I would really like to see some smaller, much more basic recipes as a more welcoming experience to baking newbies.

The main purpose of the smaller recipes would be to assist with providing ingredients for higher level baking. These would make you level up slower, but still have a time limit like our regular recipes. Perhaps Fantine's Bakery could branch off (into its own tab on Fantine's page) into a Prep Station specifically for these small recipes.

Examples:

• Cream of Tartar (not an existing item) + Baking Soda = several batches of Baking Powder
• Milk + Vinegar Packets = Buttermilk
• Lemon + citrus squeezer (not an existing item) = Fresh Lemon Juice
• Bunch of Bananas = Banana x5
• churn Milk into a random type of Butter
• churn Butter into Cheese
• Whole Cinnamon Sticks = several batches of Ground Cinnamon
• Lime = several Lime Wedge
• Lime/Lemon/Orange + Sugar + Bottled Tap Water + Copper Pot = Candied Lime/Lemon/Orange Zest
• grind Wheat into Wheat Flour
• make our own extracts
• Chef Fillet Knife + Raw Beef/Raw Chicken/Raw Pork = get back a randomized variety of cuts of those meats

Note: This thread has been overhauled and simplified. To view the contents of the original thread, you are welcome to read the spoiler tag below, but I think I want to focus more on the idea of small recipes than what my thread originally outlined.

In addition to some recipes with non-traditional ingredients, I also wish that there were some smaller recipes. Many of the current ones require quite a few ingredients, which is not very welcoming to someone who is just beginning. Without some sort of fridge/pantry storage that pulls items when needed (I know a fridge has been suggested before), it can be overwhelming to seek out and keep track of the number of ingredients required, especially if you'd like to restock them over time instead of paying 15k+ each for 5-7 items just to get a 10-20k item back.

What if there were a few very basic recipes, such as to simply churn my milk into butter, my butter into cheese, make my own extracts, or grind my wheat into wheat flour? (this would have to contribute a lot less experience toward the next level, but could be a very useful addition when certain items are in lower supply). This would provide a slower way to level up that is potentially more profitable, which some of us enjoy more than speedy expensive ways. Variety and choices are great to have in any game, and I think the ability to do a few basic recipes would be less overwhelming to newer bakers. [/spoiler]

Oh I really love that final paragraph! Yes please, simple, easy recipes that create the ingredients needed for higher level recipes.

I do like the "mystery basket" idea generally, but that makes it feel more like a quest than like baking. Not sure that's the direction I'd want to see Fantine go.

Hmm... perhaps I didn't convey the mystery basket idea in quite the same way I had hoped and I may need to rethink my wording. Let me attempt to explain: it would not be quest format at all, but would be exactly the same as her other recipes (it would not be an assortment of items every time, but rather a permanent recipe just like the ones we have). They would just so happen to be an unusual assortment of ingredients, themed like mystery baskets from the show Chopped!. The main purpose would be to minimize the effect of the exact same inflated ingredients being used for the majority of the recipes, and to include some ingredients that are otherwise not as commonly used in cooking (canned foods rather than fresh, premade foods like chicken tenders, or unusual foods like Durian that the majority of people wouldn't know what to do with).

To some extent, using non-traditional ingredients is already being done, but on a super small scale - typically only one or two items in a recipe. For example, the burger cake uses Cherry Gummy Rings, the bumbus honeycomb cake uses Almond Bubble Tea, the banana nutmeg chai bread uses Vanilla Chai Tea. One or two recipes use rock candy. One recipe uses Gold Dust that was previously only used for spells and isn't an edible item. One recipe uses a Dusk Flower, which also isn't edible.

I guess in short, I was suggesting for that to be done with an entire recipe every now and then. In other words, find ways around using baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and the traditional set of butter, eggs, milk, flour, etc. Not always, of course. Just occasionally. A few oddball recipes every now and then might be interesting.

But even if that doesn't happen, I'd still really like to see the other suggestion of smaller recipes that serve the main purpose of supplying ingredients that are in high demand.

ah...that makes more sense :). It wasn't clear to me that you were suggesting specific recipes.

I make dinner all the time with pre-made stuff - canned mushroom soup for example (instead of a basic white sauce). Don't usually think of baking quite that way since baking is much more fine tuned and chemistry based. But it could work. It would make for some more varied recipes and that's always a good thing.