All 65 Foods and Their Quality in Oxygen Not Included

Oxygen Not Included is a colony survival game where you run a team of workers called Duplicants, and every one of them needs to eat. The foods range from raw plants and critter meat to cooked dishes like Barbeque and Frost Burger. Food does more than fill them up, though: each dish has a quality tier that affects morale, and most of it spoils if it sits around too long.

Food Quality

Grisly

15 items

Hexalent Fruit

A high-calorie fruit harvested from Hexalents.

Calories (kcal/kg): 6,400
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Hexalent
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Meal Lice

A low-quality edible crop harvested from Mealwood.

Calories (kcal/kg): 600
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Mealwood
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Meat

Raw critter meat that can be eaten directly or cooked into meals.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,600
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Critters that die
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Muckroot

A buried root that can be dug up and eaten without cooking.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Buried Muckroot or buried objects
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Mush Bar

A basic mixture of dirt and water made in the Microbe Musher.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: Dirt (75 kg); Water (75 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Microbe Musher
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Mussel Tongue

An edible tongue harvested from Mussel Sprouts.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Mussel Sprout
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Nutrient Bar

A ready-to-eat ration found with starting supplies or in Vending Machines.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Starting ration or Vending Machine
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Pickled Meal

Meal Lice preserved by cooking with vinegar.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: Meal Lice (1800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 32 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Pikeapple

An edible fruit harvested from Pikeapple Bushes.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Pikeapple Bush
Made At: -
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Raw Egg

An egg becomes edible when it reaches zero viability or is cracked.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,600
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Critter egg at 0% viability or Egg Cracker
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Salty Sticks

A salty Sodicane snack that causes thirst and lowers athletics.

Calories (kcal/kg): 600
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Sodicane
Made At: -
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: Thirsty: −20% Stamina per cycle and −2 Athletics.
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Sherberry

An edible berry found on Sherberry Plants or buried in ice caves.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Sherberry Plant or buried object in the Ice Cave Biome
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Snac Fruit

An edible fruit harvested from Snactus or found buried.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Snactus or buried object
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Swamp Chard Heart

An edible heart harvested from Swamp Chard.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,400
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Swamp Chard
Made At: -
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Sweatcorn

An edible crop harvested from Sweatcorn Stalks.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Grisly (-1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Sweatcorn Stalk
Made At: -
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Food Quality

Terrible

9 items

Bog Jelly

A chewy fruit food collected from a Bog Bucket.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,840
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Bog Bucket
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Bristle Berry

A berry harvested from Bristle Blossoms and eaten without cooking.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,600
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Bristle Blossom
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Lettuce

An edible leaf harvested from Waterweed.

Calories (kcal/kg): 400
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Waterweed
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Liceloaf

A grain-and-water loaf made in the Microbe Musher.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,700
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: Meal Lice (1200 kcal); Water (50 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Microbe Musher
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Mush Fry

A grilled Mush Bar with a crisp outside and low food quality.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,050
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: Mush Bar (800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Mushroom

An edible mushroom harvested from Dusk Caps.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,400
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Dusk Cap
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Ovagro Fig

An edible fig harvested from an Ovagro Vine.

Calories (kcal/kg): 325
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Ovagro Vine at an Ovagro Node
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Plume Squash

A large edible squash harvested from Plume Squash Plants.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,000
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Plume Squash Plant
Made At: -
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Spindly Grubfruit

An edible crop harvested from Spindly Grubfruit Plants.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Terrible (0)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Spindly Grubfruit Plant
Made At: -
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Food Quality

Poor

8 items

Fried Mushroom

A grilled mushroom dish with Poor food quality.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,800
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Mushroom (2400 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Gristle Berry

A cooked bristle berry with Poor food quality.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,000
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Bristle Berry (1600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Grubfruit

An edible fruit harvested from Grubfruit Plants.

Calories (kcal/kg): 250
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Grubfruit Plant
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Pikeapple Skewer

A grilled Pikeapple with softened spikes.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,200
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Pikeapple (800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Plant Meat

An edible meat-like crop produced by Saturn Critter Traps.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,200
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Saturn Critter Trap
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Roast Grubfruit Nut

A grilled Spindly Grubfruit snack.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,200
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Spindly Grubfruit (800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Swampy Delights

Bog Jelly cooked into chewy cubes.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,240
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Bog Jelly (1840 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Toasted Mimillet

Mimillet lightly toasted on the Electric Grill.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,500
Food Quality: Poor (+1)
Ingredients: Mimillet (1 unit)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Food Quality

Standard

8 items

Calamari

An edible calamari item collected from Glo Squids.

