Who bothers with Cooking? Is it worth it if you do?

[semisonic9]

I'm thinking I'd like the stam buffs for PvP later on, and that I may start leveling it with my lvl 40 priest.

Thoughts from those who've done it? What's the maximum buff from the best food? Is it ever gold-producing, or just kind of a cash sink?

[Gyoza]

there are all sorts of buffs you can get from cooking, and with a bit of grinding or fishing, there ya go.

totally worth it IMO

[Goretusker]

It is neither a cash sink nor can you make any serious money off it.

The best things you can get are Runn tum tumber surprise, Deviate supreme and Dirges Kicking Chimaerok chops although the later are high end raiding stuff

[Twoflower]

Dirges Kicking Chimaerok chops are the only thing you realy want from cooking, and taht s only for high end raids. The rest is just for fun.

[Orcish Veteran]

Nightfin Soup: 8MP/5
Grilled Squid: +10 Agility
Tender Wolf Steak: +12 Stam/Spirit

Just a few examples, there's really no point in not cooking, 95% of the things needed for cooking come from drops that are easily farmable (i can farm a stack of steaks in about an hour, and my guilds tanks love me for it come raid time).

[Armedallo]

Cooking can actualy end up very proffitable. I like to farm Tender Wolf Meat and make Tender Wolf Steaks, the cost for mats is less than 9 silver a stack and the end proffit is about 80s+ a stack (not in AH). I can get a stack in less than 30 minutes. When combined with other junk and things I get while farming wolves it is very profitable for my mid lvl toons.

[semisonic9]

Cool, I'll start to dig further into cooking then. The stam and mp/5 appeal to me. I don't really have a whole lot of use for Agi and some of the other stuff as a Priest, but it's all good.

I'll have to start looking up some leveling guides and so forth.

What are the durations of the buffs, btw? 15min? 30min?

[Gilvaras]

Remember the Sagefish and Greater Sagefish recipes... they also give MP/5...

[Valkoon]

For Rogues, Thistle Tea is excellent. Instantly restores mana to full, although, does take a few seconds to drink. Nothing that Sap can't fix.

[Metatron]

I think the question isnt if it's worth it, but why you wouldn't take at all to begin with? You get meat all the time when you level, you learn new recipes as you level and get them from quest rewards. You make food that buffs your stamina and you can make enough food to keep yourself permanently buffed with extra sta all the way to 60. And the reason I finally decided to learn cooking? that Dragon Chilli recipe had me hooked! Realised I needed to get my cooking up fast if I was ever gonna be able to belch fire =D

[Leonavice]

Tender Wolf Steaks and Monster Omelette are good for the well-fed buff.

[Danif]

Also, for hunters, cooked food makes for happier pets.

[front243]

My Priest got 300 Cooking and almost 300 Fishing.

Reason: Nightfin Soup.

I tend to fish to get at least a 20 stack for each raid. I eat a Nightfin Soup before each boss-fight. Helps a bit.

[Falchan]

Take a look at cooking in the Burning Crusade... the +300 cooking recepies are looking pretty nice.

[bhroam]

Reasons for cooking are rather class specific... as a priest run tum tumbler gives an int buff which stacks with the mage int buff... or the nightfin soup gives 8MP5

Tanks love the 6hp5 from the sunscale salmon.

Hunters and rogues love grilled squid (only during the winter).

Tanks/feral druids love the cooked version of the sandworm meat for 20str

I've not gotten dirge's recipe yet. You get it as a quest reward for the quest chain which opens the gates of AQ I think. I still need the broodlord's head.

[Dynatos]

I've not gotten dirge's recipe yet. You get it as a quest reward for the quest chain which opens the gates of AQ I think. I still need the broodlord's head.

Yes, it's part of the Blue Scepter line for the AQ40 gate opening chain. It's a simple matter of running around to get the quest once you have the Broodlord's head.

The quest itself isn't simple, though. It requires a raid of around 10 people.

[Renata]

I can't believe someone hasn't pointed out the other reason to cook: quests.

There are quests you only get in the game if you have cooking skill. Most of these are quite easy, and not only do you get recipes and a little extra cash, but many of them are pretty good experience as well. You often don't need a high cooking skill to get the quests, although you will to memorize the recipes.

The artisan cooking quest yields 3900xp and can be done at level 35/level 225 cooking skill.

Plus, of course, everything else everyone else has mentioned.

...Ren

[Loopy]

Nightfin soup also sells very well on my server : I get 3g per 5 of them in the AH (well, 2g 99s 99c - the old retail guy in me has to mark it down that 1c) :-)

[buttersouthpark]

Cooking and all secondary professions are extremely useful to people who cant heal themselfs if you add in engineering you can become almost as good a healer as a druid with the reserurecting item they make

I am a druid and with these abilities I can almost become as decent healer as a priest