Cooking is one of the most important secondary professions in WoW Classic. It allows all players to create food, like Nightfin Soup and Dirge’s Kickin’ Chimaerok Chops, which grant vital and powerful buffs. Like First Aid, players can learn Cooking in addition two primary professions, like Alchemy or Herbalism. To cook, players gather materials and then combine them over a Basic Campfire.
When leveling Cooking, some players also choose to level Fishing at the same time. Because of that, there will be material lists for both.
Training Cooking
Apprentice Cooking can be learned from a trainer in any major city. While there, you should also pick up a Flint and Tinder and a stack or two of Simple Wood, so that you can start your campfire anywhere you go. Journeyman can be learned from the same trainers as well.
Once you get to Expert Cooking, however, you’ll need to learn from the Expert Cookbook. For the Horde, this is sold by Wulan in Shadowprey Village, Desolace, and for the Alliance, Shandrina in Ashenvale will sell it. After that, reaching Artisan will require you to complete Clamlette Surprise from Dirge Quikcleave in Gadgetzan, Tanaris. To begin that quest line Alliance must pick up I Know A Guy… from Daryl Riknussun in Stormwind, and Horde must start To Gadgetzan You Go! From Zamja in Org.
Required Materials
When leveling cooking without fishing, there are some recipes that are faction specific. As a result, the lists below are broken down by faction.
Without Fishing
- Alliance:
- 50x Stringy Wolf Meat or Chunk of Boar Meat
- 25x Bear Meat
- 25x Crawler Meat or Crawler Claw
- 25x Mild Spices
- 100x Lean Wolf Flank
- 50x Stormwind Seasoning Herbs
- 25x Raptor Egg
- 25x Hot Spices
- 25x Turtle Meat
- 50x Soothing Spices
- 50x White Spider Meat or + 25x Raptor Flesh; Hot Spices
- 50x Giant Egg or Tender Wolf Meat
- +50x or +100x Soothing Spices
- 25x Sandworm Meat
- Horde:
- 50x Stringy Wolf Meat or Chunk of Boar Meat
- 25x Bear Meat
- 25x Crawler Meat
- 25x Mild Spices
- 50x Raptor Egg
- 100x Hot Spices
- 25x Lion Meat
- 25x Raptor Flesh
- 50x White Spider Meat or an additional 25x Raptor Flesh, 25x Hot Spices
- Giant Egg or Tender Wolf Meat
- +50x or +100x Soothing Spices
- 25x Sandworm Meat
- 50x Soothing Spices
With Fishing:
- Raw Brilliant Smallfish
- Used for Recipe: Brilliant Smallfish
- Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper
- Used for Recipe: Longjaw Mud Snapper
- Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish
- Used for Recipe: Bristle Whisker Catfish
- Raw Mithril Head Trout
- Used for Recipe: Mithril Head Trout
- Raw Spotted Yellowtail
- Used for Recipe: Spotted Yellowtail
- Gikkix in Steamwheedle Port, Tanaris
- Used for Recipe: Spotted Yellowtail
- Raw Sunscale Salmon
- Used for Recipe: Poached Sunscale Salmon
- Large Raw Mightfish
- Used for Recipe: Mightfish Steak
- Sheendra Tallgrass (H) in Camp Mojache, Feralas
- Vivianna (A) in Feathermoon Stronghold, Feralas
- Used for Recipe: Mightfish Steak
Leveling Cooking
To begin leveling, learn Apprentice Cooking in any major city, and begin gathering your materials right away. Make sure to also grab a Flint and Tinder and enough Simple Wood to last you through the leveling process.
Apprentice (1 – 75)
1 – 50: Charred Wolf Meat or Roasted Boar Meat
- Prepare Stringy Wolf Meat or Chunk of Boar Meat to make Charred Wolf Meat or Roasted Boar Meat.
At skill level 50, you can learn Journeyman cooking! After preparing 50 of your first meal, you’ll need to purchase your first recipe: Recipe: Smoked Bear Meat. For Alliance players, it’s sold by Drac Roughcut in Thelsamar, Loch Modan, and Andrew Hilbert at The Sepulcher in Silverpine Forest will sell it to the Horde.
50 – 75: Smoked Bear Meat
- Cook Bear Meat into Smoked Bear Meat.
Journeyman (75 – 150)
Congratulations! You’ve prepared multiple dishes, and you’ve learned your first recipe. You’re ready to train up to Journeyman Cooking. For Journeyman and Expert, the leveling processes are faction specific, so they are broken down below. At this level, however, both factions begin incorporating spices, like Mild Spices, into their recipes. They can be purchased from any cooking vendor.
Alliance:
To start, all Alliance players should find Kendor Kabonka in Stormwind and purchase Recipe: Cooked Crab Claw. This will give you several options of what meat to farm from the coastal crawlers. You should also grab Recipe: Seasoned Wolf Kabob, and Recipe: Curiously Tasty Omelet.
75 – 100: Crab Cake or Cooked Crab Claw
- Prepare either Crawler Meat or Crawler Claw with Mild Spices to make Crab Cake or Cooked Crab Claw.
100 – 150: Seasoned Wolf Kabob
- Use Lean Wolf Flank and Stormwind Seasoning Herbs to prepare Seasoned Wolf Kabob.
Horde:
Training through Journeyman as a Horde player is a little more difficult than for Alliance players. Because some recipes are only available from Alliance vendors or through a neutral auction house, there are less dish options for Horde players to choose from. This reverses when you reach Expert, however.
75 – 100: Crab Cake
- Combine Crawler Meat with Mild Spices to make Crab Cake.
