Cooking skill
Cooking enables more nutritious and filling food, improves poison detection, and at level 7 permits rotten ingredients in certain foods.
How it works
The source says Cooking affects food nutrition and fullness, and the ability to detect poison. At level 7, it permits safe use of rotten ingredients in certain food types, including soups and stews. The Build 42.20 guide likewise names level 7 as the threshold for rotten ingredients, while the wiki cautions its overall categorization is based on Build 41. No claim is made here about all recipes or all rotten foods being safe.
Read the supporting references
A source-bounded reference to skill progression, skill books, and recorded skill effects in Project Zomboid. Most detailed skill mechanics come from PZwiki, which warns its skill categorization is based on Build 41 and may be outdated; skill-book details come from a page last updated for 42.13.2. Build 42.20 details are included only where the Steam guide states them. No comparative ranking or current-build verification is provided. Guidance explains the referenced mechanics; it is not a tested damage ranking. Check the stated edition and source version before applying a patch-specific detail.