to gather ingredients effectively and preserve them for cooking. In the next section, we’ll explore how to build a cooking station in Ark.

Building a Cooking Station

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary ingredients, the next step is to build a cooking station. In Ark, you can build various cooking stations, including a campfire, cooking pot, grill, and industrial cooker.

A campfire is the most basic cooking station in the game and can cook simple recipes such as meat and fish. To build a campfire, you’ll need thatch, flint, and stone. Once you’ve built a campfire, you can place raw meat or fish into it to cook.

A cooking pot is a more advanced cooking station that allows you to create complex recipes such as stews and soups. To build a cooking pot, you’ll need metal ingots, cementing paste, and crystal. Once you’ve built a cooking pot, you can add ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and berries to create a variety of recipes.

A grill is another advanced cooking station that allows you to cook meat and fish more efficiently than a campfire. To build a grill, you’ll need metal ingots, cementing paste, and crystal. Once you’ve built a grill, you can add raw meat or fish to it to cook.

An industrial cooker is the most advanced cooking station in the game and can cook a wide range of recipes, including custom recipes. To build an industrial cooker, you’ll need metal ingots, cementing paste, crystal, and oil. Once you’ve built an industrial cooker, you can add ingredients to it to create complex recipes.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to build a cooking station in Ark and cook a variety of recipes. In the next section, we’ll explore different cooking techniques in the game.

Building a Cooking Station

Ark offers different cooking stations with unique features and benefits. Each cooking station requires specific materials to build, and some are more advanced than others. Here’s a breakdown of the different cooking stations available in Ark and how to build them:

Campfire

A campfire is the most basic cooking station in Ark and is relatively easy to build. You’ll need 12 thatch, 1 flint, and 6 stones to build a campfire. Once you’ve gathered these materials, follow these steps to build a campfire:

1. Open your inventory and select the “craftables” tab.
2. Scroll down until you find the “campfire” option.
3. Click on “campfire” to craft it.
4. Place the campfire on the ground by selecting it from your inventory and pressing the “use item” button.
5. Add wood to the campfire to start the fire.
6. Place raw meat or fish into the campfire to cook.

Cooking Pot

A cooking pot is an advanced cooking station that allows you to create complex recipes. You’ll need 75 metal ingots, 25 cementing paste, and 15 crystal to build a cooking pot. Here’s how to build a cooking pot:

1. Open your inventory and select the “craftables” tab.
2. Scroll down until you find the “cooking pot” option.
3. Click on “cooking pot” to craft it.
4. Place the cooking pot on the ground by selecting it from your inventory and pressing the “use item” button.
5. Add ingredients such as meat, vegetables, and berries to create a variety of recipes.

Grill

A grill is a more advanced cooking station that allows you to cook meat and fish more efficiently than a campfire. You’ll need 40 metal ingots, 15 cementing paste, and 5 crystal to build a grill. Here’s how to build a grill:

1. Open your inventory and select the “craftables” tab.
2. Scroll down until you find the “grill” option.
3. Click on “grill” to craft it.
4. Place the grill on the ground by selecting it from your inventory and pressing the “use item” button.
5. Add raw meat or fish to the grill to cook.

Industrial Cooker

An industrial cooker is the most advanced cooking station in Ark and can cook a wide range of recipes, including custom recipes. You’ll need 350 metal ingots, 100 cementing paste, 60 crystal, and 40 oil to build an industrial cooker. Here’s how to build an industrial cooker:

1. Open your inventory and select the “craftables” tab.
2. Scroll down until you find the “industrial cooker” option.
3. Click on “industrial cooker” to craft it.
4. Place the industrial cooker on the ground by selecting it from your inventory and pressing the “use item” button.
5. Add ingredients to the industrial cooker to create complex recipes.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to build any cooking station in Ark and cook a variety of recipes.

Cooking Techniques

In Ark, there are different cooking techniques you can use to cook food. Here’s an overview of some of the cooking techniques available in the game:

Grilling

Grilling is a simple cooking technique that involves cooking meat or fish over an open flame. To grill meat or fish in Ark, add it to a grill and wait for it to cook. Grilling is a quick and efficient way to cook meat and fish.

Boiling

Boiling is a cooking technique that involves cooking ingredients in boiling water. To boil ingredients in Ark, add them to a cooking pot filled with water and light a fire underneath the pot. Boiling is an excellent way to create stews and soups.

Baking

Baking is a cooking technique that involves cooking food in an oven. To bake food in Ark, add it to an industrial cooker or cooking pot and set the temperature. Baking is a great way to cook bread and other baked goods.

Frying

Frying is a cooking technique that involves cooking food in hot oil. To fry food in Ark, add it to a cooking pot or industrial cooker filled with oil and set the temperature. Frying is an excellent way to cook battered fish and other fried foods.

It’s essential to avoid burning food when cooking in Ark. To avoid burning food, make sure to keep an eye on the cooking station and remove the food from the heat when it’s cooked. By using these cooking techniques and tips, you’ll be able to cook a variety of delicious recipes in Ark.

Food Preservation

In Ark, food spoilage is a mechanic that affects all types of food. When food spoils, it becomes ineffective in filling your character’s hunger and thirst levels, and it can also cause them to become sick if consumed. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a plan for preserving your food to ensure it lasts longer.

The best methods for preserving food in Ark include smoking, salting, and refrigeration. Smoking involves placing raw meat in a smoker to dry it out and preserve it. Salting involves adding salt to meat to prevent bacteria growth and preserve it. Refrigeration involves placing food in a refrigerator to slow down spoilage.

It’s also essential to store your food efficiently to prevent it from spoiling. For instance, you can store cooked meat in a preserving bin, which slows down spoilage and allows you to store large quantities of meat. You can also store berries and vegetables in a crop plot, which allows you to grow them and harvest them when needed.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to preserve your food effectively and prevent it from spoiling in the game.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cooking food in Ark is an essential aspect of the game that allows you to keep your character healthy and thriving. In this article, we’ve provided a comprehensive guide on how to cook food in Ark, including gathering ingredients, building a cooking station, cooking techniques, food preservation, and more.

To summarize, it’s crucial to gather ingredients effectively, build an appropriate cooking station, use different cooking techniques, preserve your food, and store it efficiently. By following these tips, you’ll be able to master cooking in Ark and thrive in the game’s harsh prehistoric world.

Finally, we encourage you to experiment and have fun with cooking in the game. Try out different recipes and cooking methods, and don’t be afraid to get creative. With practice and experimentation, you’ll become a master chef in no time.