When questing it's necessary to eat, and to eat well cooking will be necessary. While it's perfectly reasonable to buy traveling food or canned food for the sake of questing, a well cooked meal will ultimately cost less and be more nutritious.

The cooking system is fairly straightforward. In order to cook you need three things. Ingrediants, cooking supplies (such as pots pans and knives), and of course a recipe.

Ingrediants can be purchased in the marketplace, while more exotic materials can be foraged by some classes from the surroundings. Supplies of course can also be purchased at the marketplace. Recipies offer a slightly greater challenge however as well as he most involved part of the cooking system.

Recipies can be aquired by various means. One such method is to simply purchase a recipe book from the marketplace. More advanced recipies can be found in rare recipe books purchasable in the black market. One can also learn a recipe from another player whom has already learned a recipe (though it's considered fair to teach another in exchange) or encounter NPC cheffs during quests. Everyone starts out with one recipe. The lunchtime classic, sandwich. A sandwich requires meat and two pieces of bread. Vegetables are an optional ingrediant to improve flavor. A kitchen knife is required as well.

Aside from offering a collectable element, cooking may come in handy for preparing cheaper or more nutritious meals. A delicious dinner can reduce stress improving ones chances of maintaining sanity as well. Cooking may yet have even more uses if you choose to pursue it. Keep a list of recipies you've aquired in your sig.