Ironman Cooking Training for Fast XP and Efficiency in Old School RuneScape

Cooking in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) as an Ironman is a grind, but it’s one of the most rewarding skills to train. Why? Because you’re not just chasing XP—you’re building a stockpile of food to keep you alive during tough Slayer tasks, boss fights, and quests. As an Ironman, you can’t just buy cooked sharks off the Grand Exchange, so you’ve got to be smart about how you train. I’ve been playing OSRS for years, grinding multiple Ironman accounts to high levels, and I’ve learned a thing or two about making Cooking efficient and even fun. In this guide, I’ll share the best methods, locations, and tips to level up Cooking while keeping your sanity intact. Let’s dive in!

Cooking is a lifeline for Ironmen. You need food to survive, and raw materials are hard to come by since you’re self-sufficient. Training Cooking alongside Fishing is a classic combo because it maximizes your resources. Plus, high Cooking levels mean less burnt food, which saves you time and frustration. Ever burned a stack of karambwans and felt your soul leave your body? Yeah, I’ve been there. The goal is to hit high levels fast while building a food stash for later challenges.

Benefits of High Cooking Levels

Better food options: Higher levels unlock foods like sharks and karambwans, which heal more HP.
Quest requirements: You need 70 Cooking for Recipe for Disaster to get those sweet Barrows gloves.
Efficiency: Less burning means more food and XP per hour.
Self-sufficiency: Ironmen rely on cooked food for Slayer, bossing, and PvM.

So, how do you train Cooking without losing your mind? Let’s break it down by level and method.

Early Game Cooking (Levels 1-30)

Starting out, your Cooking grind is all about quests and low-level fish. Quests are a godsend for Ironmen because they give free XP with minimal effort. I remember my first Ironman account, scrambling to complete Cook’s Assistant just to get that 300 XP boost. It felt like a huge win back then!

Quests for Early Cooking XP

Here’s a quick list of quests to knock out for early Cooking XP:

Cook’s Assistant: No requirements, 300 XP. Takes 5 minutes.
Gertrude’s Cat: No requirements, 1,525 XP. A bit longer but worth it.
Recipe for Disaster (Mountain Dwarf subquest): Needs Fishing Contest, gives 1,000 XP.
Recipe for Disaster (Goblin Generals subquest): Needs Goblin Diplomacy, gives 1,000 XP.

These quests alone can get you to level 18 with almost no effort. I always prioritize them because they’re quick and let you skip the tedious early grind.

Cooking Sardines and Trout

Once quests are done, it’s time to fish and cook. Early on, I stuck to sardines (level 1) and trout (level 15). You can buy raw sardines from Gerrant’s Fishy Business in Port Sarim or Lovecraft’s Tackle in Witchaven for 10 coins each. Cook them on a fire for simplicity. I used to chop a tree in Lumbridge, light a fire, and cook right there. It’s not glamorous, but it gets the job done.

For trout, head to Barbarian Village. There’s an everlasting fire near the fishing spots, so you can fish, cook, and drop without running far. I’d fish a full inventory, cook it, and drop the cooked fish to save inventory space. This method gives about 20,000-30,000 XP per hour, depending on your focus.

Pro Tip: Wear Cooking gauntlets from the Family Crest quest to reduce burn rates. I got mine early, and it saved me so many sardines from turning into charcoal.

Mid-Game Cooking (Levels 30-65)

By level 30, you’ve got some options. This is where things get interesting because you can start cooking karambwans or try unique methods like sweetcorn or cakes. I remember hitting level 30 and feeling like a pro, only to burn half my karambwans because I wasn’t paying attention. Let’s avoid that pain.

Karambwan Cooking: The AFK Dream

After completing Tai Bwo Wannai Trio, you can fish karambwans at level 30 Cooking. These are the king of Ironman Cooking because they’re AFK, give great XP (190 per fish), and heal 18 HP when cooked. I spent hours fishing and cooking karambwans at the Myth’s Guild because it’s close to a range. You can cook about 1,300 karambwans per hour, netting up to 247,000 XP per hour at higher levels.

Where to cook?

Myth’s Guild: Best range, low burn rate.
Mor Ul Rek: Close to a bank, but busier worlds can be annoying.
Hosidius Kitchen: 5% increased success rate, perfect for lower levels.

Burn rate woes: At level 30, you’ll burn a lot. I burned about 25% of my karambwans at level 66 once because I didn’t have gauntlets equipped. By level 93 with gauntlets, you stop burning them entirely.

Sweetcorn for Variety

If karambwans aren’t your vibe, try sweetcorn at level 28. You can grow sweetcorn in Kastori with Farming and cook it on nearby ovens. I loved this method because it felt productive to combine Farming and Cooking. You can get 70,000 XP per hour at level 54, and the Tool Leprechaun can note your raw sweetcorn for later use.

Cake Baking with Oak Larder

Got 33 Construction? Build an oak larder in your player-owned house for infinite cake ingredients. This method is click-intensive but gives 50,000 XP per hour at level 40 and up to 70,000 XP per hour at level 60. I used to bake cakes in Rimmington because there’s a range right outside the house portal. Hold down the number keys to grab supplies quickly—it’s a game-changer.

Late-Game Cooking (Levels 65-99)

This is where you can really crank up the XP rates. By now, you’re probably aiming for Recipe for Disaster or even that shiny 99 Cooking cape. I hit 99 Cooking on my main Ironman by mixing methods, and it felt so good to never burn sharks again.

