INDEX:
1. to cook something
2. ways of cooking
3. not cooked
4. cooked too much
5. the activity of cooking
6. a style of cooking
7. instructions for cooking
8. something that is used in cooking
9. someone who cooks
RELATED WORDS
to prepare food by cutting it : ↑ CUT (2)
to prepare food by mixing it : ↑ MIX
see also
↑ FOOD
↑ MEAL
↑ DRINK
↑ TASTE
↑ EAT
↑ DELICIOUS
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1. to cook something
▷ cook /kʊk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to prepare food or a meal by heating it, boiling it, frying it etc :
▪ I’m just too tired to cook after work.
▪ Prick the potatoes with a fork before cooking them.
cook lunch/supper/a meal etc
▪ I usually cook a big meal on Sundays.
cook (something) for somebody
cook a meal for someone
▪ The last time she cooked a meal for us we really enjoyed it.
cooked [adjective]
▪ Mix the vegetables with the cooked rice.
▪ Is the pasta cooked yet?
▷ make /meɪk/ [transitive verb]
to make a meal or dish or type of food, either by cooking it or by preparing it in some other way :
▪ My mother used to make delicious strawberry jam.
▪ I think I’ll make fish pie for supper.
▪ I’ll make the salad if you’ll make the pasta.
make lunch/dinner/supper etc
▪ When I got home, Martin was in the kitchen making lunch.
make somebody something
▪ I’ll make you some sandwiches to take with you.
▷ get /get/ [transitive verb not in passive] especially British, spoken
to cook or prepare a meal :
▪ Sit down and let me get dinner.
▪ Joey was downstairs getting the kids their breakfast.
▷ fix /fɪks/ [transitive verb] especially American
to make a meal or dish - use this about meals you make quickly, not about big, formal meals :
fix breakfast/lunch/dinner etc
▪ I have to fix lunch now.
fix somebody something
▪ If you’re hungry, I can fix you some scrambled eggs.
▷ rustle up /ˌrʌs ə l ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make a meal quickly using whatever food you have available :
▪ She managed to rustle up a delicious meal with just a little salad and some eggs.
rustle something up
▪ ‘I don’t think there’s any food in the house.’ ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure we can rustle something up.’
▷ prepare /prɪˈpeəʳ/ [transitive verb] written
to make a meal, especially something that needs time, effort, or skill :
▪ Prepare a vinaigrette dressing with olive oil, white wine vinegar, and mustard.
▪ Some French dishes take hours to prepare.
▪ Mrs Fujimoto prepared a delicious meal for them.
▷ do /duː/ [transitive verb] spoken informal
to make a particular kind of food :
do something
▪ I was thinking of doing fish tonight.
do somebody something
▪ I could do you an omelette.
▷ concoct /kənˈkɒktǁ-ˈkɑːkt/ [transitive verb]
to make an unusual or unpleasant drink, dish, or medicine, by mixing together several different things :
concoct something
▪ For the party, they had concocted a special cocktail containing, among other things, rum and vodka.
concoct something out of
▪ Whenever I had a cold, my grandmother would concoct a remedy out of herbs, ginger, lemons and garlic.
concoction /kənˈkɒkʃ ə nǁ-ˈkɑːk-/ [countable noun]
▪ In the glass was a greenish concoction with pieces of ice and fruit floating in it.
▷ mix /mɪks/ [transitive verb]
to make a drink by mixing two or more liquids or substances together :
▪ If they sell cocktails would you ask the bartender to mix a Harvey Wallbanger?
▪ You can leave the meal cooking while you mix a drink for your guests.
▷ put something on /ˌpʊt something ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
put the dinner/potatoes/vegetables etc on
to start cooking something :
▪ Can we put the dinner on? I’m starved.
▪ They’ll be here soon. You’d better put the steaks on.
▷ be on /biː ˈɒn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if food is on, it is being cooked :
▪ The soup is on, so dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.
▪ Okay, the chicken is on. What can I do now?
2. ways of cooking
▷ cook /kʊk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon until crisp.
▪ Cover and cook slowly until beets are tender, stirring occasionally.
▷ boil /bɔɪl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food in very hot water :
▪ Boil the potatoes until they are soft.
▪ The beans should be boiled rapidly for at least twenty minutes.
boiled [adjective only before noun]
▪ boiled eggs
▷ simmer /ˈsɪməʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food slowly in water that is boiling very gently :
▪ Simmer the macaroni in lightly salted water.
▪ Cover the pan and let it simmer for fifteen minutes.
simmer gently/slowly
▪ Combine all ingredients and simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes.
▷ fry /fraɪ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food in hot oil, butter, or fat :
▪ Fry the onions gently for five minutes.
▪ Mushrooms are best when fried in olive oil.
fried [adjective only before noun]
▪ the smell of fried bacon
▷ stir-fry /ˈstɜːʳ fraɪ/ [transitive verb]
to cook something by mixing it in hot oil for a short time and keeping it moving in the pan :
▪ Add the garlic, ginger and onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
▪ Water chestnuts can be eaten straight from the tin or stir-fried.
▪ Chinese peanut oils are perfect for stir-frying.
▷ bake /beɪk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food in an oven, for example bread, cakes, or potatoes :
▪ My grandmother baked her own bread.
▪ Bake at 190C for 20-25 minutes.
▪ Bake the soufflés for 12 minutes.
▪ Place on a baking sheet and bake in a very low oven until crisp.
baked [adjective]
▪ I love baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli.
▷ roast /rəʊst/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook meat or vegetables in an oven or over a fire :
▪ Roast the chicken for three hours in a hot oven.
