What's the lowest level at which this becomes usable by fisherman? I just want to use my own products rather than fill up my auction house slots with this--they're always full as it is...

Now, I know this is bait. But it has "Mithra Food" under notes. Is this true? If it is, can someone tell me what the effects are?
Thanks.

This is quite possibly the best recipie to use through the stages of Amatuer cooking. Start making them as soon as you can -- usually around skill 1-2. I think I started around 1.5 or so because I got fed up with stupid eggs and carrot broth.

The best part about the Sardines is that if you play it right, these will require a very small investment, relatively speaking. How to do it:

Getting the Sardines

Go to the Fishing Guild in Windurst, become a member, and buy a Fastwater Fishing Rod and a Sabiki Rig. I think the total cost on these comes to about 3k. (Note: You can also obtain Fastwater Fishing Rods as a drop from Goblin Fishers.)

Stay on the dock by the fishing guild, preferably near Panja-Nanja, and fish to your heart's content. It takes a while, but you will get a nice collection of sardines.

Sell your Quus to the AH. Last I checked, Kujata's Windurst AH was running them for about 200-300/stack. Not much, but it might prove to be enough to pay for your Sabiki Rig and Fastwater Rod.

Pamtam Kelp is mostly worthless. You're lucky to get even 100g per stack at the AH and that's if it sells. Trash it or sell it to vendors or the guild.

Getting the Crystals

Go to Windurst if you're not already there (and you should be if you want to level cooking).

Switch to a job that hasn't been leveled past 6 yet. The lower the level, the better.

Get Signet and head out into East Sarutabaruta.

Once outside, turn south and head into a small cliff area abundant with Bumblebees, Tiny Mandragoras, and an occasional Savannah Rarab. You'll know you're in the right spot because a bajillion people will be fishing from the cliffs.

Kill Bumblebees en masse. Ignore mandragoras and rarabs. Bumblebees drop Wind Crystals and are incredibly easy to kill. Remember that as long as you are gaining exp, you are able to get crystals. The experience on Bumblebees lasts until you hit 6 or 7. I forget which exactly, but I think it's 7. By the time you reach the exp cap, you are getting roughly 6-12 exp per kill, but that just allows you to collect more crystals.

Once You're Done

Head to the Cooking Guild.

Get some Advanced Synthesis Support.

Synth your 1 sardine with 1 crystal and get rich.

Notes

As mentioned above, you can acquire the Fastwater Fishing Rod from a Goblin Fisher. These can be found in Gustaberg and Sarutabaruta, and I'm sure they're in Ronfaure, too.

Sliced Sardines sell for 1k or more, I think, from the AH. However, the sell rate is not particularly fast. It's not terribly slow, but it will take some patience on your part to get the sardines through. However, if you go this way, you will pay off your Sabiki Rig and make a huge profit in the long run.

Since -- assuming a 100% success rate -- one stack of sardines and one stack of crystals makes 2 stacks of sliced sardines, you generally don't have to use more inventory space.

** The importance of this method is that the only gil you have to spend to make these is on the Fastwater Fishing Rod and the Sabiki Rig. Both of these pay for themselves if you use Sardines strictly to get to skill 11.

A great place in Sandy to farm Wind crystals at around level 8-11 is Rangemount Pass. These caves are full of bats and it's really close to town, making dumpoffs a breeze. Rangemount Pass is located Northeast in East Ronfaure.

Edited, Mon Aug 16 15:49:08 2004

I started making these at about 9.2, and I got steady skill-ups until I hit 10, then I sliced up another stack and a half of sardines without a single one. What gives?

Oh, wow. I'm at around level 5 cooking and I've tried and tried and I can't do it. o_O I've lost a couple of stacks total trying to make the sliced sardines...even with image support. >_< *sigh*

Hey is there a vendor to sell these to??

Zambato lvl 23 BLM
Gilgimesh

Where can u farm wind crystals in windy and sandy?

This would really make way more money if you caught the sardines instead, Using a glass fiber and Sabiki Rig I can catch around 2 stacks an hour in the port of windurst and maybe even 4 stacks an hour at the ferry.

In Bahamut
Wind Crystals, Stack=1000Gil
Bastore Sardines=Free if you catch, 500 Gil for a stack if you buy
Sliced Sardines Sell for 1000 Gil
12 Wind Crystals+12 Bastore Sardines(assuming you don't fail)=24 Sliced Sardines
so
1000x2-1000-0(500)=1000(500) Profit

I got to 11.1 doing these before switching to another recipe.

you can make this at level 2 without failure. however you can start it at 0 but it is very rare if you make one you get skill points after doin a couple or fails so just keep tryin, and please someone update the list, it is probably all wrong

Hi,
Does anyone know what the effects of this do? I noticed that it isn't mentioned (at least at the time in which I am writing this post =)

In Windurst AH on Pandemonium Server, 12x WindCrystals ~ 1500gil, 12x Bastore Sardine ~ 500gil = total 2000gil.
On the other hand, 12x Sliced Sardine ~ 1000gil.

Since each successful attempt yield 2x Sliced Sardine, there will be 24x Sliced Sardine if all attempts are successful. Selling all these will make 2000gil (ignore AH trans fees).

As a newbie cook, I strongly suggest using this receipe to train until Cooking(11), because you can cover up part (or most) of the cost you paid.

I was making hard-boiled eggs from Lvl 0 to Lvl 3, but discovered I was dumb coz hard-boiled eggs are hard to sell for high price (either at AH or NPC), and Fire Crystals are also more expensive. From lvl 3 to now, lvl 5.x, I'm still making Sliced Sardine.

For new cooks, as long as you can start synthesizing this receipe, stick to it until you raise your skill to lvl 11. Love this receipe!!

You can start doing this at 2. I've actually done this and am still doing it.

I'm at cooking skill level 7 and this is still giveing me skill level ups, so its higher then 7 for max. Nice way to get fishing and cooking up at same time.

Zarthor - Ramuh Server

At what cooking lvl can you do it? At cooking 0 you can attempt it but it fails all the time.