World of Warcraft Cooking
Cooking Guide
From Beer-Basted Boar Ribs to Giant Clam Scorcho, there is no recipe too obscure or odd to avoid notice from the Chefs of Azeroth. Food is used in the game to heal players out of combat, so they can get back to fighting as quickly as possible.
As you're traveling around the world, you'll notice that you often receive pieces of meat, which, instead of being sold to merchants, could be used to create food. If you're a player that relies on food, such as a non-healing player or a player that solos, food should become very important to you.

You can buy food from merchants, but the food gained through cooking is nearly free and it is actually much more effective. Cooking is also a great "flavor" secondary skill because you can entertain players with the funny and interesting dishes you can create. Hand someone some Gooey Spider Cake, Giant Clam Scorcho, or a Curiously Tasty Omelet and you'll see what we mean.

Becoming a Cook

First, find an NPC who can teach you to Cook. Ask a guard for directions in big cities. These trainers will likely be somewhere near a fire or cooking pot and can make you into an Apprentice Cook. Once you've become an apprentice, you will need to buy the appropriate recipe ingredients from a trade merchant and you'll finally be ready to cook it up!
Make sure you learn how to create a campfire so that you can cook anywhere. You'll need to carry around flint and tinder along with some simple wood to create your fire. You can cook over any good fire you find, however such as a stove, brazier, or fireplace. Campfires just give you more options. They're funny too.

To learn expert cooking you will need to purchase an Expert Cookbook. These can be found in Shadowprey Village in Desolace (Horde) or at Silverwind Refuge in Ashenvale (Alliance).

Artisan Cooking requires a completion of quests. The cooking trainer, Zamja in Ogrimmar (Horde) can start it off or Daryl Riknussun in Ironforge can help the Alliance. You need 225 Cooking to start it off.

Master Cooking is available from a book sold by cooking trainers in Hellfire Peninsula. Horde players can buy their copy from Baxter at the inn at Thrallmar. For Alliance players, visit Gaston in the kitchen of the Honor Hold inn.

Recipes

You can get new recipes in several ways: as a reward for a quest, as loot from a monster or chest, or even by buying them from a merchant. A few recipes also come for quests or are only available during special holidays.
You can have your friends be on the lookout for new recipes for you. Cooks are not as common as other tradesmen and this will allow you to have an easier time finding recipes. People may even be more willing to donate recipes to you! Check the auction house for recipes too.

Good Skills to Combine with Cooking

Fishing is often a good skill to combine with Cooking, because recipes you use to cook the fish that you catch end up providing a greater healing benefit, not to mention the fact that fish are always abundantly available. Fishing is highly recommended to combine with cooking.

Cooking for Profit

Players will buy stacks of food from you if you advertise well and set a reasonable price. Entice them with the fact that food created by cooks can provide better healing at lower prices.