I only cook to master a recipe and once done, I don't cook it again UNLESS it is one of the following dishes due to their higher rate of $ per plate. I don't stockpile and honestly can't stand having a lot of counters, like I have right now, due to the amount of recipes I've had to master over the past few weeks. I can't wait for them to dwindle down to just a few counters again.

Roast Chicken - $8
Apple Pie - $8
Glazed Ham - $5
Stew - $5
Creme Brulee - $5

On a side note, there are many players that have hundreds of parts (basic ones) and will never be able to use them all up. For quite a long time TL was only releasing new appliances that used new parts, never the old ones. At least that has now partly changed and they use at least one of the old parts as well, but it still isn't enough to dwindle the inventory. TL also wasn't using the same new parts over again on other new appliances, which it seems they now sometimes do, so that is why many higher level players will ask for food and not parts - they don't need the parts as they have hundreds of them already that they'll never be able to use them all up. Unlike Stew which will at least give them a $5 dish to sell that takes 2 days to cook and is free from neighbor gifts.

zZ_guera_Zz, I'm not wasting money as I only cook to master and the Stew is a free gift (not costing me a dime to accept it) and makes me $5 each time one sells. In fact many of my neighbors that only accept or want food do the same - only cook to master and use the Stew to make up for the $2 dishes they've had to cook to get those gems at level 2 & 4.