Project Cook [B42]

Project Cook adds a dedicated cooking panel for Project Zomboid’s evolved-recipe cooking system.

It helps you choose valid base items, browse compatible ingredients and seasonings, check cooking/nutrition information, and add ingredients through a cleaner and more intuitive UI.

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Project Cook requires [B42] NeatUI Framework.

Recommended load order:

• [B42] NeatUI Framework
• Project Cook
• Project Cook Pixel Icon Pack — optional addon

The Pixel Icon Pack only replaces some Project Cook panel icons with pixel-art versions. If enabled, it must be placed after Project Cook.

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Project Cook is designed mainly for evolved-recipe style cooking: meals where you start from a base item and add compatible ingredients or seasonings.

Examples include soups, stews, salads, stir-fries, burgers, sandwiches, pasta-like meals, and other ingredient-based recipes.

Some vanilla cooking actions still belong to the normal Crafting system first. In those cases, you may need to create the initial food/container through vanilla Crafting or through Neat Crafting before continuing inside Project Cook.

You can open Project Cook in several ways:

• Hover over the vanilla Crafting button on the left-hand sidebar to show the Project Cook button.
• Right-click a valid food item or recipe base item and choose the Project Cook option.
• If the selected item can be used as a base item, it will be selected automatically.

Choose a valid base item, such as a cooking pot, bowl, burger, sandwich, or another item/container that can accept ingredients.

• Fill: fills supported water-based containers from a nearby valid water source.
• Empty: empties supported recipe containers and recovers the empty container.
• Add: queues selected ingredients or seasonings to be added.
• Rename: lets you rename the finished food.
• Rating: shows recipe rating information when available.

The Cooking Info panel gives useful guidance about the current recipe.

Nutrition information depends on your traits and Cooking skill:

• Nutritionist: full nutrition details.
• Cooking Level 2: nutrition categories, exact values hidden.
• Cooking Level 4: values rounded to hundreds.
• Cooking Level 6: values rounded to tens.
• Cooking Level 8: full exact nutrition values.

Once a base item is selected, you can browse compatible ingredients and seasonings.

• Compatible ingredients are shown based on the selected base item.
• Seasonings are handled separately from regular ingredients.
• Each base item has its own ingredient limit.
• Each seasoning type can only be added once.
• Right-click items to choose between multiple instances of the same item.
• Double-click an ingredient or seasoning to add it directly.
• Use the + button to select several items first, then add them together.
• Frozen ingredients must thaw before they can be used in recipes that do not allow frozen items.

Recent versions also include stricter filtering to avoid non-cooking “technical food” items being handled as normal cooking ingredients only because they are internally defined as Food by the game.

Project Cook Pixel Icon Pack is an optional sub-mod that replaces some cooking panel icons with pixel-art versions created by ivmakk.

If you switch icon styles, restart the game so the icons refresh correctly.

Project Cook is intended to work in both SP and MP for supported Build 42 versions.

For best results:

• Keep [B42] NeatUI Framework above Project Cook.
• Keep optional Project Cook addons below Project Cook.
• Restart the game after changing icon packs or UI-related mods.
• If a server uses Project Cook, make sure both server and clients use the same updated Workshop version.

Bug reports are very helpful, especially with clear steps and logs.

Please use the Bug Report thread and include:

• Project Zomboid version.
• SP, MP Host, or Dedicated Server.
• Relevant mod list and load order.
• Item, recipe, base item, ingredient, or seasoning used.
• What you expected to happen.
• What actually happened.
• Screenshot or short video if possible.
• Relevant error log or stack trace, if one appears.

If Steam does not update the mod correctly:

• Close Project Zomboid completely.
• Unsubscribe from Project Cook.
• Wait until Steam finishes uninstalling it.
• Subscribe again.
• Let Steam finish downloading before starting Project Zomboid.

After major Build 42 updates, verifying game files can also help:

• Close Project Zomboid.
• Open your Steam Library.
• Right-click Project Zomboid.
• Go to Properties > Installed Files.
• Click Verify integrity of game files.

If you enjoy this mod and your circumstances allow, buying me a coffee would be greatly appreciated — but most importantly, enjoy your game!
[afdian.com]

Discord server:
Rocco’s Mod[discord.gg]

• Original mod by Rocco: PZ Workshop Items
• Maintenance / compatibility updates for newer B42 builds by Afyrmo: PZ Workshop Items
• Pixel icon inspiration and assets by ivmakk.

About permission
You are free to extract and use any content from this mod without asking for permission.
If you want to republish this mod, you need to follow these rules:
1. There must be substantial and important improvements.
2. If this mod has not been updated for a long time and has caused many issues, you may modify and republish it.

Workshop ID: 3490188370
Mod ID: Project_Cook
Mod ID: Project_Cook_Pixel_Icon_Pack