Jack of All Plates

One allowance here buys 6,280 EXP, the best of the 6 Lv 5 Culinarian tradecraft leves that record EXP: the runner-up manages 3,140 EXP, 50% less.

Across that rung the return runs from 1,170 EXP to 6,280 EXP per allowance — 6 distinct figures spanning 437%, so the wrong pick leaves 5,110 EXP of the allowance unspent.

On whether to wait: the best Lv 10 Culinarian tradecraft leve returns 10,480 EXP per allowance, 67% more than the best on this rung, while the Lv 1 rung behind tops out at 1,420 EXP.

At Lv 5 this data holds 52 leves paying EXP across 2 categories: the 48 Tradecraft ones average 4,554 EXP per allowance, the 4 Fieldcraft ones 28,481 EXP, which puts this leve 38% above its own category's average.

Jack-o'-lantern ×3 is a Lv 10 Culinarian recipe, 2 steps deep through 2 intermediates, costing 6 units of raw material and 4 crystals.

Handing that in returns 1,047 EXP and 37 gil for every unit of raw material the order swallows, and the tree needs Alchemist and Culinarian.