Cooking Leveling Guide

One-stop shopping lists and recipe paths to hit 450 Cooking in Classic, TBC, and WotLK—no rare drops required.

Updated 2026 Supports Classic / TBC / WotLK Pairs with Fishing for cheap mats

Classic Shopping List (1-300)

Item	Qty	Use
Simple Flour	60	Spice Bread 1-40
Mild Spice	60	Spice Bread 1-40
Boar Ribs	60	Boiled Clams/Boar Ribs 40-80 (farm in Westfall/Barrens)
Clam Meat	60	Clam Chowder 80-110 (from Murlocs/coastal clams)
Raptor Egg or Spider Meat	70	Curiously Tasty Omelet / Gooey Spider Cake 110-150
Tender Wolf Meat	120	Hot Wolf Ribs 150-225 (buy recipe in Winterspring)
White/Red Meat (Bear/Wolf)	80	Monster Omelet (225-250) or Carrion Surprise
Runecloth	40	For Delicious Chocolate Cake (optional alternate 225+)
Any Fish (Raw Sunscale/Whitefish)	100	Nightfin/Grilled Squid for raid food profits

Trainer at 50/125/225. Buy Expert Cookbook from Shandrina (Ashenvale) or Wulan (Desolace), and Artisan from Gadgetzan quests at 225.

Classic Route (Trainer Recipes Only)

Skill	Recipe	Notes
1-40	Spice Bread	Vendor flour + spice in any city.
40-80	Boiled Clams / Smoked Bear Meat / Boar Ribs	Use whatever drops near you; vendor recipes.
80-110	Clam Chowder	Recipe from Murloc vendor in Wetlands/Ashenvale.
110-150	Curiously Tasty Omelet	Recipe from Kendor Kabonka (Stormwind) / Horde equivalent; raptor eggs.
150-200	Hot Wolf Ribs	Recipe from vendor in Winterspring; lots of wolf meat needed.
200-225	Soothing Turtle Bisque / Mystery Stew	Turtle meat from Tanaris/Desolace quests.
225-250	Monster Omelet	Cheap eggs from Blasted Lands buzzards.
250-300	Smoked Desert Dumplings or Dirge's Kickin' Chimaerok	Do Silithus questline (Dumplings) or AQ chain for 300.

TBC Shopping List (300-375)

Item	Qty	Use
Clefthoof Meat	80	Roasted Clefthoof 300-325
Ravager Flesh	60	Ravager Dog 300-340 (Hellfire vendor recipe)
Buzzard Meat	50	Buzzard Bites 300-330 (Honor Hold/Thrallmar quest reward)
Talbuk Venison	80	Grilled Talbuk 340-355
Warped Flesh	60	Warp Burgers 355-370
Sporefish / Chunk o' Basilisk	40	Stewed Trout / Basilisk Liverdog 370-375

Buy Master Cookbook at 300 from Hellfire quest “Smooth as Butter.” Ravager Dog recipe sold in Honor Hold/Thrallmar. Talbuk/Warp recipes from Nagrand vendors.

TBC Route

Skill	Recipe	Notes
300-325	Ravager Dog / Buzzard Bites	Use quest/vendor recipes you have; both cheap.
325-340	Roasted Clefthoof	Vendor recipe in Nagrand (Aldraan/Xerintha).
340-355	Grilled Talbuk	Same vendor; Talbuk around Nagrand.
355-370	Warp Burger	Recipe at Telaar/Garadar; Warp Stalkers in Terokkar.
370-375	Hot Buttered Trout / Fisherman's Feast	Requires Fishing 300+ or AH fish. Quick finish.

WotLK Shopping List (375-450)

Item	Qty	Use
Northern Stew mats (Chilled Meat)	60	375-400 Northern Stew (learn in Howling/Borean)
Chunk o' Mammoth	80	Grilled Sculpin / Rhino Dogs 400-425
Shoveltusk/Chilled Meat	80	Shoveltusk Steak 400-425 alternative
Dragonfin/Imperial Manta Ray	40	Dragonfin Filet / Imperial Manta Steak 425-440
Any Fish (Musselback Sculpin/Glacial Salmon)	120	Feasts 425-450; also used for daily tokens
Spice (Northern Spices)	90	Buy with cooking daily tokens or AH

Do Dalaran cooking dailies at 350+ to buy Recipe: Fish Feast and Northern Spices. Train Grand Master Cooking at 350 in Borean/Howling or Dalaran.

WotLK Route

Skill	Recipe	Notes
375-400	Northern Stew	Free quest in starting Northrend zones; uses Chilled Meat.
400-425	Grilled Sculpin / Shoveltusk Steak / Rhino Dogs	Pick the mats you have; all trainer recipes.
425-440	Dragonfin Filet / Imperial Manta Steak	Fishing required or buy fish; strong raid food.
440-450	Fish Feast	Requires Dalaran tokens and cooking awards; expensive but fast.

Tips

        Pair with Fishing to cut costs, especially in WotLK where fish dominate recipes.
Cook as you level; many mobs drop meats along your class leveling routes.
Use cooking fires in the wild or carry flint/tinder. In cities, inns give the fire buff.
Sell raid foods (Dragonfin/Feasts) mid-week; prices spike before raid nights.

      

Level Faster with RestedXP

Follow RestedXP paths to gather meats while you quest, then cook them for extra stats and gold.

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