Calories (kcal/kg): 800
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Glo Squid
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Fish Fillet

An edible raw fillet from Pacu and several other aquatic critters.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,000
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Pacu; also Blowter, Beakon, or Seaquine (Aquatic Planet Pack)
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Frost Bun

A grain bun with a cooling effect, made at the Electric Grill.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,200
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (3 units)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Omelette

A cooked egg meal made at the Electric Grill.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,800
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: Raw Egg (1600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Pemmican

A shelf-stable meal made from meat and Tallow.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,600
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: Tallow (1000 g); Meat (1600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Microbe Musher
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Raw Shellfish

An edible raw seafood item from shellfish critters.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,000
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Dropped by Pokeshells and Sanishells, and by Orehulls with The Aquatic Planet Pack
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Tofu

A bean-and-water food made in the Microbe Musher.

Calories (kcal/kg): 3,600
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: Nosh Bean (6 units); Water (50 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Microbe Musher
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Veggie Poppers

Smoked vegetables made from Sweatcorn, Pikeapple, or Spindly Grubfruit.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,862.5
Food Quality: Standard (+2)
Ingredients: Sweatcorn, Pikeapple, or Spindly Grubfruit (5,600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Smoker
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Food Quality

Good

12 items

Barbeque

A grilled meat meal that raises a Duplicant’s food quality to Good.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,000
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Meat (3200 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Berry Sludge

A fruit and grain meal that keeps for an unlimited time.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,000
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (5 units); Bristle Berry or Pikeapple (1600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Microbe Musher
Spoils After: Never
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Cooked Seafood

A grilled seafood meal made from fish fillet or raw shellfish.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,600
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Raw Shellfish or Fish Fillet (1,000 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Edamame

A bean snack made with Nosh Beans and Salty Sticks.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,450
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Nosh Bean (1 unit); Salty Stick (600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Sushi Bar
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Grubfruit Preserve

A long-lasting cooked preserve made from Grubfruit and Sucrose.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,400
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Grubfruit (2000 kcal); Sucrose (4 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 32 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Jawbo Fillet

An edible fish fillet from a Jawbo.

Calories (kcal/kg): 1,000
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: -
Comes From: Jawbo
Made At: -
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Nosh Noms

A crunchy fried bean snack bound with Tallow.

Calories (kcal/kg): 5,000
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Nosh Bean (6 units); Tallow (1000 g)
Comes From: -
Made At: Deep Fryer
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Smoked Fish

Fish fillet smoked for a longer shelf life.

Calories (kcal/kg): 2,800
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Fish Fillet or Jawbo Fillet (6,000 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Smoker
Spoils After: 32 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Soufflé Pancakes

A light egg-and-grain meal cooked on the Electric Grill.

Calories (kcal/kg): 3,600
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Raw Egg (1,600 kcal); Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (2 units)
Comes From: -
Made At: Electric Grill
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Squash Fries

Plume Squash strips fried with Tallow.

Calories (kcal/kg): 5,400
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Plume Squash (4000 kcal); Tallow (1000 g)
Comes From: -
Made At: Deep Fryer
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Tender Brisket

Slow-smoked Tough Meat served as a cooked meal.

Calories (kcal/kg): 5,000
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Tough Meat (6 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Smoker
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: The Prehistoric Planet Pack

Uni

An edible item from Pinpoki, served at the Sushi Bar.

Calories (kcal/kg): 7,200
Food Quality: Good (+3)
Ingredients: Pinpoki (1 unit)
Comes From: -
Made At: Sushi Bar
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Food Quality

Great

7 items

Curried Beans

A spiced bean dish with temporary athletics, strength, and cold-resistance effects.

Calories (kcal/kg): 5,000
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Tonic Root (4 kg); Nosh Bean (4 kg)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 16 cycles
Effects: Hot Stuff: +3 Athletics, +3 Strength, +1 Sneeziness, and +5% stress per cycle for 2 cycles; Spicy Diet: temporary immunity to Chilly Surroundings and Soggy Feet.
Pack: Base game

Fish Taco

A fried fish meal wrapped with grain and tallow ingredients.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,200
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Fish Fillet (1,000 kcal); Tallow (2,400 g); Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (2 units)
Comes From: -
Made At: Deep Fryer
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Mushroom Wrap

Fried mushroom wrapped in lettuce for a Great-quality meal.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,800
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Fried Mushroom (2,400 kcal); Lettuce (1,600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Shellfish Tempura

A fried shellfish meal with grain and Tallow.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,200
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Raw Shellfish (1,000 kcal); Tallow (2,400 g); Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (2 units)
Comes From: -
Made At: Deep Fryer
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Frosty Planet Pack

Stuffed Berry

A Gristle Berry seasoned with Pincha Peppernut.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,400
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Gristle Berry (4000 kcal); Pincha Peppernut (2000 g)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Surf'n'Turf

A Gas Range meal pairing barbeque with cooked seafood.

