How To Cook Raw Food in Minecraft

Just like in the real world, there are various ways to obtain food in Minecraft. We can fish, hunt, and even cook our food! In this guide, we will specifically show you the three ways how to cook raw food in Minecraft.

In Minecraft, food is essential in survival as it restores hunger points, heals back health points, and can sometimes even cause status effects. When sprinting, doing work, and even taking damage, your hunger points slowly go down. The only way to restore them is by consuming edible food items such as potatoes and steak. There are a lot of ways a player can gather food quickly and efficiently. Farming, hunting, fishing—you name it!

Not all food items, however, provide the same nourishment that our Minecraft character needs. Some food items are more effective in healing than others, such as eating cooked food over raw food. Some can even cause us to become poisoned. We need to know which food items are best suited for us depending on the current situation. And to become effective adventurers, we must be knowledgeable when it comes to practical cooking. This guide will teach you how to cook your raw food items in three different ways: in a furnace, in a smoker, and on a campfire.

Cookable Food Items

Raw Cod: You can obtain raw cod from fishing or by killing a cod while underwater. It can also be dropped by mobs such as dolphins, polar bears, guardians, and elder guardians when killed. A fisherman’s chest inside a village may have a chance to contain 1 to 3 raw cod. Once cooked, raw cod turns into cooked cod. Consuming raw cod gives the player two food points, while a cooked cod provides five food points.

Raw Salmon: You can obtain raw salmon from fishing or by killing salmon while underwater. It can also be dropped by other mobs such as polar bears, guardians, and elder guardians when killed. A fisherman’s chest inside a village may have a chance to contain 1 to 3 raw salmon. Once cooked, raw salmon turns into cooked salmon. Consuming raw salmon only gives the player two food points, while a cooked salmon provides six food points.

Raw Porkchop: Raw porkchop is dropped by adult pigs and adult hoglins when killed. A butcher’s chest inside a village may also have a chance to contain 1 to 3 raw pork chops. Once cooked, raw porkchop turns into cooked pork chop. Consuming raw porkchop gives the player three food points, while a cooked porkchop provides eight food points.

Raw Beef: Raw beef is dropped by adult cows and adult mooshrooms when killed. A butcher’s chest inside a village may also have a chance to contain 1 to 3 raw beef. Once cooked, raw beef turns into steak. Consuming raw beef gives the player three food points, while a steak provides eight food points.

Raw Mutton: Raw mutton is dropped by adult sheep when killed. A butcher’s chest inside a village may also have a chance to contain 1 to 3 raw mutton. Once cooked, raw mutton turns into cooked mutton. Consuming raw mutton gives the player two food points, while cooked mutton provides six food points.

Raw Chicken: Raw chicken is dropped by adult chickens when killed. Once cooked, a raw chicken turns into a cooked chicken. Consuming raw chicken gives the player two food points, while cooked chicken provides six food points. Raw chicken can also cause food poisoning when eaten.

Raw Rabbit: Raw rabbit is dropped by adult rabbits when killed. Once cooked, a raw rabbit turns into a cooked rabbit. Consuming raw rabbit gives the player three food points while cooked rabbit provides five food points.

Potato: Potatoes are obtained from farming and harvesting potato crops. This food item can be planted, eaten as it is, or cooked to make baked potatoes. Consuming a potato gives the player one food point, while a baked potato provides five food points.

Kelp: Kelp is a green aquatic plant that is obtainable in most ocean biomes. Kelp itself, however, is not a food item. You will need to cook it in a furnace, smoker, or campfire to become an edible food source. It turns into dried kelp after cooking. Consuming dried kelp gives the player one food point.

How To Cook Using A Furnace

1. First, craft a furnace on the crafting table. You will need 8 cobblestone and place them in the correct pattern on the crafting grid as indicated below.
   
2. After crafting a furnace, place it on the ground and right-click on the furnace to open the crafting grid.
   
3. Place the food item in the top slot and place a fuel source—such as a wooden block or a piece of coal—in the bottom slot.
   
4. Once the food is done, right-click on the cooked food item and place it in your inventory to collect both the food and the corresponding experience points.
   

How To Cook Using A Smoker

1. You will need to craft a smoker first. To craft a smoker, you will need 4 wood blocks and 1 furnace. Place it in the correct pattern in the crafting grid as indicated below.
   
2. Once you’re done crafting a smoker, place it on the ground and right-click on the smoker to open the crafting grid.
   
3. Place the food item in the top slot and place a fuel source—such as a wooden block or a coal—on the bottom slot just like what you would do in a regular furnace.
   
4. Once the food is done, right-click on the cooked food item and place it in your inventory to collect both the food and the corresponding experience points.
   

How To Cook Using A Campfire

1. Start by crafting a campfire in the crafting table. You will need 3 logs, 3 sticks, and 1 coal/charcoal. Place all the materials following the correct pattern on the crafting grid as indicated below.
   
2. Next, place the campfire on the ground. Be careful not to place the campfire directly below a source of water so as not to put the fire out.
   
3. Hold the raw food item on your hand and directly place the food on the campfire by using your right-click mouse button.
   
4. Place up to 4 raw food items to cook on the campfire and wait for a few seconds. Once the food is cooked, it will start popping out of the campfire. Simply walk over the cooked food to pick it up.