Before continuing, you’ll need to find Nerrist at Grom’gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale or Keena in Arathi Highlands to purchase Recipe: Curiously Tasty Omelet. If you choose to buy from Nerrist, you should also pick up Recipe: Roast Raptor.
100 – 150: Curiously Tasty Omelet
- Use Raptor Egg and Hot Spices to make Curiously Tasty Omelet.
Beginning at skill level 125, you can use the Expert Cookbook and start the quest chain to train up to Expert.
Expert (150 – 225)
After you’ve finished cracking some eggs or roasting some wolf, you’ll be a high enough skill level to read the Expert Cookbook. This can be purchased from Wulan in Shadowprey Village by Horde players. The Alliance must find Shandrina in Ashenvale. After reading it, you’ve officially become an Expert.
Before continuing, Horde players will need to find Zargh at Crossroads in the Barrens and purchase Recipe: Hot Lion Chops.
Alliance and Horde must both complete the Soothing Turtle Bisque quest before they’re able to train through this tear as well. To get the quest, Alliance must find Chef Jessen in Southshore in Hillsbrad Foothills, and Horde needs to speak with Christoph Jeffcoat in Alterac Mountains. As a reward, you’ll receive Recipe: Soothing Turtle Bisque.
Alliance
For this tier, you’ll also need to find Corporal Bluth in Stranglethorn Vale to purchase Recipe: Roast Raptor.
150 – 175: Curiously Tasty Omelet
- Use Raptor Egg and Hot Spices to make Curiously Tasty Omelet.
175 – 200: Soothing Turtle Bisque
- Use Turtle Meat and Soothing Spices to make Soothing Turtle Bisque.
200 – 225: Roast Raptor or Spider Sausage
- Use White Spider Meat to make Spider Sausage.
OR
- Use Raptor Flesh and Hot Spices to make Roast Raptor.
Horde
150 – 175: Hot Lion Chops
Use Lion Meat and Hot Spices to make Hot Lion Chops.
175 – 200: Soothing Turtle Bisque or Roast Raptor
- Use Turtle Meat and Soothing Spices to make Soothing Turtle Bisque.
OR
- Use Raptor Flesh and Hot Spices to make Roast Raptor.
200 – 225: Roast Raptor or Spider Sausage
- Use White Spider Meat to make Spider Sausage.
OR
- Use Raptor Flesh and Hot Spices to make Roast Raptor.
At 200, both factions can train up to Artisan! To do so, you’ll have to find Dirge Quikcleave in Stranglethorn Vale. The quest chain will start in either Orgrimmar or Stormwind.
Artisan (225 – 300)
Congratulations, you’ve reached Artisan Cooking! At this skill level, you’ll be able to get some of the strongest food buffs possible. To reach this stage, you’ll have to complete a quest chain which leads you from either Stormwind or Orgrimmar to Stranglethorn Vale. Alliance players will need to take I Know A Guy… from Daryl Riknussun in Stormwind. The Horde will need to find Zamja in Org and begin To Gadgetzan You Go!
Those two will lead to Clamlette Surprise from Dirge Quikcleave in Gadgetzan. To complete that, you’ll need to bring:
- 12x Giant Egg
- 10x Zesty Clam Meat
- 20x Alterac Swiss
After doing so, there are more quests from Dirge you can finish, but you’ll officially be an Artisan! Make sure to also purchase Recipe: Tender Wolf Steak from Dirge. You can also buy it from Innkeeper Fizzgrimble in Gadgetzan or Truk Wildbeard in The Hinterlands. If you’re interested in cooking a different dish, Recipe: Monster Omelet is also another option. It can be purchased from Bale in Felwood by the Horde, Malygen in Felwood by the Alliance, or Himmik in Everlook by either.
225 – 275: Tender Wolf Steak or Monster Omelet
- Use Tender Wolf Meat and Soothing Spices to cook Tender Wolf Steak.
OR
- Use Giant Egg and Soothing Spices to make Monster Omelet.
To complete leveling, you’ll have to finish one more quest chain. Finding Calandrath in Silithus at Cenarion Hold will allow you to start Desert Recipe. Completing Sharing The Knowledge, and Kitchen Assistance afterwards will teach you to make your final recipe: Smoked Desert Dumplings.
275 – 300: Smoked Desert Dumplings
- Combine Sandworm Meat and Soothing Spices to make Smoked Desert Dumplings.
And like that, you’ve finished leveling your cooking! Congratulations! Keep reading to find out about some of the most valuable endgame recipes, and the buffs they give.
Endgame Recipes
Now that you’ve finished leveling your cooking, one of the most valuable things you can do is make buff food. From soloing to endgame PvE and PvP, Well Fed buffs are one of the easiest, most important buffs you can give yourself. By sitting and eating food for more than 10 seconds, whether you need to or not, you’ll gain powerful advantages. While most recipes are sold by Gikkix, others, like Dirge’s Chops, are learned as the reward for a quest.
- To get an MP5 buff, player will need to purchase Recipe: Nightfin Soup from Gikkix and create Nightfin Soup.
- For an Agility buff Grilled Squid from Recipe: Grilled Squid is the best option. It’s also sold by Gikkix.
- The food to buff stamina, Dirge’s Kickin’ Chimaerok Chops, come as the result of a quest chain. After taking Never Ask About My Business from Narain Soothfancy, and completing The Isle of Dread! and Dirge’s Kickin’ Chimaerok Chops, you’ll receive Recipe: Dirge’s Kickin’ Chimaerok Chops .