How to cook food in Minecraft

In Minecraft, food is vital. This is one of the few games that has a hunger system, and a great way to avoid starving and regenerate health in it is to eat. Any food item can be consumed as is. However, it becomes much more valuable to you if it's cooked. For example, baked potatoes are a far better food source than raw ones fresh from a garden.

With that in mind, it's imperative to know how to cook these items. Fortunately, the methods are pretty straightforward — one can cook food in Minecraft in two ways.

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How do I cook in Minecraft?

The first and most standard way of cooking food in Minecraft involves using a furnace or a food-centric smoker. The latter takes less time and won't smelt metal or cook anything other than food. The furnace, in this regard, is universal.

Regardless of which item you use, you will need to select a fuel source first. This is usually coal, but wooden blocks, bamboo, lava buckets, and more can be used alternatively.

After that, interact with the smoker/furnace. Then, place the fuel in the GUI (graphical user interface) spot and your food in the other slot. Once this is done, the smoker or furnace will begin cooking. There is a slot for the cooked items to pop up in.

You can only put 64 items into a furnace. When they cook, however, you can add more to get the count back up to 64. However, know that the cooking will cease when there's no space in the cooked section.

The second method that helps you not consume raw food is a campfire. These can be acquired through a trade with a fisherman villager but otherwise need to be crafted. They cannot be mined and collected.

Three logs of any wood, one piece of coal or charcoal, and three sticks will make a campfire. After that, set it down, and it will begin burning in Minecraft. You can put it out when you want.

Food can be cooked on a campfire (Image via Mojang)

To cook using this item, simply place raw food on the fire. Hold items like fish, meat, potatoes, etc., in your hand and click the Use option on the flames. This will place them on one corner of the wooden frame and begin the cooking process.

You can do this four times. You need to keep an eye on when the food is cooked; otherwise, it might burn. Unlike using a furnace, this is a more active method. Furthermore, Minecraft campfires cook raw items in 30 seconds, whereas a furnace takes 10.

It's technically slower, but this item doesn't require any fuel source. So it is a more efficient method of cooking in Minecraft.