OSRS Best Place to Cook F2P Ultimate Guide

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), cooking is a vital skill for free-to-play (F2P) players, providing food to restore hitpoints and even offering profitable training methods. However, choosing the right cooking location can make or break your efficiency. This guide explores the best places to cook in F2P worlds, focusing on proximity to banks, burn rates, and accessibility. Whether you’re a newbie grilling shrimp or a veteran aiming for 99 Cooking, we’ve got you covered with the top spots to maximize experience rates and minimize hassle.

The right cooking spot can drastically improve your training efficiency. In F2P, where options are limited, key factors like bank proximity and burn rate reduction are critical. Cooking near a bank reduces downtime, while specific ranges lower the chance of burning food, saving resources. Accessibility is also crucial, as some locations require quests or specific levels. Let’s dive into the best F2P cooking locations to help you level up faster.

Key Factors for Choosing a Cooking Spot

• Proximity to Bank: Closer banks mean faster restocking and cooking cycles.
• Burn Rate: Some ranges reduce burn chances, preserving food and XP.
• Accessibility: No high-level or quest requirements for F2P players.
• AFK Potential: Less click-intensive spots are ideal for relaxed training.

Top F2P Cooking Locations Ranked

Here are the best places to cook in F2P OSRS, ranked by efficiency and ease of access. Each spot is evaluated based on bank distance, burn rates, and requirements.

Lumbridge Castle Cook-o-matic 100

The Cook-o-matic 100 in Lumbridge Castle is the top choice for most F2P players, especially beginners. Unlocked after the quick Cook’s Assistant quest, this range offers a reduced burn rate for low-level foods like shrimp, trout, and salmon, making it ideal for early training. The bank is upstairs, a short climb away, which slightly slows XP rates but is manageable for new players.

• Pros: Lower burn rates for early foods; easy quest unlock.
• Cons: Bank distance (about 20-25 tiles) reduces efficiency.
• Best For: Levels 1-40, cooking shrimp, trout, or salmon.

How to Get There: Teleport to Lumbridge via Home Teleport, enter the castle, and head to the kitchen. Complete Cook’s Assistant to access the range.

Al Kharid Range

The range in Al Kharid, located south of the bank, is a solid option for F2P players cooking tuna, lobsters, or swordfish. It’s approximately 22 tiles from the bank, offering decent efficiency. While it lacks the burn rate reduction of Lumbridge’s range, its open layout and no door obstructions make it a favorite for mid-level players.

• Pros: Close to bank; no doors to slow you down.
• Cons: No burn rate reduction; slightly farther than other options.
• Best For: Levels 40-99, cooking lobsters or swordfish.

How to Get There: Use the toll gate west of Lumbridge (10 GP or free after Prince Ali Rescue) or walk from Lumbridge. Adjust your camera to click the bank and range directly for faster cycles.

Cooks’ Guild

The Cooks’ Guild, west of Varrock, is a fantastic spot for players with 32 Cooking and a chef’s hat (or equivalent, like a cooking cape or Varrock armour 3/4). The range is close to the bank, but banking requires completing the hard Varrock Diary or having 99 Cooking, making it less accessible for most F2P players. Still, it’s highly efficient for those who qualify.

• Pros: Range next to bank; ideal for high-level cooking.
• Cons: High requirements (32 Cooking, chef’s hat, diary, or 99 Cooking).
• Best For: Levels 50-99, cooking swordfish or pizzas.

How to Get There: Use a Ring of Wealth, Varrock Teleport, or Skills Necklace, then run to the guild. Wear a chef’s hat to enter.

Clan Hall Oven

The Clan Hall, accessible via the blue portal at the southeast corner of the Grand Exchange, contains an oven about 24 tiles from the bank. While less popular, it’s a viable option for players in a clan, offering similar efficiency to Al Kharid but with a unique setting.

• Pros: Decent bank proximity; no level requirements.
• Cons: Requires clan membership; oven, not range, limits some foods.
• Best For: Levels 40-99, cooking pizzas or lobsters.

How to Get There: Run from the Grand Exchange or Varrock to the Clan Hall portal.

Comparison of F2P Cooking Locations

To help you choose the best spot, here’s a table comparing the top F2P cooking locations based on key metrics:

Location	Bank Distance (Tiles)	Burn Rate Reduction	Requirements	Max Fish/Hour
Lumbridge Castle	20-25	Yes (low-level foods)	Cook’s Assistant	~1,200
Al Kharid	22	No	None	~1,300
Cooks’ Guild	5-10	No	32 Cooking, chef’s hat, hard Varrock Diary or 99 Cooking	~1,377
Clan Hall	24	No	Clan membership	~1,300

Best Cooking Methods for F2P

While location is key, the method you use also impacts efficiency. Here are the top F2P cooking methods to pair with these locations.

Jugs of Wine (Fastest XP)

Making jugs of wine is the fastest F2P cooking method, offering 470,000-490,000 XP/hour at level 68. Combine a jug of water with grapes in your inventory, wait 12 seconds for fermentation, and earn 200 XP per jug. This method doesn’t require a range or fire, so you can do it anywhere near a bank, like the Grand Exchange. However, it’s costly, with a loss of ~3.4M GP from 68 to 99.

Anchovy Pizzas (Profitable)

Cooking anchovy pizzas is the most profitable F2P method, yielding 97,000 XP/hour and ~230,000 GP/hour. Make plain pizzas with a pizza base, tomato, and cheese, then add anchovies. Use Al Kharid or Clan Hall for efficiency. Check Grand Exchange prices before investing, as margins fluctuate.

Fish Cooking (Balanced)

Cooking fish like lobsters or swordfish offers a balance of XP and profit. Lobsters (level 40) yield 156,000 XP/hour and ~104,000 GP/hour, while swordfish (level 45) provide 182,000 XP/hour and ~92,000 GP/hour. Use Lumbridge for early levels or Al Kharid/Cooks’ Guild for higher levels to minimize burns.

Tips for Efficient F2P Cooking

Maximize your cooking efficiency with these practical tips:

• Use Cooking Urns: Plain cooking urns (36 Crafting) boost XP by up to 20% for foods up to level 40, like lobsters. Buy urns (nr) from the Grand Exchange and add fire runes.
• Adjust Camera: In Al Kharid, position your camera to click the bank and range in one motion, reducing clicks.
• Train Fishing Alongside: Catch your own fish (e.g., shrimp, lobsters) to save GP and level Fishing simultaneously.
• Avoid Early High-Level Foods: Don’t cook lobsters or swordfish right at 40 or 45; wait a few levels to reduce burn rates.
• Use Fires in Busy Worlds: In Al Kharid, cook on fires lit by other players in popular F2P worlds to save time.

By choosing the right location and method, you can make your F2P cooking grind in OSRS both efficient and enjoyable. Lumbridge Castle is perfect for beginners, while Al Kharid and Cooks’ Guild shine for mid-to-high levels. For the fastest XP, make jugs of wine; for profit, focus on anchovy pizzas. Wherever you cook, use these tips to boost your XP rates and save resources. Happy cooking, and may your fish never burn!