# Cooking > Source: https://indiegameswiki.com/wiki/core-keeper/cooking > Part of the Core Keeper wiki on Indie Games Wiki. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. > Last updated: 2026-10-18T23:18:08.903Z Cooking in Core Keeper combines ingredients in a Cooking Pot to make dishes that keep hunger at bay and give buffs ([Top Tips for New Explorers, 1 June 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3190245530488280075)). Most plants can also be eaten on their own, and the developers suggest combining plants with proteins such as Larva meat or fish ([Top Tips for New Explorers, 1 June 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3190245530488280075)). ## Make a small first batch The Chef background starts with a Cooking Pot in the inventory, along with 8 Mushrooms and +3 to the Cooking skill ([Backgrounds announcement, 29 January 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/4978168332492930464)). Place the pot and open its interface. The little green book there is the recipe book: it lists the recipes you have cooked before and can be browsed by category or ingredient ([5 Little Things You Might Not Know, 10 January 2024](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3875975012164753130)). Clicking a dish in the book cooks it automatically, as long as the ingredients are in your inventory or in a chest next to the pot ([5 Little Things You Might Not Know, 10 January 2024](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3875975012164753130)), and a recipe is grayed out when neither you nor the adjacent chests have its ingredients ([0.5.0 patch notes, 10 November 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3436836644429160590)). Cook one dish first and check its buffs before making more. Food items list their buffs, and the text separates permanent buffs from buffs with a duration ([0.4.7 patch notes, 25 October 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3386169865371569104)). For a larger batch, holding Ctrl while clicking a recipe moves 10 of the required materials into the pot's input slots ([0.5.2 patch notes, 8 February 2023](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3654142923840906927)). Discovering 100 recipes in the cook book earns the Certified Chef achievement, and gaining 100 skill points in cooking earns Cheese it! ([Steam achievement list](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1621690/achievements/)). ## Choose ingredients for the trip New players start in the Dirt Biome, home to plants such as Glow Tulips, Mushrooms, Heart Berries and Bomb Peppers ([Top Tips for New Explorers, 1 June 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3190245530488280075)). A dish's buffs depend on its ingredients ([Developer post on new crops, 20 October 2021](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3031478431788547435)). Crops such as the Glow Tulip can buff mana ([5 Things to Know About PC 1.0, 14 August 2024](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/4335363098103038499)). Golden plants change a dish's rarity: food cooked with one always becomes rare, or epic with the Master Chef talent, and food made only of golden plants is slightly stronger than food that combines a golden plant with a regular ingredient ([0.5.0 patch notes, 10 November 2022](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621690/view/3436836644429160590)). Choose dishes by the buffs the trip needs rather than assuming one meal is always best. [[Tips for Beginners]] covers the first camp and early crafting. [[Common Questions]] covers moving a character between worlds.