Oxygen Not Includedis a survival simulation title created by the developers that madeDon’t Starve. Unlike this survival title, players must control a group of colonists as they attempt to survive on an alien planet with hardly any breathable oxygen. Players are expected to tend to all the needs of their tiny colonists who have a range of traits that can make looking after them easier or harder.
One of the most crucial things a player needs to tend to is the food supply of these colonists. Besides keeping them all full, food can also be used to improve the morale of their colonists. A happy space base is ahard-working space baseafter all. Therefore, these are by far the best food sources for players to collect and why.
400
Waterweed
N/A
Not every food source inOxygen Not Includedneeds to be put onto a grill or mushed into something else, as players can find some greatfresh foods to harvest, simply by exploring the planet they have landed on. Lettuce can be found growing on waterweed, which commonly grows in salty water.
Players can relocate this plant by instead planting it in a Planter Box, Farm Tile, or even a Hydroponic Farm to reap the rewards of their labors. While individual lettuce only gives 400kcal, waterweed can potentially drop an amount of 12g which can instead feed a single colonist for 4800kcals.
4000
Microbe Musher
1600Kcal Bristle Berry & 5 Units of Sleet Wheat
Berry Sludge is made by crushing up to 1600kcals of Bristle Berry and combining it with 5 Sleet Wheat Grain in the Microbe Musher. While considered a low-quality food item, Berry Sludge has the potential to keep a player’s colony fed when struggling to find other foods to feed them.
It gives a decent morale boost as well as never spoiling, meaning players can make a couple of Berry Sludgesfor emergencies. Consuming this small cube of berries will then give the colonists 4000kcals of hunger back, keeping them nice and full.
Electric Grill
3200kcals of Meat
For players that think their colonists have the skill and potential to take on the various critters that also inhabit these planets with them, then their meat can be put to good use too. Barbeque is a recipe that can be made on the Electric Grill.
This piece of equipment is an upgrade from the Microbe Musher, though Barbeque arguably gives the same amount of nutrients and morale as Berry Sludge. However, while Berry Slude requires two ingredients, players will only need to supply 3200kcals of meat.
4400
Gas Range
4000Kcals of Bristle Berry & 2000g of Pincha Peppernuts
When players have finally upgradedtheir cooking equipmentto the Gas Range, they’ll have the potential to turn their Bristle Berries into something greater than simply Berry Sludge, though they can’t last for as many cycles.
High-quality foods naturally need more ingredients. Therefore, players had better have 4000 kcals of berries on hand to make 1kg of Stuffed Berry. This ‘Great’ meal will also require the player to have 2 Pincha Peppernuts and, therefore, a focus on farming should be had. Besides the great amount of nutrients it gives colonists, the great quality of food is also sure to give players a well-needed boost to Morale.
3600kcals of Tofu & 1 Pincha Peppernut
While Spicy Tofu still gives the player’s colonists a decent amount of Kcals from eating their food, the main reason a player would be creating Spicy Tofu is for its superb quality. This is the second greatest quality a player can get in the game and, therefore, it rewards them with one of the highest amounts of morale that can be generated by food.
Unlike many of the other recipes mentioned, Spicy Tofu will first require the player to create plain Tofu. It can be easily created on the Microbe Musher, though players will have to work fast as it will spoil in only 2 cycles. Once the Tofu has been created, the player can then combine it with a Pincha Peppernut in the Gas Range to make Spicy Tofu.
4800
2800kcals of Fried Mushroom & 1600kcals of Lettuce
For players that don’t feel confident attacking critters, or are nowhere near the sea, it’s possible to create great food from simply growing the produce needed to make a Mushroom Wrap. This food resource is another that will surely keep the player’s colonists joyful while also keeping their bellies full.
As mentioned, this meal can be easily made by a player that hasfocused on farmingfor their food and therefore needs little to be created. By simply combining mushrooms and lettuce, a player can make a Mushroom Wrap that is sure to fill a gap.
6000
1200kcals Frost Bun, 400kcals Lettuce & 4000kcals Barbeque
On most occasions, cooking a Frost Burger will not be worth it during a player’s attempt at survival with their colonists. However, sometimes players may find themselves with an incredibly stressed worker who simply needs a burger to help pick them up.
Frost Burgers are one of the greatest meals that can be made on the Gas Range and is food that has the rare trait known as Soul Food. This grants players a 15% stress relief that helps calm down colonists, but it also gives them a -2 for Athletics, which slows down work in the colony.
6400
Hexalent
Like lettuce, the Hexalent fruit is a food source that can be found while exploring or can be grown in a planter box. Just eating one of these fruits is sure to fill up a colonist in its entirety asone fruit gains 6400kcals.
However, this fruit that can’t be used in any recipe has a reason: it tastes awful. Hexalent has a food quality of Grisly. This means a colonist will actually lose morale when consuming it. Therefore, like the Frost Burger, this food item should only be used during an emergency, when a colonist is starving and there is no other food source available.
4 cycles
4000kcal of Barbeque & 1600kcal of Cooked Seafood
Surf’n’Turf is another recipe that simply requires meat to make this incredible meal in the Gas Range. It will first require the player to have Barbeque, but then also cooked seafood. This meal is great for a player that has set up their colony near a water source where seafood can be easily caught, otherwise, the recipe can’t be made.
Players may find this a better alternative to create instead of the Frost Burger due to it lasting the same number of cycles, giving the same amount of Kcals, but requiring fewer ingredients, and only a small decrease to morale.
8 Cycles
10 Units of Sleet Wheat Grain & 1000g of Pincha Peppernuts
Players who want a high kcal meal that uses cheaper ingredients should look no further than the Pepper Bread recipe. All this breaded delicacy needs is Sleet Wheat Grain and Pincha Peppernuts, making it one of the easiest, yet greatest foods to make for the player’s colonists.
While it may require more of these resources to make, and not have the soul food trait, it will feed all colonists the same amount of calories and thesame amount of morale, no matter if they have the gourmet trait or not. Plus, players don’t have to worry about that pesky -2 Athletics, which means their colony will continue to chug along happily.
