This Classic WoW Cooking leveling guide will show you the fastest way how to level your Cooking skill up from 1 to 300 as inexpensively as possible.
Often the materials are based on a case that you will gain one skill point for each craft. This won't happen, so you will have to buy a few extra materials while you are leveling your Cooking.
If you also want to level Fishing but haven't leveled it yet, you should use my Fishing and Cooking leveling guide instead:
Fishing & Cooking Leveling Guide 1-300
I recommend trying Zygor's 1-60 Leveling Guide if you are still leveling your character or just starting a new alt. It will help you to reach level 60 a lot faster.
Table of contents:
Classic Cooking Trainer Location
To become an Apprentice Cook you need to reach level 5 and find a Cooking trainer.
Just click on any of these links below to see the trainer's exact location.
If you are having trouble finding the trainers, you can walk up to a guard in any of the major cities and ask where the Cooking trainer is located. After you ask the guard, the trainer will be marked with a red mark on your map.
Horde trainers:
Zamja in Orgrimmar.- Eunice Burch in Undercity.
- Aska Mistrunner in Thunder Bluff.
- Duhng in The Barrens
- Mudduk in Stranglethorn Vale
- Pyall Silentstride in Mulgore.
Alliance trainers:
Stephen Ryback in Stormwind City.- Daryl Riknussun in Ironforge.
- Alegorn in Darnassus.
- Gremlock Pilsnor in Dun Morogh.
- Tomas in Elwyn Forest.
- Zarrin in Teldrassil
Classic Cooking Leveling
1 - 50
Soothing Spices, Hot Spices, 
Refreshing Spring Water are usually sold by Cooking Supply vendors near you trainer, so they are not listed in the guide. Don't buy them from the Auction House!
Make around 55 from one of these recipes below:
Food |
Ingredients |
Recipe Source |
55x  Charred Wolf Meat |
55x  Stringy Wolf Meat |
Trainer |
| 55x Roasted Boar Meat |
55x Chunk of Boar Meat |
Trainer |
55x  Brilliant Smallfish |
55x  Raw Brilliant Smallfish |
Vendors |
55x  Slitherskin Mackerel |
55x Raw Slitherskin Mackerel |
Vendors |
Season of Discovery Tip
If you are playing on a Season of Discovery realm, then you should learn 
Spiced Wolf Meat from the trainer at 10 and make that instead of Charred Wolf Meat. You can sell them at the Auction House because they are needed in 
Waylaid Supplies: Spiced Wolf Meat.
Alternative recipes
- (Horde only) - Make
Crispy Bat Wing if you got some 
Meaty Bat Wing. The recipe is sold by Abigail Shiel in Tirisfal Glades. - (Horde only) - Make
Scorpid Surprise if you got some 
Scorpid Stinger. The recipe is sold by Grimtak in Durotar. - (Alliance only) - Make
Kaldorei Spider Kabob if you got some 
Small Spider Leg. The recipe is a reward from 
Recipe of the Kaldorei. You can get the quest from Zarrin in Teldrassil.
Journeyman Cooking
Visit your Trainer again and learn Journeyman Cooking. (Requires level 10 and Cooking 50)
50 - 100
Make around 55 from any of the recipes in the table below. 
Smoked Bear Meat will turn yellow sooner than the rest of the recipes, so you must make more or cook them first if you have more than one type of meat.
Food |
Ingredients |
Recipe Source |
| 65-75x Smoked Bear Meat |
65-75x  Bear Meat |
Sold by |
55x  Boiled Clams |
55x  Clam Meat55x Refreshing Spring Water (Vendor) |
Trainer |
| 55x Coyote Steak |
55x  Coyote Meat |
Trainer |
55x  Longjaw Mud Snapper |
55x Raw Longjaw Mud Snapper |
Vendors |
55x  Rainbow Fin Albacore |
55x  Raw Rainbow Fin Albacore |
Vendors |
55x  Strider Stew |
55x  Strider Meat55x  Shiny Red Apple (Vendor) |
Tari'qa (Horde only) Reward from Easy Strider Living (Alliance Only) |
100 - 130
Make around 30-40 from any recipes in the table below.
Food |
Ingredients |
Recipe Source |
40x  Crab Cake |
40x Crawler Meat |
Trainer |
35x  Dry Pork Ribs |
35x Boar Ribs |
Trainer |
30x  Bristle Whisker Catfish |
30x Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish |
Vendors |
35x  Cooked Crab Claw |
35x Crawler Claw |
Kendor Kabonka (Alliance only) |
Expert Cooking
To learn Expert Cooking you need to reach level 20 and level up Cooking to 125, then buy the book 
Expert Cookbook from Wulan (Horde) in Desolace at Shadowprey Village or from Shandrina (Alliance) in Ashenvale.
