Cooking

Cooking is an activity that can be performed in, but is not a skill. Cooking can be accomplished through the use of cooking pots and spits found in locations throughout the province. Food from cooking can restore magicka, health or stamina and grant temporary effects determined by the recipe. The recipes require items such as raw meats, vegetables, and alchemical ingredients (especially Salt Piles). Characters start the game knowing every possible cooking recipe.

Cooking is a rudimentary method of living off the land. Most of the food you can cook typically restores 5-10 points of Health or Stamina. This is equal to or less than the healing from a minor potion. As the player's wealth and alchemical skills improve, some cooked food may have less real value than the ingredients put into it.

However, characters with low alchemy skill may benefit more from cooking than producing their own healing potions. Very long duration effects (12 minutes) can be produced as well, which can extend the time before one tires from power attacks or running and generally reduce the need to enter a menu to heal with other items. Due to the abundance of free food that can be obtained, making use of cooking can save a significant amount of money over time as well.

Cooking Locations

 * Alvor's home in Riverwood.
 * Any house you build (with installed).
 * Any house you buy with a kitchen upgrade.
 * Any Imperial or Stormcloak camp (each is only available to the members of the corresponding faction).
 * Autumnwatch Tower in the tower on the right as you approach the dragonstone.
 * The Bannered Mare in Whiterun. The cooking place is to the left as you enter North.
 * Calixto's House of Curiosities in Windhelm.
 * Corpselight Farm house in Falkreath.
 * Dragonsreach in Whiterun.
 * Drunken Huntsmen in Whiterun.
 * Embershard Mine, between Helgen (beginning of the game), and Riverwood. Cooking here can complete the Hard Worker Achievement along with mining and wood chopping. This earns 10 experience points.
 * Faendal's home in Riverwood.
 * Fort Greymoor inside the keep.
 * Gerdur's home in Riverwood.
 * Lost Knife Hideout in Lost Knife Cave.
 * Sadri's Used Wares in the Gray District of Windhelm.
 * Solitude Stables near Katla's Farm.
 * The White Phial in Windhelm.
 * Ysolda's house in Whiterun.

Ingredients Used for Cooking
 Recipes by Ingredient