In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, cooking is an essential aspect of the game. It's crucial to understand the effects of different ingredients and how to combine them into delicious dishes. Our cooking guide will equip you with everything you need to know in order to become a brilliant chef in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players need to cook dishes out of certain ingredients that they can find all over the map. Different food combinations can give Link various effects that will be very helpful on your journey through Hyrule.
By combining the right ingredients, you can gain boosts for your Stamina, Attack Strength, or even a Stealth boost that will help you to move around more silently and sneak up to your enemies without them noticing. In this guide, we will give you a brief overview on the basics of cooking in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – How To Upgrade Your Battery
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Cooking Guide
Cooking was a vital part of the game's predecessor Breath of the Wild since it was required to restore Link's health. Both Zelda games offer us an incredible amount of freedom when it comes to cooking because the game doesn't tell you which ingredients to combine in order to create a decent dish, no. The best part about this whole cooking feature is that you can literally try out anything, and it will probably work, even the most obscure food combinations can result in a new dish.
Breath of the Wild featured more than a hundred different recipes, and although we don't know the number for Tears of the Kingdom yet, it is safe to say that the sequel offers even more possibilities.
Did you know that there is a special Nintendo Switch OLED model with the design of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? It looks absolutely stunning and you can even get it on Amazon right now , feel free to check it out!
How To Cook in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
In order to cook any recipe, you'll need a cooking pot and some ingredients such as meat, vegetables, mushrooms, or plants... The possibilities are basically endless, no matter if you're vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, or just a picky eater.
All you have to do is grab your ingredients and then place them in the cooking pot. You can find those in all different places around Hyrule. If you're having trouble finding one, I would recommend going to a nearby stable or village, such as Hateno or Kakariko, but even some enemy camps have one, although in that case you'll have to deal with them first... Because these creatures are certainly not known for their hospitality.
Unlike Breath of the Wild, TotK will also feature a portable cooking pot. This is one of the new Zonai Devices and can be deployed at any time. But be careful: you can only cook one meal before the pot breaks.
Insider Tip
If you really can't find a cooking pot anywhere near, you can always just grab some flint and wood, place it on the ground and hit it with a metal weapon in order to light up a fire. Alternatively, you can also smash a Red Chuchu Jelly. Placing raw meat or vegetables near that fire will cook them individually. You won't be able to combine your ingredients this way, but it is quite helpful if you are in need of a quick snack.
You can still pre-order Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Amazon:
Cooking Bonus Effects
Some ingredients can add boosting effects to your dish such as an increased attack power, stamina, maximum health and various more. The name of an ingredient can tell you a lot about their effects. A "Hearty Radish" for example, will recover all your hearts and even add temporary bonus hearts. Here is a list of all the effects that we know from Breath of the Wild, which are most likely to come back in Tears of the Kingdom.
| Effect Type | What it does |
| Mighty | Increases Link's attack power for a limited time |
| Tough | Increases Link's defence for a limited time |
| Sneaky | Increases Link's stealth for a limited time |
| Hasty | Increases Link's movement speed for a limited time |
| Electro | Gives Link shock resistance |
| Spicy | Gives Link cold resistance |
| Chilly | Gives Link heat resistance |
| Energizing | Restores Links stamina weel |
| Enduring | Adds an extra stamina weel to Link |
| Hearty | Restores health and adds temporary hearts to Link |
How To Use The Recipe Book
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a new feature for cooking that many of us were missing in Breath of the Wild, and that is a Recipe Book. From now on, we will be able to remember our kitchen creations in a book, and can always look up our previous recipes, so that we don't forget them.
This feature is not going to keep us from trying out new stuff, but will be a great help when it comes to more complex creations like Fish and Mushroom Skewers that will add a whopping 20 extra hearts! Just because I love you... I'll tell you the secret... You'll need 3 Big Hearty Truffles and 2 Hearty Salmons... yes.... that is all.
Hopefully, this guide could offer you some help in Tears of the Kingdom. Feel free to check out our other guides on this legendary new Zelda game:
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Arriving: What You Should Know About BotW Before Starting TotK
- Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: How To Use Ultrahand
- Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: How To Use Ascend
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Recall Guide: How To Rewind Time
If you need a quick refresher on Breath of the Wild's storyline, check out our YouTube channel where we explain it to you in just 174 seconds!