Calories (kcal/kg): 6,000
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Barbeque (4000 kcal); Cooked Seafood (1600 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Sushi Roll

A Nori-wrapped meal made with Liceloaf and fish fillet.

Calories (kcal/kg): 3,600
Food Quality: Great (+4)
Ingredients: Liceloaf (1700 kcal); Nori (1000 g); Fish Fillet (1000 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Sushi Bar
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Food Quality

Superb

5 items

Mixed Berry Pie

A baked pie combining grain, Grubfruit, and one of several fruit fillings.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,200
Food Quality: Superb (+5)
Ingredients: Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (3 units); Grubfruit (1,000 kcal); Gristle Berry, Pikeapple Skewer, or Ovagro Fig (2,000 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Spaced Out!

Mushroom Quiche

A layered meal of omelette, lettuce, and fried mushroom.

Calories (kcal/kg): 6,400
Food Quality: Superb (+5)
Ingredients: Omelette (2800 kcal); Lettuce (400 kcal); Fried Mushroom (2800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

Nigiri

A rice-like loaf topped with Nori and Calamari.

Calories (kcal/kg): 3,600
Food Quality: Superb (+5)
Ingredients: Liceloaf (1700 kcal); Nori (1000 g); Calamari (800 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Sushi Bar
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: The Aquatic Planet Pack

Pepper Bread

A spiced grain loaf baked with Pincha Peppernut.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,000
Food Quality: Superb (+5)
Ingredients: Pincha Peppernut (1,000 g); Sleet Wheat Grain or Megafrond Grain (10 units)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 8 cycles
Effects: -
Pack: Base game

Spicy Tofu

Tofu seasoned with Pincha Peppernut for temporary cold resistance.

Calories (kcal/kg): 4,000
Food Quality: Superb (+5)
Ingredients: Tofu (3600 kcal); Pincha Peppernut (1000 g)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Spicy Diet: temporary immunity to Chilly Surroundings and Soggy Feet.
Pack: Base game

Food Quality

Ambrosial

1 items

Frost Burger

A chilled bun layered with lettuce and barbeque, with a temporary stress effect.

Calories (kcal/kg): 6,000
Food Quality: Ambrosial (+6)
Ingredients: Frost Bun (1200 kcal); Lettuce (400 kcal); Barbeque (4000 kcal)
Comes From: -
Made At: Gas Range
Spoils After: 4 cycles
Effects: Soul Food: −2 Athletics and −15% stress per cycle for 2 cycles; Aquatic Diet: +20% Radiation Resistance (Spaced Out! only).
Pack: Base game

How Much Food Do Duplicants Need

Every Duplicant needs 1,000 calories (kcal) per cycle, which is the game's word for a day. Duplicants with the Bottomless Stomach trait need 1,500. Each food is rated by how many calories it holds per kilogram, so a dish that packs more into each kilogram means less farming and hauling to keep everyone fed. Mush Bar holds 800 kcal per kilogram, while Frost Burger holds 6,000.

At the start, a Ration Box near the Printing Pod holds 16,000 kcal of Nutrient Bars. Those never spoil, but they're the lowest tier, so think of them as a safety net rather than a meal plan.

Food Quality Tiers and Morale

Every food has a quality tier, from Grisly at the bottom to Ambrosial at the top, with Terrible, Poor, Standard, Good, Great and Superb in between. Morale comes only from food quality, so calories alone won't keep anyone cheerful. Grisly is the only tier that lowers morale, and only by a single point.

Terrible adds nothing, Standard adds 4, Good adds 8 and Great adds 12. Superb and Ambrosial each add 16, which makes them the strongest morale boosts. Frost Burger is the only food that reaches Ambrosial, so Superb is the realistic goal for most colonies.

Cooking Stations and How They Raise Food Quality

Raw ingredients often start low. Meat from critters is Grisly, a raw egg is Grisly, and raw shellfish is Standard. The usual fix is cooking.

On the Electric Grill, Meat becomes Barbeque, a Good dish, and a raw egg becomes an Omelette, which is Standard. Cooking adds calories too. Bristle Berry starts as a Terrible plant with 1,600 kcal per kilogram, but on the Electric Grill it becomes Gristle Berry, one tier higher with 400 more calories.