130 - 175
50 x 
Curiously Tasty Omelet - 50 
Raptor Egg
The recipe is sold by Kendor Kabonka in Stormwind City, and by Keena in Arathi Highlands.
Alternative recipes
-
Make
Bristle Whisker Catfish if you can find cheap Raw Bristle Whisker Catfish at the Auction House. The recipe is sold by these vendors. -
Horde players can also get
Recipe: Hot Lion Chops from Zargh in The Barrens at Crossroads. It's a good alternative if you can get some Lion Meat.
175 - 225
50 x 
Roast Raptor - 50 Raptor Flesh
The Recipe: Roast Raptor is sold by Hammon Karwn and by Keena in Arathi Highlands.
Alternative recipes
-
Make
Soothing Turtle Bisque if you can get some 
Turtle Meat. The recipe is a reward from the "Soothing Turtle Bisque" quest. You can pick up this quest from Chef Jessen and from Christoph Jeffcoat in Hillsbrad Foothills. -
Make
Mithril Headed Trout if you can buy cheap Raw Mithril Head Trout. The recipe is sold by these vendors
Artisan Cooking
Artisan Cooking is a reward from Clamlette Surprise. The quest can be obtained at level 35+ with 225 Cooking skill.
You will need these to complete the quest:
- 12 x Giant Egg
- 10 x Zesty Clam Meat
- 20 x
Alterac Swiss
Don't go to Gadgetzan before you get the quest items!
Horde players can start the quest line by picking up the To Gadgetzan You Go! quest from Zamja in Orgrimmar.
Alliance players can start the quest line by picking up the I Know A Guy... quest from Daryl Riknussun in Ironforge.
Both quests will lead you to Dirge Quikcleave in Gadgetzan. Once you find him, he'll give you the Clamlette Surprise quest. Hand in all of the materials and you will learn Artisan Cooking.
225 - 275
Make around 65 from one of the recipes below. (You can make these up to even 285 if you can get really cheap meat/fish.)
- 65 x
Undermine Clam Chowder - 130 Zesty Clam Meat, 65 
Ice Cold Milk - 65 x
Spotted Yellowtail - 65 Raw Spotted Yellowtail - 65 x
Monster Omelet - 65 Giant Egg - 65 x
Tender Wolf Steak - 65 Tender Wolf Meat - 65 x
Filet of Redgill - 65 Raw Redgill
Recipe: Undermine Clam Chowder is sold by Jabbey in Tanaris. (If you are in Tanaris you should also visit Gikkix and buy every recipe from him.) Ice Cold Milk is sold by most Innkeepers or bartenders. It's a limited supply recipe, so if someone bought if before you, then you have to wait for it to respawn. I'm not sure about the exact respawn timer. (or buy it from the Auction House)
Recipe: Spotted Yellowtail is sold by Gikkix in Tanaris. You should also buy Recipe: Nightfin Soup and Recipe: Poached Sunscale Salmon from him because you will use them in the next step.
Recipe: Monster Omelet is sold by Himmik in Winterspring at Everlook. He is inside the inn. Or by Malygen (Alliance) / Bale (Horde) in Felwood.
Recipe: Tender Wolf Steak is sold by Dirge Quikcleave in Tanaris. (If you are in Tanaris you should also visit Gikkix and buy every recipe from him.)
Recipe: Filet of Redgill is sold by Kelsey Yance at Booty Bay. (He is in the large building at the end of the ship dock in Booty Bay. Enter the building and make an immediate left.)
275 - 300
Make around 35 from one of these two. (you can also make the previous recipes up to 285 if these are expensive)
- 35 x
Poached Sunscale Salmon - 35 Raw Sunscale Salmon - 35 x Nightfin Soup - 35
Raw Nightfin Snapper
Both recipes are sold by Gikkix in Tanaris.
Alternative recipe
This recipe requires Cooking 285 to learn.
15 x 
Smoked Desert Dumplings - 15 Sandworm Meat
You have to complete two quests in Silithus to get this cooking recipe.
You can farm the needed 15x Sandworm Meat from Dredge Strikers and Dredge Crushers in Silithus.
Congratulations on reaching 300! Please send feedback about the guide if you think there are parts I could improve, or you found typos, errors, wrong material numbers!