Simple meal

A simple meal is a basic and effective way to prepare food.

Acquisition

Simple meals can be cooked at a Campfire, Fueled stove, or Electric stove. A simple meal requires 0.5 units of nutrition from human edible ingredients (equal to 10 units of rice, berries, etc.). 300 ticks (5 secs) of work to make, and has no minimum cooking skill.

Summary

A simple meal can be eaten by humans or animals for 0.9 nutrition, or 90% of a human's hunger meter. As it takes 0.5 nutrition of raw food to create, simple meals provide 180% nutrition efficiency. They do not have an effect on mood, unless made from an (un)desirable ingredient.

Analysis

Upgrading from eating raw food to simple meals is a huge upgrade, since:

Simple meals give 80% more nutrition than raw food.
Simple meals avoid the -7 negative moodlet for eating raw food.
Simple meals have a lower chance of giving food poisoning, assuming a clean cooking area and a chef with a cooking stat of 3 or better.

Compared to other meals:

Fine meals give a +5 Ate fine meal mood boost and have the same nutrition efficiency, but require both meat and vegetables to create. They take more work and require a Cooking skill of 6. Vegetarian fine meals and carnivore fine meals can be made from 1 type of food, but waste food in the process.
Nutrient paste meals require Research#Nutrient paste researched (though New Arrivals start with this), power to operate a dispenser, and give a −4 moodlet when eaten. However, nutrient paste gives 66% more nutrition, does not ever give food poisoning, and takes no work to create. Paste becomes relatively better if you do not have a skilled cook.