Cooking Skill Books

[Devin]

I'm play testing some skills right now trying to discover as much as I can about the game in preparation to hopefully play a Dynasty when the challenge guidelines are released, and I have had considerable trouble with the cooking skill.

Here's why:

I can have my cook prepare meals almost constantly with breaks for taking care of needs, but this is costly and results in a lot of spoiling food (need to get that recycling trash can to make up for it).

Thus far, this seems to be the slowest skill to build. Logic seems to come shortly behind it, even in the lower levels of the skill.

In order to, theoretically, save time and money in the act of cooking, I had my sim purchase the cooking skill books for both cooking and gourmet cooking, then set her down to read through Cooking Vol. I. That went fine, until the book was finished and she had Cooking Skill Level 4. I set her to read Cooking Vol. II and the book was meant for sims of higher skill level than where she was at.

My question is: Is there a gap between skill books? Do you have to perform the new recipes or something else in order to be skilled enough for the next book up? Did I get a glitch?

Is there a better way to gain cooking skill than cooking and/or reading skill books? Television is fine but generally speaking, the channel winds up getting changed and it's hard to keep them inspired while watching.

[ClayMask]

I don't know of a better way.  My Sim at first was learning cooking over time, just cooking for herself.  I later had her join the culinary career, and the daily task for it was cooking.  In order to complete it, the Sim had to cook four times per day.  Also, for the cooking aspiration, cooking lots of dishes was necessary.  If you want to end up doing these things, you're going to be learning to cook by cooking.

[Devin]

What about the gap between skill books?

Has anybody else experienced that?

[_Annika_]

You can re-read the skill books and still gain experience. Another cost efficient way is to gain a couple of levels then send a different sim to another lot and do what I call "absent skilling" with your sim still at home. I too found the gap, that is why I had my SIM re-read the previous book.

[Devin]

I tend to forget about the absent skilling. My sims keep resetting while another sim is off the lot.

[Playalot]

I also have my sims watching the cooking tv every time they eat, even as kids. This works really well if your playing a generational game as by the time the sims are old enough to cook they already have quite a few levels.
If you have a sim that can cook, if they 'share cooking tips' that gives a small skill gain to the other sim. It's in friendly interactions.
I still think that cooking is the quickest way to skill and like _Annika_ said, if you make it an 'absent' interaction then it doesn't cost you.

[Dellena]

@Devin  When you're with a SIM off the home lot and you leave a SIM at home, click on the small icon on the picture of the SIM at home.  This will give you the option to direct what they are doing at home including working on a particular skill.  The default action for a SIM at home is Care for Self.  So you'll need to change that.

[MarianT]

If you don't want to use the books and don't want to fill your refrigerator with meals, place the small kitchen on one of the community lots and send your sim to cook there.