History LethalChef / VideoGames

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', Taion is said to have been so bad at cooking that Manana felt the need to learn herself. His main issue is that as a tactician, he "optimized" his cooking for "efficient absorption of nutrients and convenient portability" at the expense of... everything else. That said, he is really good at brewing tea, and finding the best tea leaves is a hobby of his.

* Katalina from ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' is constantly trying to provide good food for her crew but is completely oblivious to how awful it is; even [[BigEater Lyria]] and her {{Yandere}} admirer won't eat them. She even causes a kitchen to explode in the anime adaptation. During the April Fool's event, Ferry even attempts to change the topic when Jin mentioned Katalina's cooking. The only one who eats it in earnest is [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia Milla]] and that's only because she views it as a training exercise to test her endurance. Her dishes have been given descriptions like ominous purple goop, her Valentine's chocolate is a slimy, half-cooked mess and the food's smell either angers monsters or wards them away from the ship. But despite all this, Katalina still somehow believes that it's great and everyone should at least have a bite.

** Aigis is no different, making something that already looked absolutely inedible, even before it exploded when another liquid was added. Aigis assumed that looks didn't matter and wanted to make an 'impact' with her beverage. In fairness, Aigis is a RobotGirl who has no digestive system or ability to taste her food.

* ''VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory'': Not only is Mitama's food so bad that only [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kyoko]] can finish it and causes other people to faint, but the way she holds utensils is dangerous. Knives have a tendency to go flying when she's in the kitchen.

** According to Dromarch, [[TheLancer Nia]] is also one of these (he warns Rex that Nia's cooking is "not conventionally tasty." [[ServileSnarker Within earshot of her, even.]]), though unlike Mythra we don't get to experience it on-screen.

*** Three of the main girls have very questionable cooking abilities, ranging from Rise (would be fine if her food wasn't way too spicy), Yukiko (who can make an omelet that, through a process that can only be described as alchemical, has no taste ''at all'') and Chie (just plain awful). Ironically, out of the four females in the main cast, only the {{Bokukko}} Naoto could be considered a competent chef (and even with her help, it took the girls three tries to come up with a cake that was deemed suitable for consumption).

* ''VideoGame/BugFables'' has the same cooking mechanics as the early ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games, so naturally the Mistakes come with it if you try to cook incompatible ingredients together. This time they can actually [[PoisonMushroom poison]] whoever eats it in addition to restoring a pitiful amount of TP, though you can avoid the poison if you eat it outside of battle. Furthermore, if you try cooking a Mistake you've already made, you'll make a Big Mistake, which is even more lethal, bringing your HPToOne like ''Paper Mario's'' Trial Stew. For good measure, the Big Mistake is [[CensoredForComedy pixellated]] a la the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Dubious Food]].

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' zig-zags the trope by presenting us with Normandy chef Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner. According to the crew talk when you first come aboard, Gardner is the worst chef ever. Then you actually talk to the guy, and find out he's actually quite good, it's his ''ingredients'' that are bad. A quick pit stop at the Citadel can remedy this situation.

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', according to Raiden, [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Rosemary]] is one of these. He gives a sigh of relief when he convinces her to book a reservation to a restaurant instead of cooking on their special day, visibly cringing in the CODEC screens when she brings the subject up. ''And even confides to Snake that rations taste better than her food''! This is referenced in the fourth game. Her food still tastes terrible.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', the Soviet chefs responsible for creating the Russian rations were absolutely terrible cooks, as the rations were very bad tasting, and doesn't even do moderate stamina recovery. Heck, [[EvenTheRatsWontTouchIt even the dogs refuse to eat them]] if thrown to them.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', Sunny loves to cook eggs, but she always ends up burning them, and both Otacon and Snake, the latter a former Green Beret, are always coming up with excuses not to eat them. Thanks to Naomi, she gets better at it.