The Microbe Musher is the kitchen most colonies start with. It makes Mush Bar from dirt and water, Liceloaf from Meal Lice and water, and a few other early staples. It uses a lot of water.

The Electric Grill cooks many everyday dishes, including Barbeque, Omelette and Frost Bun. The Electric Grill and the Gas Range both need a Duplicant with the Grilling skill to run them.

The Gas Range makes the top-tier meals, such as Mushroom Wrap, Surf'n'Turf and Pepper Bread. It runs on natural gas, and several of its recipes need an Electric Grill pass first.

Other kitchens, such as the Deep Fryer, Smoker and Sushi Bar, make their own dishes. Some recipes need the Spaced Out!, Frosty Planet, Prehistoric Planet or Aquatic Planet packs, so a dish you read about may not be in your save.

How Food Spoils and How to Store It

Most food has a shelf life measured in cycles. A food with a four-cycle shelf life loses about a quarter of its freshness each cycle, and once it fully spoils, it turns into Rot Piles. Shelf lives run from four cycles up to 32, so check before you stockpile anything.

Cold slows spoilage a lot. Food colder than 4 °C (39.2 °F) lasts noticeably longer, and a Refrigerator cools its contents to 1 °C (33.8 °F), though it needs power. A cold room works too, because food takes on the colder of its own temperature and the air around it.

Air matters just as much. Sterile gases, such as carbon dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen and vacuum, help food last, while polluted oxygen speeds spoilage up. Food that's colder than -18 °C and sitting in a sterile gas never spoils.

Some foods never spoil at all, such as Muckroot and Pemmican. Food loaded into a cooking station is held in stasis until it's cooked.

How to Get Food

Farming is the long-term answer. Mealwood is the usual early plant, but it gives about 600 kcal after three cycles. Bristle Blossom gives about 1,600 kcal per harvest after six cycles, so most colonies switch to it once they unlock Basic Farming. Hydroponic Farms get their water through pipes, so Duplicants don't spend their time hauling it.

Critters supply the rest. Meat, fish and shellfish come from critters after they die, and raw eggs come from critter eggs. Sleet Wheat is the special case: it needs cold and takes around 18 cycles to grow, but its grain keeps unusually well in storage.

How to Prevent Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is an illness caused by germs, and germs come from using outhouses and lavatories, from messes, and from polluted water. Duplicants catch it by eating contaminated food or drinking from a water cooler, espresso machine, juicer or soda fountain. It doesn't spread through the air, but Mush Bars need extra care, since they start with 1,000 germs even when every ingredient is clean.

Food poisoning slows Duplicants down. Bathroom trips take longer, stamina drains, and the illness lasts about 1.7 cycles.

The easiest defense is cooking, since the Electric Grill and Gas Range kill germs in the ingredients they cook. Keep your Microbe Mushers and drinking stations on germ-free water. A Curative Tablet cures the illness outright, and Duplicants with the Iron Gut trait can't catch it.

Best Foods to Aim For

Early on, Berry Sludge is one of the strongest picks. It's rated Good, holds 4,000 kcal per kilogram, and is made at the Microbe Musher from Bristle Berry or Pikeapple plus Sleet Wheat or Megafrond Grain. It never spoils, so it's a reliable stockpile.

Barbeque is the easy mid-game upgrade, since it turns meat that would otherwise be Grisly into a Good dish. Seafood dishes such as Cooked Seafood and Surf'n'Turf also give 20% radiation resistance in Spaced Out!.

For late-game morale, the Gas Range dishes are the target. Pepper Bread is Superb, while Mushroom Wrap and Curried Beans are Great. Curried Beans lasts 16 cycles and boosts Athletics and Strength, but it adds stress over time, so keep an eye on the Duplicants who eat it.

Hexalent Fruit is worth knowing for storage. It's very calorie-dense and never spoils, but it's Grisly, so it works better as backup food than as a daily meal.

FAQ

How do you make Frost Burger?

Cook one kilogram each of Frost Bun, Lettuce and Barbeque at the Gas Range. The Frost Bun and Barbeque each need a pass through the Electric Grill first, and Lettuce comes from Waterweed.

Does cooking always make food better?

Usually, but not always. Pickled Meal, made from Meal Lice on the Electric Grill, stays at Grisly quality. What it offers instead is a 32-cycle shelf life, which makes it a storage food rather than a morale food.

Can you stop Duplicants from eating certain foods?

Yes. Once you've discovered a food, the Consumables menu lets you choose which foods a Duplicant may eat.

Do Bionic Duplicants need food?

No. Bionic Duplicants consume Power Banks instead of food.