Is it worth using worker for cooking?

[Tom Nook (he/him)]

I know better food gives more for me as a player, but is it needed for villagers? Do they eat less units with better food?

[Ydyp]

Every food item has a value, better cooked food has a higher value.
Every villager has a hunger value, at the end of a season both values are compared and the hunger value is taken out of the food value. So if you have a villager cook the food it is easier to reach the hunger value.

But not sure how it works on what priorities they use in the food category to decide what is left over if you still have higher food value then hunger value. I try to keep them balanced with each other and use the workload left over for other items then food.

[Tom Nook (he/him)]

Originally posted by Ydyp:

Every food item has a value, better cooked food has a higher value.
Every villager has a hunger value, at the end of a season both values are compared and the hunger value is taken out of the food value. So if you have a villager cook the food it is easier to reach the hunger value.

But not sure how it works on what priorities they use in the food category to decide what is left over if you still have higher food value then hunger value. I try to keep them balanced with each other and use the workload left over for other items then food.

Thanks for explaining!

[Fafurion]

They will always consume the highest food value items first unless you turn those items off in the priority tab. So if you make 10 meals at 50 food source, the villagers will consume those first for 500 food, then they will go to the next highest to consume more if they need to.

Assigning a cook early isnt necessary since fish can be eaten raw and give 10 food, so a single fisherman can bring in 700+ food every day. Once you unlock rice you can assign a cook until you get the brewery, then just make a 2nd rice boiling tub and 2 of those always have your meals covered (don't use them to make sake, you can just keep the cooked rice for meals instead and it's way more efficient than a kitchen) 5 fields of rice + 2 rice boilers feeds my 4 villages and 102 population, with the excess rice being stored for winter to keep the boilers rolling.

[Tom Nook (he/him)]

Originally posted by Fafurion:

They will always consume the highest food value items first unless you turn those items off in the priority tab. So if you make 10 meals at 50 food source, the villagers will consume those first for 500 food, then they will go to the next highest to consume more if they need to.

Assigning a cook early isnt necessary since fish can be eaten raw and give 10 food, so a single fisherman can bring in 700+ food every day. Once you unlock rice you can assign a cook until you get the brewery, then just make a 2nd rice boiling tub and 2 of those always have your meals covered (don't use them to make sake, you can just keep the cooked rice for meals instead and it's way more efficient than a kitchen) 5 fields of rice + 2 rice boilers feeds my 4 villages and 102 population, with the excess rice being stored for winter to keep the boilers rolling.

This is awesome thanks! I was unsure if they just ate units instead of having a hunger value. I just unlocked rice so this works out great for me.

Will they eventually want better foods to stay happy? Appreciate it!

[gadfly6363]

It's very effective to change the priorities once you start cooking, so that your villagers will take cooked food first. Disable their access to the raw ingredients and have them just eat cooked food, which has much better food value. This will also ensure that your raw ingredients are available to your cook.

[Fafurion]

Originally posted by Tom Nook:

Will they eventually want better foods to stay happy? Appreciate it!

No they just need their needs met, doesn't matter what you cook them, though if you want to make sake (which will consume your cooked rice), and you have the tavern unlocked, you can set a cook there to make excellent meals that provide a lot of food and it does surpass rice. It just requires more ingredients like leaks/herbs/mushrooms.