How do I get better brews?

[Alundra (Alunny)]

I'm putting in only gold star ingredients but just plain wine/ale is coming out. How do I improve?

[Uncle Cam Wants YOU]

When placing Crops in a Keg, they all start off as Default quality. The only way to improve the quality is by placing the Wine/Beer/Pale Ale/Mead into a Cask, which can only be crafted after the Cellar House Upgrade is purchased and finished. each has its own Aging periods

Wine
Default to Silver: 14 days
Silver to Gold: 14 days
Gold to Iridium: 28 Days
Total Time to Age: 56 Days (2 Seasons)

Beer, Mead and Pale Ale:
Default to Silver: 7 Days
Silver to Gold: 7 days
Gold to Iridium: 14 days
Total Time to Age: 28 Days (1 Season)

Cheese can also be added to the Cask to increase its Quality. Large Milk, Large Goat Milk and Gold Star Milk/Goat Milk will all produce Gold Star Cheese/Goat Cheese. Everything else will produce Default. Iridium Quality Milk, however, will not produce Iridium Cheese; only Gold. Cheese can be put in a Cask to Age as well:

Cheese and Goat Cheese
Default to Silver: 3 days
Silver to Gold: 4 days
Gold to Iridium: 7 days
Total Time to Age: 14 Days

[Ryukaa]

I usually sell Silver and above crops and use the "basic" plants for preserves or juice/wine.
Works wonderfully so far, i don´t really have money problems.

[Shrub]

age the items in casks in the cellar

[Alundra (Alunny)]

Wow thank you! I have been doing it backwards it seems ha ha.

[I Kinda Fail]

I know a lot of people consider casks terrible to begin with, but what's the current method most people use? Just go for gold star? Iridium doesn't seem worth it, to me.

[Pristine1281]

Iridium items can be used at the Fair too, so save those, especially if you have a Starfruit and Ancient Fruit wine. So save one of each of those. I got my highest score yet at my 3rd fair. I would use the Wiki for advice.

[Alundra (Alunny)]

So how do I get better cooking? Am I using all my gold/purple stars wrong here too?

[Lorax]

Originally posted by Alundra:

So how do I get better cooking? Am I using all my gold/purple stars wrong here too?

You don't actually get better a cooking. You just learn new recipies from people, the Queen of Sauce, and Gus's Saloon. And again quality of the item put into the food does not effect the food so your doing that back words too. Always sell the highest quality items and process basic.

[Merevel]

Good to know, I realised that the quality of the ingrediants put in doesnt matter. I will sell starred and better, while processing the non starred items.

[Snow]

It could be changed in a new update. Gift quality matters now, and more items recieved quality options. So CA could add that for food and wine and the such soon.