Following on from my combined Fishing and Cooking guide, here's a straight 1 to 300 cooking guide using materials found on mobs.
Please note it is a LOT easier and cheaper to level your cooking whilst leveling your Fishing at the same time.
I've tried to pick the cheapest, easiest and quickest recipes to make and where possilbe I've tried to stick to trainer only recipes. So get your ass to a cooking trainer and pick up the apprentice cooking skill.
Once you've trained as an apprentice cook, you'll have 3 recipes to start with (along with the fire making skill), they are as follows:
Herb Baked Egg
Roasted Boar Meat
Charred Wolf Meat
So of these recipes, you'll only be wanting to use the Roasted Boar Meat or Charred Wolf Meat recipes, as they dont need any other reagents to cook.
So lets start cooking :)
Horde
Levels 1 to 40
Kill any of the following:
Mottled Boars around Orgrimmar for Chunks of Boar Meat.
Wolves and Stalkers around Mulgore for Stringy Wolf Meat.
Darkhounds around Tirisfal Glades for Stringy Wolf Meat.
You'll need about 45 Wolf Meat or about 55 Boar Meat.
Cook the Boar Meat and Stringy Wolf Meat until 40 (train on Spiced Wolf Meat at level 10 and use this to get skill ups quicker, but you'll have to buy mild spices).
At this point you really should take up Fishing as it's easier to fill the gaps, patriculary if your on the Horde side. But people have requested a cooking only guide, so let's try and stick to mob drops.
Levels 41 to 90
At level 50 train as Journeyman Cook.
Goto The Sepulcher in Silverpine Forest and buy the Smoked Bear Meat recipe from Andrew Hilbert.
Kill Grizzled Bears around Silverpine Forest for Bear Meat.
You'll need about 60.
Levels 91 to 125
Go find Grub in The Barrens. He's in a Tower by Grosh'gek Farm, just north off the road between Crossroads and Ratchet and pick up the quest for Dig Rat stew.
Kill Dig Rats until you have about 30 more than the quest needs. Complete quest and cook Dig Rat Stew till your level 125.
Levels 126 to 175
To Train as a Expert cook, goto Shadowprey Village and buy the Expert Cooking Book from Wulan.
Goto Razor Hill and buy Hot Lion Chops recipe from Zargh and about 60 Hot Spices.
Kill Mountain Lions around Hillsbrad Foothills for Lion Meat.
You'll need about 60.
Levels 176 to 200
Goto Grom'gol and buy Roast Raptor recipe from Nerrist and about 30 Hot Spices.
Kill Raptors around Grom'gol for Raptor Flesh.
You'll need about 30.
Levels 201 to 225
Goto trainer and train Spider Sausage.
Kill Darkfangs around Dustwallow Marsh for White Spider Meat.
You'll need about 30.
Level 225
Goto Gadgetzan and speak to Dirge Quikcleave to obtain Artisan cooking quest - Clamlette Surprize (he's in the tavern). Whilst your there, pick up the recipe for Tender Wolf Steaks.
You'll need 12 Giant Eggs, 10 zesty Clam Meat and 20 Alterac Swiss. The Alterac Swiss is the easiest to get, just goto the Inn in Thunderbluff and buy them from the Innkepper . Get the eggs from the Owlbeasts in The Hinterlands (the drop rate is way better than the Rocs in Tanaris). For the clam meat goto Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris and kill the Turtles. They will drop Big Mouth Clams at a good rate, which contain Zesty clam Meat.
Keep killing Owlbeasts in The Hinterlands and grab another 70-80 eggs. Also kill the Wolves round here for Tender Wolf Meat.
Goto Bloodvenom Post in Felwood and buy the Monster Omelet recipe from Bale and about 140-160 Soothing Spices (this is where it gets really expensive. Take up fishing already, it's cheaper).
Levels 226 to 285
Stay in Felwood and cook those eggs for Monster Omelets and any Tender Wolf Meat you got. If you didnt have enough to get you to 285, go kill the Wolves around Felwood for Tender Wolf Meat and make Tender Wolf Steaks.
Levels 286 to 300
Goto Cenarion Hold in Silithus and speak to Calandrath for the Desert Recipe chain of quests. When you get to the third quest you'll get the recipe for Smoked Desert Dumplings.
Kill Dredge Crushers and Strikers for the Sandworm Meat (low drop rate). You'll only need about 10 more than the quest needs plus the soothing spices (about 20 in total).
Cook till 300.
Congratulations, your now a Master Cook :) BTW did I mention how much easier it would be if you actually used Fishing aswell?
Alliance
As a member of the Alliance you'll have an easier time finding reagents for the lower level recipes.
