Food in Cairn is not just about refilling hunger. Cooking is one of the quiet systems that decides whether a climb feels manageable or brutal. Warmth, grip, grit, focus, and burst buffs all stack together in ways the game never explains outright, and many of the strongest recipes are completely hidden unless you explore carefully.
This guide covers every discovered recipe, where to find the hidden ones, how buffs actually matter during a climb, and all food-related achievements, with practical advice pulled directly from real playthrough experience.
There are no story spoilers here.
General Food & Cooking Tips
Before getting into recipes, a few things that save a lot of pain later:
Always sleep before you eat. Sleeping drains hunger and thirst, so eating first wastes food. This is especially important once you start cooking buff-heavy meals.
When you mix ingredients with liquids, the entire container is consumed. If you combine a chocolate bar with a half-full water flask, you will only get a half-strength chocolate drink. Always fully refill containers before infusing.
Do not hoard raw ingredients. Raw items are heavy, inefficient, and take up space. Cook them as soon as possible to convert weight into buffs and free inventory slots for better loot.
Early game, grab pocket change in the climbing gym and use the vending machines. Chocolate bars are extremely strong early and are required for an achievement later.
As altitude increases, warmth becomes mandatory. Long vertical sections punish stamina first, then grip. Plan meals based on the climb ahead: grip for technical sections, stamina for long pushes, warmth for high elevation, and grit for dangerous routes.
All Recipes by Buff Type
Below are all currently discovered recipes, organized by what they actually do for your climb.
Burst Buff Recipes
Burst increases movement speed while climbing and walking.
Super Gentian Honey (Hidden Recipe – Super Honey)
Gentian Infusion + Honey
Hunger +40, Health +10, Warmth +40, Burst 4:00
Extra Sweet Cooked Noodles
Yellow Yak or Alpine Cola + Instant Noodles
Hunger +30, Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Burst 1:00
Extra Sweet Cooked Thistle
Yellow Yak or Alpine Cola + Thistle
Hunger +20, Warmth +40, Health +20, Burst 1:00
Extra Sweet Cooked Dandelion
Yellow Yak or Alpine Cola + Dandelion
or Raspberry Juice + Dandelion
Hunger +30, Warmth +40, Health +10, Grit 2:00, Burst 2:00
Extra Sweet Raspberry Juice
Raspberry Juice + Raspberry
Hunger +20, Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Burst 1:00
Extra Sweet Yellow Yak
Yellow Yak + Chocolate Bar
Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Burst 1:00
Extra Sweet Alpine Cola
Alpine Cola + Chocolate Bar
Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Burst 2:00, Grit 2:00
Extra Sweet Clear Water
Water + Honey Dipper
Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Burst 1:00
Caramel
Extra Sweet Clear Water + Honey Dipper
Hunger +20, Warmth +40, Burst 1:00
Grit Buff Recipes
Grit reduces damage taken from falls and mistakes.
Cooked Dandelion
Water + Dandelion
Hunger +20, Warmth +40, Health +10, Grit 2:00
Juniper Infusion
Water + Juniper
Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Grit 2:00
Grog
Booze + Nettle
-5 Health, -5 Thirst, Warmth +50, Grit 4:00, Temp 4:00
Medicinal Extract
Grog + Nettle
Health +40, Warmth +40, Grit 3:00
Ultimate Infusion (Achievement)
Strong Infusion + Any Herb
Thirst +20, Focus 5:00, Grit 5:00, Grip 5:00
Grip Buff Recipes
Grip strength determines how long you can hold onto difficult surfaces.
Strong Infusion
Infusion (Water + Gentian / Thistle / Nettle) + Any Herb
Thirst +20, Warmth +40, Grip 3:00
Ultimate Infusion
Strong Infusion + Any Herb
Thirst +20, Focus 5:00, Grit 5:00, Grip 5:00
Focus Buff Recipes
Focus improves stamina recovery speed.
Chocolate Drink
Water + Chocolate Bar
Hunger +20, Thirst +20, Health +10, Focus 1:00
Intense Chocolate Drink
Chocolate Drink + Chocolate Bar
Hunger +40, Thirst +20, Health +20, Focus 3:00
Cave-Style Trout (Hidden Recipe)
Goat Milk + Trout
Hunger +80, Health +10, Warmth +40, Focus 2:00
General Recipes
Cooked Noodles
Water + Instant Noodles
Cooked Trout
Water + Trout
Cooked Lentils and Ham
Water + Packaged Lentils
Boiled Eggs
Water + Egg
Creamy Eggs
Honey Water + Egg
Cooked Thistle
Water + Thistle
Raspberry Juice
Water + Raspberry
Tourist-Trap Noodles (Hidden)
Sugary Yellow Yak + Instant Noodles
Mountain Rice (Hidden)
Strong Infusion + Rice
Maple Fudge (Hidden)
Sweet Water + Maple Syrup
Pasture Tomatoes (Hidden)
Tea + Goat Milk + Tomatoes
Bloody Mary
Booze + Tomatoes
Hearty Stew
Lentils + Sweet Tea
Chocolate Egg (Achievement)
Chocolate Drink + Egg
Hidden Recipe Locations
Many of the best recipes are not learned by experimentation. They are found in the world.
Super Honey Recipe
The Escarpment (Tutorial Area)
Near the bivouac, look between two cliff segments for a crevasse. The one closer to the bivouac leads into a small cave with mushrooms and Honey Dippers. Examine the whiteboard inside to learn Super Honey.
Tourist-Trap Noodles
The Shortcut
From the base of the abandoned cable car building, climb the nearby stairs. The recipe is found at the top.
Cave-Style Trout
The Waterfall
Enter the hidden cave behind the large waterfall near the bivouac. In the main chamber, fish are everywhere. On the central island you will find the recipe, along with lentils, powdered milk, and goat milk.
Mountain Stew
The Waterfall Camps
From the trout cave, head right and rappel down to the bivouac. The upper camp contains the recipe, clear water, thistle, instant noodles, and a journal.
Porridge
The Village
Inside the second doorway from the bottom, go left, then take the right path at the split. The recipe is on a table in the eating area.
Pasture Tomatoes
The Vault
Near the tomato plants and goat milk. Check the small storage alcove for the recipe and the Chimes keepsake.
Maple Fudge
The Two Hundred Steps
From the mid-area bivouac, follow the ledge away and cross the broken wooden path. The recipe is on the ground near a tent.
Hunter’s Mushrooms
The Palace of Wind
In the circular chamber. Look near the bivouac on the left side.
Mountain Rice
The Dome
Under the dome structure near a bivouac and water spring.
Food-Related Achievements
Red Rope Club
Cook Grog (Booze + Nettle). Early booze can be found in a hidden cave in The Shortcut.
Herbalist
Cook an Ultimate Infusion. Requires crafting an infusion, then a strong infusion, then upgrading it again.
Master Chocolatier
Cook a Chocolate Egg. Make a Chocolate Drink first, then add an Egg. Eggs can be found near the beekeeper cave, inside the cable car, and along cliff edges near the waterfall.
Doped Up
Have Burst, Grip, Extra Grip, Focus, and Grit active at the same time. This is easiest by combining Ultimate Infusion with an Extra Sweet recipe and a chocolate-based drink.