The massive open-world of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" is ridiculously dangerous.
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That guy in the distance is a "Stone Talus." He's basically a large boulder with rocks for arms. Good luck!
If the Moblins don't get you, the elements probably will. In fact, just existing in the parts of Hyrule, "Breath of the Wild's" massive environment, will kill you.
There are, of course, a few things you can do to help Link survive. He can wear armor, and fight back with weapons, and even drink elixirs that will come in especially useful in extreme temperatures. All helpful, no doubt, but the most helpful tool in Link's toolbox is his ability to cook.
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The jingle that plays while Link is cooking is especially delightful.
We've already put together the 10 most useful recipes - those are right here - so today we're focusing on one recipe in particular: the most useful recipe you can cook, no matter what the situation, in "Breath of the Wild."
Amazingly, there's only one ingredient:
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That's right: the mighty durian fruit!
If you've never spent any time in Asia (particularly Southeast Asia), you may be unfamiliar with the durian. It's a particularly impressive-looking fruit that's notorious for smelling rotten. Some people love it, some people hate it - it's divisive in Asia, where you're likely to see signs in the subway specifically banning it from being eaten.
Someone at Nintendo must have a particular affinity for it, because durian is far and away the most useful ingredient in "Breath of the Wild."
Just look at what happens when you take five and cook them together:
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That's no joke!
In case it isn't clear, the result of cooking together five durian in "Breath of the Wild" is a restorative meal that also temporarily increases your heart meter by 20 hearts. There are literally no situations in this game where that isn't tremendously useful - even if you're slowly being killed by extreme heat/cold, even if you're falling from the top of a mountain, even if you're fighting Ganon. With that much health, you can withstand pretty much anything Hyrule throws at you.
Better yet, durian is incredibly easy to collect in vast quantity. I've found a super easy location for endless durian, in southern Hyrule:
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If you've already found Faron Tower, simply quick-travel to it. If you've not found it, you'll need to eventually - why not go right now?
Here's what it looks like when you get there:
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The area near the tower is tropical, as is much of the southern border of Hyrule. And that's a good thing for durian hunting - the massive fruit grows in tropical climates!
Like this plateau, for instance, right next to Faron Tower:
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Indeed, those palm trees are indicative of the treasure before you - they're filled with durian.
All you need to do is hop over to the plateau next to Faron Tower and spend a few minutes loading up Link with more spiky fruit than he knows what to do with.
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From there, take the durian you've harvested and put together five in your inventory, which then gets cooked together. No add-ons, no special ingredients - just five durian simmered together in a cooking bowl over an open flame will do it.
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Sometimes you'll get lucky, like I did here, and produce a meal with even greater restorative powers than usual - check it out:
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That's a full recovery of all my health plus 21 extra hearts. I've been loading up my meal inventory with this dish, and it never fails to get me out of a pinch.
Do yourself a favor and harvest a ton of durian. You may end up as the smelliest hero in Hyrule, but you're also sure to survive.