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***See Vegetable, Animal, and Exotic Animal Mastery Article***

the complete my gourmet ranch guide - my gourmet ranch facebook application

Gourmet Ranch is a game application in the world's largest social network, Facebook. It's new but its popularity is increasing many times over, likely because it combines cooking and farming into one neat and appealing game.

Learn here the best foods to level up faster, the best crops to unlock, and the most profitable dishes.

The Game Basics - important things to know

Once you have caught on to the basics of growing crops, harvesting them, cooking food, and serving dishes, you should take note of a few important facts that help you to level up faster and earn more coins.

• The Popularity stats in the upper right hand of the screen help determine how many customers arrive at your restaurant, and they are based on the variety of food you are serving!

This means that if you want to attract a lot of customers to your restaurant in order to earn maximum coins, you need to keep the food on your counters full. If you have an empty counter and the food cooking on your stoves won't be ready for awhile, look to buy food from a neighbor. Keep your popularity rating high.

To buy completed dishes from a neighbor, click on the little icons above the neighbor icon. A neighbor can be selling completed dishes and/or ingredients (or nothing at all). You determine how many servings you'd like to buy by sliding the slider to the number you'd like.

• Buying dishes and ingredients from neighbors can be very helpful for keeping your dishes varied thereby pushing up your popularity stats, even when you haven't yet unlocked enough items to keep up the variety on your own.

Ingredients can also be purchased from Big Mart, but you'll get them cheaper from your neighbors' trade stores.

Unlocking with Keys:

Another important part of your overall strategy on Gourmet Ranch is determining which crops, animals, and trees to unlock. Certain items follow an unlocking path. For example, in the Fruits section, one line goes like this:

Grapes --> Kiwi Fruit --> Passion Fruit --> Pomegranate --> Red Grapes

If you want to make Red Wine, one quick check of its ingredients in the cookbook will tell you that you need Red Grapes in order to make it. However, you will need to unlock Kiwi Fruit, Passion Fruit, and Pomegranate before you can unlock Red Grapes (Grapes are available from the beginning of the game and don't have to be unlocked).

Keys are used for unlocking new items. Keys are offered to you at various levels. You can purchase keys with Gourmet Ranch credits (cash), but this is rather expensive (at $5 per key). So, use the keys wisely.

Every time you level up, you earn 2 Market Keys.

Spoilage

Crops die after they've been left for longer than 3 times their growing time. So, for example, carrots take 10 minutes to grow, so they will spoil after 30 minutes. Cabbages take 12 hours to grow, and will spoil after 36 hours.

Cooked food (dishes on the stove) will spoil if left for longer than 12 times their cooking time, which is quite generous. So if a dish takes 1 hour to cook, it will spoil after 12 hours.

Items in the larder seem to last indefinitely.

Earning XP Points to Level Up Faster

The main key here is to have as many Gourmet Ranch neighbors as possible. This is because simply visiting one neighbor earns you 5 XP, and each time you spice food, feed animals, and fertilize their crops, you earn 5 XP.

You can spice food, feed animals, and fertilize crops once a day for each neighbor. For each neighbor, you can spice one dish, feed one animal, and fertilize crops or trees two times - that is, if other neighbors haven't gotten to all of these items first.

• You earn up to 25 XP for each neighbor you visit and spice, feed, and fertilize. Sometimes the spice, feed, or fertilize options cannot be used, even if a day has passed since your last visit, because others have gotten to the items first.

Small quantities of XP points are also earned through regular game play, such as when planting and collecting crops, buying animals, plowing land, cooking food, cleaning stoves, and so forth.

Buying items for your ranch in Gourmet Ranch also earns you XP. In most cases, the pricier an item is, the more XP you earn.

Players willing to invest real money into the game will be at an advantage in terms of earning XP from purchased items, but there are free ways of earning XP, of course, and this also includes indirectly earning them through profitable dishes that earn you enough coins to purchase decorative items.

