In Dazed Games’ Steam co-op shooter-fishing game How to Fish, cooking is a money multiplier: unlock the grill, heat fish and other sellable items until their value reaches 1.5x, then remove them before they burn.
Unlock cooking partway through How to Fish, the physics-based fishing-and-shooting game from Dazed Games on Steam, and use it before every sale. Correctly heating a fish, gun, or other sellable raises its value by half. The flame will ruin anything left on it too long, so pull each item at the right moment until Island 5 gives you a risk-free cooking method.
What cooking does to an item’s value
| Cooking result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Cooked to 1.5x | Sale value peaks at 1.5x; pull it off here |
| Burnt solid black | Value drops to 0; restores almost no health or hunger |
| Lava-cooked | Locks at exactly 1.5x with no burn risk |
Heating an item on the grill raises its Value to a maximum of 1.5x. Remove it at that point. Leaving it over the flame makes the value collapse to zero as the item chars solid black. Cook everything before selling when you are farming money for boss lures and endgame gear.
Cooked fish also restore health and hunger. Keep a stack on deck for the harder fights instead of selling your entire supply. Here’s how the three outcomes compare at a glance.
How to unlock the grill on Island 3
Buy the Standard Boss Lure
Buy it for $280 on Island 3. This bait summons the shark.
Fish up the shark
Equip the boss lure, cast, and reel in the shark like any other catch.
Kill the shark
Kill it with a maxed Uzi. Stay clear of the coconut trees because they block your dodges.
Bring the shark back to the grill master
Hand over the shark to open the grill and unlock the Grillmaster achievement.
Cooking an item safely on the grill
Press F to inspect the item
Press F to open the live readout for Value, Cooking multiplier, Weight, and Killscore. Keep it open while the item is over the flame.
Hold the item over the flame
Hold the item in your hand above the grill and watch its Value rise from 1x.
Watch the multiplier reach 1.5x
1.5x is the maximum multiplier, so get ready to move the item immediately.
Pull it off at 1.5x
Move it completely clear of the flame before it turns solid black and its value crashes to 0.
Press F while the item is over the flame and pull it the instant Value shows 1.5x — the live readout gives you the exact moment, so you never need to judge it by color.
Which items are worth cooking
| Item type | Best use |
|---|---|
| Fish | Cook before selling, but save a stack for healing and hunger in boss fights |
| Weapons | Cook right before selling for the extra 1.5x value |
| Other sellable items | Cook to lift the sale price the same way |
| Mini-boss creatures | Burn solid black and eat for the cooking achievements |
Cook fish, guns, and every other sellable item before cashing them in. The 1.5x multiplier applies to all of them, so run every weapon over the grill before you offload it. Build this into your route early: cooking costs nothing and adds half again to every sale.
Keep some cooked fish instead of selling the whole batch. Fish provide both sale money and healing and hunger recovery, so bank a stack for the tougher fights and sell the rest.
What burning an item costs you
A burnt catch is a total write-off. Once an item turns solid black, its value drops to 0. A burnt creature also restores almost no health or hunger, leaving you with nothing useful from it. Burn an item deliberately only when collecting the two achievements below; otherwise, remove it at 1.5x.
Lava cooking on Island 5’s volcano
Island 5’s volcano removes the timing risk. Lava cooks items to exactly 1.5x and holds them there without burning, so drop in your items and leave them instead of watching each one over a flame. Use the volcano for bulk preparation.
Once you reach the volcano, lava-cook everything you plan to sell and make the largest pile of cooked fish you can carry before either boss fight. The late fights demand plenty of cooked fish, and the lava prepares the whole supply for free.
Cooking achievements worth chasing
| Achievement | Cooking action |
|---|---|
| Grillmaster | Start the grill on Island 3 |
| Yummy in my tummy | Eat a burnt creature |
| Competitive eating | Eat a mini-boss |
Three achievements use the grill. Grillmaster unlocks when you first start it, so completing the Island 3 route above earns it automatically. The other two require eating creatures, and you can unlock both with one bite using the method in the FAQ below.
Related How to Fish guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cooking work on weapons and other non-fish items?
Yes. Cooking changes an item’s sale value, not a weapon’s stats. Inspect a gun with the same F readout used for fish, heat it until the multiplier reaches 1.5x, and remove it before selling. Cook every sellable weapon first.
Can lava burn your items?
No. Lava holds an item’s value at exactly 1.5x and will not push it into the black, burnt state caused by the grill. Leave items in the lava while you handle something else, then use Island 5 for bulk selling preparation and fish stockpiling.
Should you ever burn a creature on purpose?
Yes, but only to unlock two achievements at once. Buy the Beginner Boss Lure ($40) from Island 2 — it is the cheapest lure and summons the easiest mini-boss — then kill the creature, hold it over the grill until it turns solid black, and eat it. That single action unlocks both Yummy in my tummy and Competitive eating.
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