How to Get 99 Cooking in OSRS A Step-by-Step Guide

Cooking is one of the most rewarding and accessible skills to train in Old School RuneScape (OSRS). Achieving 99 Cooking not only grants you the coveted Cooking Skill Cape but also opens up profitable methods and in-game perks like reduced burn rates. This guide outlines the fastest and most efficient ways to reach 99 Cooking, catering to both free-to-play (F2P) and pay-to-play (P2P) players. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, follow these steps to master the Cooking skill.

Cooking is a versatile skill that complements other activities in OSRS, such as combat and skilling. It’s relatively cheap to train, offers decent experience rates, and can even turn a profit if done strategically. Plus, cooked food is essential for healing in combat, making it a practical skill for all players. Reaching 99 Cooking also unlocks the Cooking Cape, which prevents burning food when worn—an excellent perk for endgame content.

Benefits of 99 Cooking

• Cooking Cape Perk: Eliminates the chance of burning food.
• Profit Potential: Certain methods, like cooking raw karambwans, can yield profit.
• Combat Support: High-level food like sharks or monkfish aids in bossing and PvP.
• Accessibility: Cooking is F2P-friendly and requires minimal setup.

Getting Started with Cooking

Before diving into training, ensure you have the right setup. Cooking in OSRS involves using a range or fire to cook raw food, with ranges offering lower burn rates. You’ll need raw food items, which can be obtained via fishing, purchasing from the Grand Exchange, or killing monsters. The goal is to maximize experience per hour while minimizing costs.

Recommended Equipment and Inventory

You don’t need much to start cooking, but optimizing your setup helps:

• Chef’s Hat or Cooking Cape: Optional for aesthetics or burn prevention (Cape at 99).
• Access to Ranges: Use locations like the Hosidius Kitchen for reduced burn rates.
• Inventory: Fill with raw food (e.g., 28 raw fish per inventory).

Best Cooking Locations

Choosing the right spot can boost efficiency. Here are top locations:

Location	Benefits	Requirements
Hosidius Kitchen	5% reduced burn rate (10% with Kourend Diary)	100% Hosidius favor
Rogue’s Den	Bank right next to fire, ideal for F2P	None
Catherby Range	Close to bank, good for fishing–cooking combo	None

Fastest Methods to 99 Cooking

The fastest route to 99 Cooking involves cooking high-experience foods like sharks, monkfish, or karambwans. Below is a level-by-level breakdown of the best foods to cook, balancing speed, cost, and availability.

Levels 1–20: Shrimps and Anchovies

Start with low-level fish to build your Cooking skill quickly.

• Shrimps: 30 XP per shrimp, cheap and easy to fish or buy.
• Anchovies: 30 XP each, slightly faster if you’re fishing them yourself.
• Location: Use Rogue’s Den or Lumbridge range for proximity to a bank.

You’ll need around 300 shrimps to reach level 20. This takes under an hour and costs less than 10k GP if buying from the Grand Exchange.

Levels 20–40: Trout and Salmon

Trout and salmon are excellent for mid-level training, especially if you fish them yourself.

• Trout: 70 XP each, stops burning at level 49 with Cooking gauntlets.
• Salmon: 90 XP each, stops burning at level 55 with gauntlets.
• Location: Catherby or Barbarian Village for fishing-cooking synergy.

Cook about 1,000 trout or salmon to hit level 40. Expect to spend 50–100k GP if purchasing.

Levels 40–68: Lobsters

Lobsters strike a balance between cost and XP for both F2P and P2P players.

• Lobsters: 120 XP each, stops burning at level 74 with gauntlets.
• Location: Hosidius Kitchen for lower burn rates or Rogue’s Den for speed.

You’ll need around 5,000 lobsters to reach level 68, costing 500k–1M GP. Burn rates drop significantly after level 60, so stick with it.

Levels 68–99: Karambwans, Monkfish, or Sharks

For the final push, choose foods based on your budget and goals:

• Karambwans: 190 XP each, fastest method (up to 950k XP/hour with tick cooking). Requires completion of Tai Bwo Wannai Trio quest.
• Monkfish: 150 XP each, stops burning at level 90 with gauntlets. More affordable than sharks.
• Sharks: 210 XP each, stops burning at level 94 with gauntlets. Expensive but profitable if sold cooked.

From level 68, you’ll need approximately 12 million XP to hit 99. Cooking 60,000 karambwans or 80,000 monkfish will get you there. Karambwans are the meta for speed, yielding up to 900k–1M XP/hour with 1-tick cooking (advanced method). Sharks cost more (20–30M GP total) but can break even if you sell the cooked fish.

Advanced Cooking Techniques

To maximize XP rates, consider these advanced methods, especially for levels 68–99.

1-Tick Cooking with Karambwans

1-tick cooking is the fastest Cooking method in OSRS, exclusive to karambwans due to their unique cooking animation.

• How It Works: Click the range and karambwan simultaneously to cook multiple fish in one tick.
• XP Rates: Up to 950k–1M XP/hour with practice.
• Setup: Use Hosidius Kitchen and a full inventory of raw karambwans.

This method requires high focus and precise timing but shaves hours off your grind. Watch tutorials on YouTube for visual guides.

Cooking Gauntlets

From the Family Crest quest, Cooking gauntlets reduce burn rates significantly:

• Lobsters: Stop burning at 74 instead of 86.
• Monkfish: Stop burning at 90 instead of 92.
• Sharks: Stop burning at 94 instead of 100.

Unlock these early to save resources and boost efficiency.

Tips to Save Time and Money

Training Cooking to 99 doesn’t have to break the bank or feel tedious. Here are practical tips to optimize your journey.

Combine Fishing and Cooking

If you’re low on GP, fish your own food. Catherby and the Fishing Guild are great spots for trout, salmon, lobsters, or monkfish. This doubles your skilling progress and saves millions.

• Pro Tip: Use the “fish and cook” method to train both skills simultaneously.
• XP Synergy: Fishing monkfish from level 62 complements Cooking training.

Minimize Burn Rates

Burning food wastes XP and GP. Use these strategies:

• Hosidius Kitchen: Reduces burn rates by 5–10%.
• Cooking Gauntlets: Essential for mid-to-high levels.
• High Cooking Level: Burn rates drop naturally as you level up.

Profit with Cooking

Some foods sell for more cooked than raw, especially sharks and anglerfish.

• Sharks: Buy raw for ~800 GP, sell cooked for ~900 GP.
• Anglerfish: High-level option with similar margins.
• Check GE Prices: Use the Grand Exchange Tracker to spot trends.

Use Portable Ranges

For P2P players, portable ranges (bought from the Grand Exchange) offer a 10% XP boost when cooking nearby. They’re niche and underused, making them a great low-competition tool for your grind.

Reaching 99 Cooking in OSRS is a grind, but with the right methods, it’s achievable in weeks. Karambwans with 1-tick cooking hit 950k XP/hour, while monkfish or sharks offer slower but affordable options. Combine fishing and cooking for budget runs, and leverage Hosidius Kitchen or Cooking gauntlets to cut burns. Whether you’re F2P or P2P, this guide’s got you covered. Grab your raw fish, hit the range, and cook your way to that Cooking Cape!