*****One of the best ways to earn XP if you have some time on your hands is to continuously cook 3 or 5 minute items, such as tea and coffee, and continuously grow tea and coffee grains. You can serve them or trade them - either way you are getting the XP points for cooking a new dish and cleaning the stove. Tea is better in terms of quickness and it costs less to grow.

*****Another great way for earning XP is buying dishes and ingredients put up for trade by neighbors. Watch your XP go up as you purchase these items.

The Best Dishes to Cook to Level Up Faster

Currently, the best food to cook for earning maximum XP per hour are:

• Guacamole Platter (also extremely profitable for coins earned)
• Cup of coffee
• Strawberry Tart
• Apple Pie
• Blueberry Muffin
• Blackberry Crumble
• Avocado and Walnut Soup
• Cup of Tea
   

To cook these foods, you will need to have available and to grow the following:

***Guacamole Platter: Avocadoes, which come from the Avocado tree. The Avocado tree is in the Cherry Tree line. You will need to unlock the Plum, Peach, and Apricot trees first before unlocking the Avocado tree. It's worth using your keys for! Guacamole Platter yields excellent XP/hour AND coins/hour. You might try buying avocadoes from neighbors until you have unlocked your own avocado tree. The only down side is that it only takes 10 minutes to cook, so you will need to be around your game, cooking the dish often.

Cup of Coffee: Coffee Beans, which can be unlocked in the Grains section along the Tea Line. It's the first item after Tea, so only requires one key to unlock. Coffee only takes 5 minutes to cook, however, and is not as profitable in terms of coins as the guacamole platter.

Strawberry Tart: Strawberries, in the Fruits section after the freely available Raspberries, so it only takes one key to unlock. Profitability for strawberry tart is good as well. It takes only 5 minutes to cook, however.

Apple Pie: Apples, from apple trees. 5 minutes to cook.

Blueberry Muffin: Blueberries, after first unlocking Strawberry and Blackberry. 10 minutes to cook.

Blackberry Crumble: Blackberries, after first unlocking Strawberry. 10 minutes to cook.

Avocado and Walnut Soup: Avocado, from Avocado trees after first unlocking Plum, Peach, and Apricot trees; and Walnut, from Walnut trees, after first unlocking the Almond tree. 30 minutes to cook.

Cup of Tea: Tea Leaves, in the Grains category (freely available from the start). 3 minutes to cook.

The best hour-long dish to cook for maximum XP to level up faster is Bean and Artichoke Salad.

The best two-hour dish to cook for maximum XP to level up faster is Cheese and Tomato Pizza.

The best four-hour dish to cook for maximum XP to level up faster is Goost Breast with Vegetables.

The best six-hour dishes to cook for maximum XP to level up faster are Corned Beef Hash, Stuffed Goose, and Banana Oatmeal Cookies.

For Best Per-Serving Coins

Use your keys to unlock the Red Grapes and the Aberdeen Angus Cow so that you can make these two high-yield coins per serving dishes: Red Wine and Steak with Red Wine Jus. If you have pears available as well, Pears in Spiced Red Wine is another high-yield dish for maximum coins. Each of these dishes brings in 23-24+ coins per serving.

The Red Grapes can be unlocked in the Fruits section by consecutively unlocking the fruit along the Grape line.

The Aberdeen Angus Cow can be unlocked in the Animals section by consecutively unlocking the animals along the Pig line.

Pears can be unlocked in the Trees section along the Apple Tree line.

However, while these are great for quick cash, profitability is not necessarily only about how many coins a dish yields per serving. You have to factor in how much the ingredients cost in the first place, how long they take to cook, and how long they take to grow. So, while the above dishes bring in nice-looking quantities of coins, they also involve paying good cash to grow the ingredients.