** Maya Amano from ''VideoGame/Persona2'' is an awful chef to the point that her roommate Ulala does most of the cooking. To supplement this, Maya's fridge is loaded with [[TrademarkFavoriteFood canned crab]].
** One of the ''VideoGame/Persona3'' Social Links involves Fuuka [[MissionControl "Tank, I need an exit"]] Yamagishi, who recruits the main character to taste test her food. The level of Courage the protagonist requires for this is literally titled "Badass" -- her cooking is foul enough to [[AnimalsHateHim chase off nearby animals]]. On the other hand, as you hang out with her, her cooking gradually improves. As [[SupremeChef Shinjiro]] points out, Fuuka's failure in cooking lies in her tendency to not prepare in advance and to try to deviate from the recipe without first understanding the basics, and then panic and further compound her mistakes as a result. For instance, when making chocolate truffles, if the recipe asks for one teaspoon of liqueur, she adds ''[[CordonBleughChef a cup]]'' on the basis that [[OvenLogic she wants a bigger portion to share with everyone]]. Which is a moot point, since she mistakenly used ''vinegar''...

* Jean Armstrong of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' has a tendency to make the most basic-looking dishes taste terrible. He can't even get ''coffee'' right.
-->'''Armstrong:''' Suddenly I find myself [[spoiler:so deep in la debt]]. It is a sign of la bad, bad world we live in, uh?\\
'''Phoenix:''' (No, I'd say it's more of a sign of la bad, bad culinary skills...)

** The earlier games allow Mario (or whoever else you're playing as in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'') to be one of these by proxy. While [[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Tayce T.]], [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Zess T.]], [[VideoGame/SuperPaperMario Saffron and Dyllis]] are usually {{Supreme Chef}}s, they can only do so much if you give them ingredients that the game doesn't recognize as a valid recipe, resulting in a Mistake, an item that only restores 1HP and 1FP no matter what you put into it, and visually resembles a mess of... something with fish bones on a plate.

* The earlier ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games allow Mario (or whoever else you're playing as in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'') to be one of these by proxy. While [[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Tayce T.]], [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Zess T.]], [[VideoGame/SuperPaperMario Saffron and Dyllis]] are usually {{Supreme Chef}}s, they can only do so much if you give them ingredients that the game doesn't recognize as a valid recipe, resulting in a Mistake, an item that only restores 1HP and 1FP no matter what you put into it, and visually resembles a mess of... something with fish bones on a plate.

** Lilia is heavily implied to be one; all his close ones react negatively whenever his cooking is mentioned.

** Mythra is one in contrast to her [[SplitPersonality other self]], [[SupremeChef Pyra]]. It's only mentioned in passing in the main game, but the prequel DLC, ''Torna: The Golden Country'', illustrates it in much greater detail. Whenever her meals are shown on screen, they are accompanied by [[CensoredForComedy pixel censors]] like the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Dubious Food]]. Milton's description of the taste is that it does "more damage than an [[HumongousMecha Artifice]]" could. The only people in the game that can handle Mythra's cooking are Ardainians.

** {{Downplayed}} with [[SpiderPeople Muffet]] and [[ActionMom Toriel]]. Toriel will use ''snails'' as a substitute for cinnamon in pie, but is otherwise considered a superb cook. Muffet's baked goods are heavily implied to be made with spider silk and ''body parts'', but are only lethal when she's using them as EdibleAmmunition during her boss fight.

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', according to Raiden, [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Rosemary]] is one of these. He gives a sigh of relief when he convinces her to book a reservation to a restaurant instead of cooking on their special day, visibly cringing in the CODEC screens when she brings the subject up. ''And even confides to Snake that rations taste better than her food''! This is referenced in the fourth game. Her food still tastes terrible.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'', the Soviet chefs responsible for creating the Russian rations were absolutely terrible cooks, as the rations were very bad tasting, and doesn't even do moderate stamina recovery. Heck, [[EvenTheRatsWontTouchIt even the dogs refuse to eat them]] if thrown to them.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', Sunny loves to cook eggs, but she always ends up burning them, and both Otacon and Snake, the latter a former Green Beret, are always coming up with excuses not to eat them. Thanks to Naomi, she gets better at it.

** Aigis is no different, making something that already looked absolutely inedible, even before it exploded when another liquid was added. Aigis assumed that looks didn't matter and wanted to make an 'impact' with her beverage.

** Downplayed in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'' with Reinhard. He's a domestic HouseHusband who likes to cook, and he ''can'' whip up some delicious dishes. However, he has a poor sense of taste... so about 30% of the time, he'll whip up something that's just fine by his standards, and absolutely horrible to anyone else. If the player romances him, he'll give them lunch in the morning, and his lunches range from legitimately good to horrifying Failed Dishes.