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 - this is equal to 10 units of rice, potatoes, meat, and most foods. They require 300 ticks (5 secs) of work to make, and have 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 Ate raw food moodlet.
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 give a −4 moodlet, require Nutrient paste researched (New Arrivals start with this), and power to operate a dispenser. However, nutrient paste gives 66% more nutrition, will not ever give food poisoning, and takes no work to create. Paste becomes relatively better if you do not have a skilled cook.