Why isn't my cook taking food from the closest stockpile?

[Azurian]

I tried to use the stool trick to improve the cooking speed of my main cook but he keeps taking supplies from my main freezer instead of the items right next to the stove, anyone know whats going on here?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=781571372 picture of my freezer+cooking area.

[Azurian]

only just noticed, he does actually seem to be taking food from the stools... but he ONLY uses the meat, not the corn :\

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Check your bills for your meals. Make sure corn is allowed as an ingredient.

[Azurian]

checked, was allowed as an ingredient. (my cook even seems to happily use other corn from my freezer, so this is definitely not the issue)

[Flashback]

Try setting the ingrediant area to only include the one freezer and see what happens

[Azurian]

Originally posted by Flashback:

Try setting the ingredient area to only include the one freezer and see what happens.

If I do that the corn on the stool gets used, but the moment I increase it again my cook starts walking to my main freezer. Didn't think of decreasing the ingredient area though so I guess I can use this as a crude solution to my problem. Thanks!

[Johnny Cash]

Thank you for mentioning the stool trick! I didn't know about that.

For anyone else, here's an explanation:
https://youtu.be/tNgseXjUbyo?t=14m48s

[Eagle_of_Fire]

Could it be because you selected "take items from best stockpile"?

As far as I can see, items next to the stove are not part of the stockpile.

[ministrog]

Originally posted by Johnny Cash:

Thank you for mentioning the stool trick! I didn't know about that.

For anyone else, here's an explanation:
https://youtu.be/tNgseXjUbyo?t=14m48s

I like efficiency and I absolutely approve of this trick. OP, TY for introducing this to everyone!

[Steelwind]

Also, give them a good chair if you hadn't already. Even just s stool in the beginning will help them.

[Thrax]

Does the square of corn have at least 5 unit? Did you touch the 0%-100% hp bar in the bill?

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Schrödinger:

I like efficiency and I absolutely approve of this trick. OP, TY for introducing this to everyone!

I thought this was already well known. Oh well, you know now ;)
@OP I have a few questions about your freezer room.

Originally posted by Azurian:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=781571372

Is there some reason why you are storing human corpses in there? Are your colonists cannibals? You're going to make anyone who enters and work in that room very unhappy.
Are you trading foodstuffs and meals? If not I see no reason for the two trade transponders.
I see no reason for the presence of the deep resources probe, unless this is the only secure room and you're trying to prevent it being destroyed.
Where is your nutrient food dispensor and hoppers?

As for your question, your cook shouldn't be moving at all. You need your other haulers to bring food to him. Set the stockpiles zones on the stools as the preferred location and anywhere else as normal status. Then, ingredients will be brought to the stools first.

[Azurian]

Originally posted by Thrax:

Does the square of corn have at least 5 unit? Did you touch the 0%-100% hp bar in the bill?

Didn't touch the 0%-100% hp bar in the bill, the corn stockpile has plenty of corn.

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

@OP I have a few questions about your freezer room.
Is there some reason why you are storing human corpses in there? Are your colonists cannibals? You're going to make anyone who enters and work in that room very unhappy.
Are you trading foodstuffs and meals? If not I see no reason for the two trade transponders.
I see no reason for the presence of the deep resources probe, unless this is the only secure room and you're trying to prevent it being destroyed.
Where is your nutrient food dispensor and hoppers?

Corpses are there for temporary storage, my colonists never get close enough to ''see'' them, my cook occasionally sees them but I don't mind the small mood decrease as I barely struggle with mood in this colony anyway.

I don't mind the 4 orbital trade beacons because I occasionally trade meat (I have way too much because of my dedicated hunter)

I actually never really know where to put the deep resources probe thingy, is there a more suitable location for this object?

Why would I ever use the nutrient food dispenser? The meals are terrible and give a mood debuff, I'd rather just cook fine meals for the +5 mood buff they give.

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

As for your question, your cook shouldn't be moving at all. You need your other haulers to bring food to him. Set the stockpiles zones on the stools as the preferred location and anywhere else as normal status. Then, ingredients will be brought to the stools first.

I already have stockpiles on the stools, I should've clarified earlier that I hid the stockpiles on the stools. Regardless, removing/adding stockpiles shouldn't change anything, the cook should take the ingredients closest to the stove for cooking :\