Raw Meat and Fish

Raw Meat and Fish holds fresh meat, seafood, cured sausages and whole birds. The group runs from Bacon and Steak to Salmon, Lobster and the Turkey (Whole). Fresh meat fills the stomach well but spoils within days. Most of it must be cooked first. Raw meat and fish carry the warning "Dangerous uncooked." Cured meats such as Pepperoni, Salami and Beef Jerky keep far longer. The Rancher is the best occupation for raw meat and fish. It starts with the most Butchering skill. The Chef and the Fishing Guide also start with some Butchering skill.

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Best Raw Meat and Fish

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Most calories	Margarine		3255 calories	/additem Base.Margarine
Most filling	Turkey (Whole)		-224 hunger	/additem Base.TurkeyWhole
Best thirst quencher	Sugar Beet		-4 thirst	/additem Base.SugarBeet
Longest fresh	Pepperoni		15 days fresh	/additem Base.Pepperoni

Cooking

Raw meat cooks in an oven, a microwave, a BBQ or another appliance. Red meat takes the longest. A Steak, a Pork Chop, a Mutton Chop, Pork, Beef, Ground Beef and a Sausage each need 50 minutes. Poultry needs 30 minutes, from the Chicken (Whole) to a Turkey Wing. Rabbit Meat needs 25 minutes.

Seafood cooks faster. A Lobster and a Crayfish each need 30 minutes. Salmon needs 20, and Shrimp and Oysters need 10. Frog Meat needs 10 minutes. Bacon and Ham each need 20 minutes.

Meat and fish with the Dangerous uncooked warning always cause food poisoning when eaten raw. Cooking removes that danger and raises the hunger value by 1.3 times. Many meats say "Better hot." on the tooltip. Burnt meat fills only a third as much and adds 20 unhappiness.

Freshness

Fresh meat spoils fast. A Steak, Beef, Pork, Salmon and a Chicken (Whole) each stay fresh for 2 days and rot after 4. Bacon stays fresh for 3 days and rots after 5. Frog Meat lasts a little longer, at 4 days fresh and 8 days to rot.

Cured meat lasts much longer. Ham stays fresh for 5 days and rots after 10. Salami stays fresh for 10 days and rots after 15. Pepperoni stays fresh for 15 days and rots after 30. Beef Jerky keeps indefinitely, and it weighs only 0.2.

Cold storage saves a big haul. A powered freezer slows aging to one fifth of the normal speed on default settings. Frozen meat stops aging altogether. Ham, Salami and Baloney each say "Needs to be sliced before addition to most recipes."

Cuts Worth Keeping

Whole birds fill the stomach best. The Turkey (Whole) lowers hunger by 224 and holds 1,821 calories. The Chicken (Whole) lowers hunger by 160 and holds 1,495 calories. Both cook in 30 minutes.

Big cuts follow close behind. Beef lowers hunger by 80 and holds 62.62 protein. Pork and Ham each lower hunger by 60, and Ham holds 1,560 calories. A Lobster and a Steak each lower hunger by 40.

Game meat is rich in protein. Rabbit Meat holds 969 calories and 185 protein. Small Bird Meat holds 90 protein. Rodent Meat holds 45. Beef Jerky holds 410 calories and 33 protein, and it suits a long trip. A Tin of Caviar lowers unhappiness by 20.

Processed Meat

Processed meat comes ready to heat. Chicken Nuggets and Fish Fingers each hold 230 calories and cook in 20 minutes. Open Bag of Food turns a Bag of Chicken Nuggets or a Bag of Fish Fingers into 3 portions. Fish (Fried) lowers hunger by 30 and stays fresh for 4 days.

Sausages and cold cuts fill a sandwich. A Sausage holds 180 calories and cooks in 50 minutes. Baloney lowers hunger by 30. Slice Baloney cuts it into 6 Baloney Slices. A Shrimp Dumpling lowers hunger by 15 and holds 120 calories.

Butchering and Hunting

Small game turns into meat with a knife. Butcher Small Animal works on a Dead Bird, a Dead Mouse, a Dead Squirrel, a Dead Rat, a Frog or a Dead Rabbit. It needs a sharp knife or a Meat Cleaver. The result is Small Bird Meat, Rodent Meat, Frog Meat or Rabbit Meat.

Fish need the same treatment. Slice Fillet cuts a whole fish into 2 Fish Fillet. Halve Fillet splits a Fish Fillet in two. Cut Bacon into 4 Strips turns Bacon into Bacon Strip for faster cooking.

Large animals come from Ranching and hunting. A Butcher Hook gives more meat and leather from a carcass. The Butchering skill increases the quality of meat harvested from animals. The Chef starts with Butchering 2. The Keen Cook trait and the Fishing Guide each add Butchering 1.

Raw meat also works as bait. A Steak, a Fish Fillet, Rodent Meat, Small Bird Meat, Frog Meat and a Beef Patty all serve as fishing bait. Crayfish and Shrimp work too.

Locations

Butcher shops hold the most meat. Their chop counters hold Steak, Pork Chop and Mutton Chop. Their smoked counters hold Bacon, Ham, Salami, Sausage and Baloney. Their ground meat trays hold Ground Beef, and their fish counters hold Shrimp and Oysters.

Restaurants stock their own meats. Western-style restaurant kitchens hold Steak, Pork Chop and Sausage. Sushi restaurants hold Salmon, Shrimp and Squid. Seafood restaurants hold Lobster and Oysters. Pizza restaurants hold Pepperoni, and Italian restaurants hold Salami.

Other places fill the gaps. The jerky factory holds Beef and Beef Jerky. Army surplus stores and gas stations sell Beef Jerky too. Farm freezers hold the Chicken (Whole), Bacon and Sausage. Home fridges and freezers hold a little of everything.

Notes

• Cook meat soon after looting it, or move it to a working freezer.
• Beef Jerky keeps indefinitely, so it makes a good emergency ration.

All Raw Meat and Fish