Servery Pineapple Pizzas

At level 65, head to the Hosidius Mess Hall to make servery pineapple pizzas. This method is fantastic for Ironmen because it requires no external supplies. You can expect 160,000-200,000 XP per hour, and it’s relatively AFK. I’d pop on a podcast and churn out pizzas for hours. The Mess Hall is south of the Great Kourend statue, and there’s a bank nearby, so banking isn’t a hassle.

How it works:

Grab ingredients from the Mess Hall.
Make pineapple pizzas.
Serve them for XP.

Why it’s great: No need to fish or gather—just show up and cook.

Cooking Sharks

If you’re fishing minnows for raw sharks, cooking them is a solid choice. Sharks give 210 XP each and heal 20 HP, making them perfect for bossing. You can hit 273,000 XP per hour at high levels with minimal burns. I stocked up 6,000 sharks from minnows and cooked them at the Hosidius Kitchen to get to 94 Cooking. It took a while, but I had enough food for months of Slayer.

Wine for Passive XP

Got grapes from the Culinaromancer’s Chest after Recipe for Disaster? Make jugs of wine for 200 XP each. This method is super AFK and gives 100,000+ XP per hour. I did this while studying for exams because it’s so low-effort. The chest restocks grapes as you complete more subquests, so keep pushing through Recipe for Disaster.

Ultimate Ironman Cooking Tips

Ultimate Ironmen have it rough with no bank, but Cooking is still one of the fastest skills to train. I tried an Ultimate Ironman account once, and the inventory management was a nightmare. Here’s what worked for me:

Fly fishing in Lumbridge: Fish trout and salmon, cook on a fire, and drop them. No banking needed.
Hosidius Mess Hall: At level 65, make servery pineapple pizzas. Store other items in an Item Retrieval Service to free up space.
Barbarian Fishing: Cut fish with a knife for Cooking XP and fish offcuts as bait. I got about 9,000 Cooking XP per 100,000 Fishing XP this way.

Best Cooking Locations

Where you cook matters. Ranges reduce burn rates compared to fires, and some spots are just more efficient. Here’s a table of the best places:

Location	Why It’s Good	Burn Rate Reduction	Notes
Hosidius Kitchen	5% increased success rate, near bank	High	Needs 100% Hosidius favor. Best for sharks and karambwans.
Lumbridge Castle	Reduces burn rate, accessible after Cook’s Assistant	Moderate	Great for early game. Use the range for sardines and trout.
Myth’s Guild	Close to range, low burn rate	High	Ideal for karambwans. Requires Dragon Slayer II.
Rogues’ Den	Everlasting fire, close to bank	Moderate	Perfect for mid-game. No running required.
Barbarian Village	Everlasting fire near fishing spots	Low	Best for F2P or early Ironmen. Drop cooked fish to save space.

My favorite? Hosidius Kitchen. That 5% success rate boost saved me so many sharks, and the bank is right there.

Tips to Maximize Efficiency

Want to make Cooking less of a grind? Here are some tips from my years of playing:

Get Cooking gauntlets early: They lower burn rates significantly. I forgot to equip mine once and burned 20% of my lobsters. Never again.
Combine skills: Fish and cook at the same time to save resources. Barbarian Fishing is great for this.
Use Hosidius Kitchen: That 5% boost is a lifesaver, especially at lower levels.
Stock up on food: Don’t drop everything. Bank some karambwans or sharks for Slayer or bossing.
Avoid 1-tick cooking: It’s intense and not worth it for most Ironmen. I tried it once and got a headache for 5,000 extra XP.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve made plenty of Cooking mistakes, so learn from my pain:

Cooking on fires instead of ranges: Fires have higher burn rates. Always use a range if you can.
Not wearing gauntlets: Seriously, get them from Family Crest. They’re a game-changer.
Ignoring quests: Don’t grind low-level fish if you can knock out quests for free XP.
Burning too much food: Check your burn levels. For example, sharks stop burning at 94 with gauntlets.

My Personal Cooking Journey

When I started my first Ironman, I underestimated Cooking. I thought, “How hard can it be?” Then I burned 50 trout in a row and realized I needed a plan. I rushed Cook’s Assistant and Gertrude’s Cat, which got me to level 18 in a day. From there, I fished trout at Barbarian Village, cooked them on the fire, and dropped them to keep going. It was slow, but I felt like a survivalist.

By level 30, I unlocked karambwans and never looked back. Fishing and cooking them at the Myth’s Guild was my go-to. I hit 70 Cooking for Recipe for Disaster and felt unstoppable. Eventually, I got 99 Cooking by mixing karambwans and servery pineapple pizzas. The cape was worth every burned fish.

FAQs About Ironman Cooking

What’s the fastest way to 99 Cooking?
Karambwans or servery pineapple pizzas. Karambwans hit 247,000 XP per hour, while pizzas can reach 200,000 XP per hour.

Should I bank or drop cooked fish?
Bank high-healing fish like karambwans or sharks for Slayer. Drop low-level fish like trout to save time.

Is Cooking worth training early?
Yes! It saves food for quests and Slayer, and it’s one of the fastest 99s.

What’s the best range for Ironmen?
Hosidius Kitchen. The 5% success boost and nearby bank make it unbeatable.

Final Thoughts

Cooking as an Ironman in OSRS is a grind, but it’s manageable with the right approach. Quests give you a head start, karambwans and pizzas offer insane XP, and smart location choices like Hosidius Kitchen make it efficient. I’ve burned my fair share of fish, but every level gained felt like progress toward being a self-sufficient legend. So, grab your Cooking gauntlets, fire up a range, and start cooking. What’s your favorite Cooking method? Let me know in the comments, and happy skilling!