Levels 1 to 40
Kill any of the following:
Crag Boars around Dun Morogh for Chunks of Boar Meat.
Boars around Elwynn Forest for Chunks of Boar Meat.
Crag and Mountain Boars around Loch Modan for Chunks of Boar Meat.
Thistle Boars around Teldrassil for Chunks of Boar Meat.
Wolves around Elwynn Forest Stringy Wolf Meat.
Wolves around Dun Morogh Stringy Wolf Meat.
You'll need about 45 Wolf Meat or about 55 Boar Meat.
Cook the Boar Meat and Stringy Wolf Meat until 40 (you can train on Spiced Wolf Meat at level 10 and use this to get skill ups quicker, but you'll have to buy mild spices).
Levels 41 to 75
Goto Drac Roughcut in Thelsamar, Loch Modan and buy Smoked Bear Meat recipe.
Kill bears around Loch Modan for Bear Meat.
Levels 76 to 85
Train as Journeyman cook and get Crab Cake recipe.
Kill Crawlers around Darkshore and Westfall for Crawler meat.
You'll need about 10. N.B. Dont sell the Crawler Claws, you'll need them for the next stage.
Levels 86 to 100
Goto Stormwind City and buy Crooked Crab Claw recipe from Kendor Kabonka. Get about 20 mild spices.
Go back to Darkshore or Westfall and continue killing Crawlers.
You'll need about 20.
Levels 101 to 130
Goto Chef Grual (geddit?, grual - gruel?...oh nevermind) in Darkshire and get the Seasoned Wolf Kabobs quest.
Get the Stormwind Seasoning Herbs from Felcia Gump in Stormwind (Trade District).
Kill Ravagers and Wolves around Duskwood for Lean wolf Flank.
You'll need about 50-60 (including the ones you need for quest).N.B. you could get the Lean Wolf Steak recipe from Super Seller 680 in Desolace and continue killing until your cooking is upto 150+ and then skip the next step).
Levels 131 to 175
At level 125 train as Expert Cook.
To Train as a Expert cook, goto Shandrina by Mystral Lake in Ashenvale and buy the Expert cookbook.
Goto Kendor Kabonka in Stormwind City and buy the Curiously Tasty Omelet recipe.
Kill Raptors in Arathi Highlands for Raptor Eggs.
You'll need about 55 Eggs and 55 Hot Spices.
Levels 176 to 200
Goto Chef Jessen in Southshore and get the Soothing Turtle Bisque quest.
Kill the Turtles all along the river between Southshore and Tarren Mill for Turtle Meat.
Keep killing them till you have about 40 meat, then hand in quest and cook till level 200.
Levels 201 to 225
Goto trainer and train Spider Sausage.
Kill Darkfangs around Dustwallow Marsh for White Spider Meat.
You'll need about 30.
Level 225
Goto Gadgetzan and speak to Dirge Quikcleave to obtain Artisan cooking quest - Clamlette Surprize (he's in the tavern). Whilst your here, pick up the Tender Wolf Steaks recipe.
You'll need 12 Giant Eggs, 10 zesty Clam Meat and 20 Alterac Swiss. The Alterac Swiss is the easiest to get, just goto the Trade District in Stormwind City and buy it from Ben Trias. Get the eggs from the Owlbeasts in The Hinterlands (the drop rate is way better than the Rocs in Tanaris). For the clam meat goto Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris and kill the Turtles. They will drop Big Mouth Clams at a good rate, which contain Zesty clam Meat.
Keep killing Owlbeasts in The Hinterlands and grab another 70-80 eggs. Also kill the Wolves round here for Tender Wolf Meat.
Goto Talonbranch Glade in Felwood and buy the Monster Omelet recipe from Malygen and about 140-160 Soothing Spices (this is where it gets really expensive. Take up fishing already, it's cheaper).
Levels 226 to 285
Stay in Felwood and cook those eggs for Monster Omelets and any Tender Wolf Meat you got. If you dont have enough to get you to 285, go kill the Wolves around Felwood for Tender Wolf Meat and make Tender Wolf Steaks.
Levels 286 to 300
Goto Cenarion Hold in Silithus and speak to Calandrath for the Desert Recipe chain of quests. When you get to the third quest you'll get the recipe for Smoked Desert Dumplings.
Kill Dredge Crushers and Strikers for the Sandworm Meat (low drop rate). You'll need about 10 more than the quest needs plus the soothing spices (20 in total).
Cook till 300.
Congratulations, your now a Master Cook :) BTW did I mention how much easier it would be if you actually used Fishing aswell?
Cooking 1-300 Guide