Cooking meat in ARK: Survival Evolved offers numerous benefits that go beyond simply eating raw meat harvested from creatures. In addition to replenishing health and food metrics, eating cooked meat provides significant advantages for players and their tames. Understanding the various uses for raw and cooked meat, as well as how to cook, store, and transport meat, is essential for any adventurer in ARK.
What is Cooked Meat?
Cooked meat in ARK: Survival Evolved is simply meat that has been cooked until it is no longer raw. Unlike dinosaur eggs, which vary depending on the type of land creature, raw meat obtained from a Rex is the same as raw meat from a Raptor, Dodo, or Trike. The exceptions are raw fish meat obtained from underwater creatures and raw mutton from an Ovis. Raw meat and raw fish meat can also come in a higher quality called Prime Raw Meat or Prime Fish Meat. The real difference lies in the cooked versus raw state, with cooked meat being an essential food item for any player character in ARK.
How to Cook Meat in ARK
While there are a few different places where you can cook meat in ARK, the process itself remains fairly consistent regardless of the method used. The two main places for cooking meat are the campfire and the Industrial Grill. Here’s how you can cook meat:
- Approach the cooking device of your choice.
- Press the Use key to access its inventory.
- Drag the raw meat from your inventory into the cooking device’s inventory.
- Add the required fuel to the cooking device’s inventory.
- Start the device.
- Wait for the meat to cook.
Once cooked, you can either keep the meat in your inventory or transfer it to a storage device according to your preferences.
One crucial decision to make is which cooking device to use. The campfire is a convenient choice for early-game players. It is readily available and requires minimal building materials. By placing it anywhere and adding thatch or wood for fuel, you can start cooking meat within moments.
The industrial grill, on the other hand, is ideal for cooking large amounts of meat at once. However, it is more suitable for endgame players due to its cost and complexity. It produces a significant amount of meat, making it valuable for feeding multiple animals or stocking up for a journey.
Another option for cooking meat in ARK is by using a tamed Phoenix. Once tamed, these creatures can be used as mobile cooking stations.
Storing Meat
Where you store cooked meat directly affects how quickly it spoils. Here are different storage options and their corresponding spoil times:
- Inventory: Cooked meat in your inventory spoils in 20 minutes per piece, regardless of stack size.
- Tamed Dinosaur Inventory: Cooked meat stored in a tamed dinosaur’s inventory lasts for one hour and 20 minutes.
- Preserving Bin: Meat placed in a preserving bin remains fresh for three hours and 20 minutes.
- Refrigerator: Meat stored in a refrigerator stays fresh for one day, nine hours, and 20 minutes.
Remember that spoil timers can vary depending on server settings and mods.
You can also further extend the shelf life of meat by turning it into cooked meat jerky, which significantly increases its durability. To make cooked meat jerky, you’ll need a preserving bin, sparkpowder, oil, and cooked meat.
Recipes with Meat
In ARK: Survival Evolved, there are several recipes that require cooked meat, each providing unique effects:
- Enduro Stew: This stew increases your health regeneration for 15 minutes. To make it, combine a container of water, mejoberries, cooked meat (or fish meat or cooked meat jerky), rockarrots, savoroots, and stimulants in a cooking pot.
- Focal Chili: Focal Chili boosts your movement speed and crafting speed for 15 minutes. It can be made in a cooking pot using amarberries, tintoberries, azulberries, mejoberries, cooked meat (or fish meat or cooked meat jerky), and citronal.
- Lazarus Chowder: This chowder enhances your health recovery and reduces oxygen consumption, making it ideal for underwater adventures. Combine a container of water, mejoberries, cooked meat (or fish meat or cooked meat jerky), longrass, savoroots, and narcotics in a cooking pot to make it.
Harvesting Meat
In ARK, the yield of meat can vary depending on the harvesting tool used. Using a pick instead of a hatchet, for example, will give you more meat but less hide. Taming large carnivores such as the Rex, Allosaurus, Gigantasaur, or Gacha can provide the best raw meat yields.
By following these tips and mastering the art of cooking meat in ARK: Survival Evolved, you’ll be well-prepared to embark on your exciting adventures and thrive in this hostile world. Remember, cooking meat is not just about sustenance, but also a key element in survival. So, grab your apron and get ready to sizzle some delicious meat in the ARK! Learn more about ARK: Survival Evolved at Ekilove.