▪ the smell of roasting meat
roast [adjective only before noun]
▪ There’s some cold roast beef in the fridge.
▷ grill/broil /grɪl, brɔɪl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food by putting it directly underneath a flame or a heated electric object :
▪ Grill the steak for about five minutes on each side.
▪ Brush the kebabs lightly with oil and broil them.
▪ Broil until cheese melts and edges of bread are crusty.
grilled/broiled [adjective]
▪ I like grilled sole.
▪ I ordered broiled steak, French fries and salad.
▷ steam /stiːm/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to cook food in steam :
▪ Steam the courgettes for 3-4 minutes.
▪ The broccoli, peppers and squash should be steamed.
steamed [adjective only before noun]
▪ a steamed pudding
3. not cooked
▷ raw /rɔː/ [adjective]
raw food has not been cooked :
▪ Sushi consists of raw fish and rice.
▪ a salad made with nuts, raisins and raw carrots
▪ If you can’t resist snacking between meals, eat something healthy such as fruit or raw vegetables.
▷ uncooked /ˌʌnˈkʊkt◂/ [adjective usually before noun]
uncooked food has not yet been cooked, but should be cooked before it is eaten :
▪ Uncooked meat should be stored separately.
▪ Spoon the sauce into large uncooked pasta shells.
▷ underdone/undercooked/not cooked /ˌʌndəʳˈdʌn◂, ˌʌndəʳˈkʊkt◂, nɒt ˈkʊkt/ [adjective] informal
not cooked for long enough :
▪ It can be dangerous to eat undercooked pork.
▪ The potatoes were underdone.
▪ The poultry wasn’t cooked and the fish was practically raw.
4. cooked too much
▷ overcooked/overdone /ˌəʊvəʳˈkʊkt◂, ˌəʊvəʳˈdʌn◂/ [adjective]
food that is overcooked or overdone has been cooked too much and does not taste nice :
▪ The steak’s a little overdone.
▪ I hate overcooked vegetables.
▷ burn /bɜːʳn/ [transitive verb]
to cook food for too long, or too close to the heat, so that it becomes black on the outside :
▪ Oh, no! I’ve burnt the chicken!
▪ The muffins are a little burned on the bottom.
burned/burnt British [adjective]
▪ the smell of burnt hamburger
5. the activity of cooking
▷ cooking /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the activity of cooking :
▪ His hobbies include cooking and wine-making.
do the cooking
▪ Who does the cooking in your house?
▷ cookery /ˈkʊk ə ri/ [uncountable noun] British
the activity or study of cooking :
▪ My favourite subject at school was cookery.
▪ Ken Lowery, a cookery expert, will be giving free demonstrations from 4.30 until 7.00.
▪ She studied at a vegetarian cookery school in London.
6. a style of cooking
▷ cooking /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the way food is cooked by a particular person or in a particular place :
▪ I can recommend that new Greek restaurant. Their cooking is excellent.
▪ Stop criticizing my cooking!
French/Chinese/Italian etc cooking
▪ Karen loves Italian cooking.
▪ Maybe you should take a Chinese cooking class.
home cooking
cooking that you do at home
▪ There’s nothing like home cooking.
▷ cookery /ˈkʊk ə ri/ [uncountable noun] British
the way food is cooked in a particular place :
▪ Annatto is a small seed used in Latin American cookery.
▪ Puddings are a great speciality of British cookery.
▷ cuisine /kwɪˈziːn/ [uncountable noun] formal
the style of cooking of a particular country or place, especially when the food is very good :
▪ Hungary has an excellent and internationally recognised cuisine.
French/Italian/Chinese etc cuisine
▪ Trompe Le Monde features classic French cuisine served amid sumptuous surroundings.
▪ Venetian cuisine is based on seafood and rice.
7. instructions for cooking
▷ recipe /ˈresɪpi, ˈresəpi/ [countable noun]
a set of instructions for cooking a particular meal or type of food :
▪ I’m not a great cook, but I can follow a recipe pretty well.
▪ rabbit pie made to a traditional country recipe
recipe for
▪ Could you give me the recipe for that chocolate cake?
▷ cookbook also recipe/cookery book British /ˈkʊkbʊk, ˈresə̇pi,ˈkʊk ə ri bʊk/ [countable noun]
a book that has instructions for preparing various dishes :
▪ Peters is the author of the popular cookbook ‘Doing it in the Kitchen’.
▪ an illustrated cookbook
French/Italian/Japanese etc cookbook
▪ We have several French cookbooks in stock.
8. something that is used in cooking
▷ cooking /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
cooking utensils/oil/salt etc
used for or in cooking, and not usually for anything else :
▪ We keep all the cooking utensils on the bottom shelf.
▪ That’s cooking chocolate -- you shouldn’t really eat it on its own.
▷ culinary /ˈkʌlɪn ə ri, ˈkʌlən ə riǁˈkʌlə̇neri, ˈkjuːl-/ [adjective] formal
used for or in cooking :
▪ Mint is perhaps the best-known of culinary herbs.
▪ The use of garlic, whether for medicinal or culinary purposes, dates back several centuries.
9. someone who cooks
▷ cook /kʊk/ [countable noun]
someone who cooks food, either as their job or for pleasure :
▪ Jane used to work as a cook in an Italian restaurant.
a good/excellent/terrible cook
someone who is very good or very bad at cooking
▪ Frank’s a very good cook.
▷ chef /ʃef/ [countable noun]
a cook in a restaurant or hotel, especially one who has been trained in a special school to do this work :
▪ Marco’s ambition had been to become a chef in one of the big hotels.
▪ Sagin is a 31-year-old French chef living and working in Montreal.