Gourmet Ranch Levels

• Level 4: at 180 XP -- receive 2000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter, 1 waitress
• Level 5: at 330 XP -- receive 3000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 6: at 540 XP -- receive 4000 coins, 2 keys, 1 cafe expansion
• Level 7: at 820 XP -- receive 5000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 8: at 1200 XP -- receive 6000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress, 1 counter
• Level 9: at 1600 XP -- receive 7000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 10: at 2200 XP -- receive 8000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 11: at 2800 XP -- receive 9000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 12: at 3600 XP -- receive 10000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress, 1 counter
• Level 13: at 4400 XP -- receive 11000 coins, 2 keys, 1 cafe expansion
• Level 14: at 5400 XP -- receive 12000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 15: at 6400 XP -- receive 13000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 16: at 7600 XP -- receive 14000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter, 1 farm expansion
• Level 17: at 8800 XP -- receive 15000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 18: at 10200 XP -- receive 16000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 19: at 11600 XP -- receive 17000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 20: at 13200 XP -- receive 18000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress, 1 counter
• Level 21: at 14800 XP -- receive 19000 coins, 2 keys, 1 cafe expansion
• Level 22: at 16600 XP -- receive 20000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 23: at 18400 XP -- receive 21000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 24: at 20600? XP -- receive 22000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 25: at 22400? XP -- receive 23000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 26: at 24600 XP -- receive 24000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 27: at 26800 XP -- receive 25000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 28: at 29200 XP -- receive 26000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress, 1 counter
• Level 29: at 31700 XP -- receive 27000 coins, 2 keys, 1 cafe expansion
• Level 30: at 34200 XP -- receive 28000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 31: at 36900 XP -- receive 29000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 32: at 39600 XP -- receive 30000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 33: at 42400 XP -- receive 31000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 34: at 45400 XP -- receive 32000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 35: at 49000? XP -- receive 33000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 36: at 51600 XP -- receive 34000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress, 1 counter
• Level 37: at 54800 XP -- receive 35000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 38: at 58200 XP -- receive 36000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 39: at 61600 XP -- receive 37000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 40: at 65200 XP -- receive 38000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 41: at 68800 XP -- receive 39000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 42: at 72600 XP -- receive 40000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 43: at 76600? XP -- receive 41000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 44: at 80400 XP -- receive 42000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 45: at  XP -- receive 43000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 46: at 88600 XP -- receive 44000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress
• Level 47: at 92800 XP -- receive 45000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 48: at 97200 XP -- receive 46000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 49: at 101600 XP -- receive 47000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 50: at 106200 XP -- receive 48000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 51: at 110800 XP -- receive 49000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 52: at 115600 XP -- receive 50000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 53: at 120400 XP -- receive 51000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 54: at 125400 XP -- receive 52000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 55: at 130400 XP -- receive 53000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 56: at 135800 XP -- receive 54000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter, 1 waitress
• Level 57: at 140800 XP -- receive 55000 coins, 2 keys, 1 farm expansion
• Level 58: at 146200 XP -- receive 56000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 59: at 151600 XP -- receive 57000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 60: at 157200 XP -- receive 58000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 61: at 00 XP -- receive 59000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 62: at 168600 XP -- receive 60000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 63: at 174400 XP -- receive 61000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 64: at 180400 XP -- receive 62000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
• Level 65: at 186500 XP -- receive 63000 coins, 2 keys
• Level 66: at 192800 XP -- receive 64000 coins, 2 keys, 1 waitress
• Level 67: at 198700 XP -- receive 65000 coins, 2 keys, 1 stove
• Level 68: at 205400 XP -- receive 66000 coins, 2 keys, 1 counter
  
   

Ingredients

What can you make with ingredients? Some ingredients are not as important as others because they don't (as yet) contribute to many dishes. Examples:

Feta Cheese (from Dairy Sheep): is an ingredient in Greek Salad and Winter Vegetable Pie.
Olives (from Olive Trees): is an ingredient in Greek Salad and Olive Tapas.
Cocoa Beans (in Grains): is an ingredient in many dishes - Chocolate Pudding, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Nut Tart, Black Forest Gateau, Chocolate Nut Cookies, and Chocolate Orange Cake.

You can find out which dishes any ingredient contributes to by clicking on the small recipe book icon in the upper right-hand corner of the ingredient itself.

See Also:

Gourmet Ranch: Tips: Vegetable & Livestock Mastery