cook
verb/kʊk/
/kʊk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they cook | /kʊk/ /kʊk/ |
| he / she / it cooks | /kʊks/ /kʊks/ |
| past simple cooked | /kʊkt/ /kʊkt/ |
| past participle cooked | /kʊkt/ /kʊkt/ |
| -ing form cooking | /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to prepare food by heating it, for example by boiling, baking or frying it
- Where did you learn to cook?
- Add the onion and cook for three minutes.
- cook something to cook a meal
- to cook food/dinner
- What's the best way to cook trout?
- (especially British English) I always have a cooked breakfast (= consisting of cooked food)
- cook something for somebody He cooked lunch for me.
- cook somebody something He cooked me lunch.
Collocations CookingCookingPreparing- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients/the spices
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/ghee/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Extra ExamplesTopics Cooking and eatinga1- I'll cook you a special meal for your birthday.
- Make sure you cook the meat well.
- Ensure that the meat is cooked through.
- The vegetables were cooked perfectly.
- the smell of freshly cooked bacon
- Who's going to cook supper?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fully
- thoroughly
- well
- …
- be cooked through
- freshly cooked
- [intransitive] (of food) to be prepared by boiling, baking, frying, etc.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
- Turn the fish over so that it cooks evenly.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fully
- thoroughly
- well
- …
- be cooked through
- freshly cooked
- [intransitive] be cooking(informal) to be happening or planned
- Everyone is being very secretive—there's something cooking.
Word OriginOld English cōc (noun), from popular Latin cocus, from Latin coquus.
Idioms
See cook in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cook in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe cooking with gas
- (informal) to be doing something very well and successfullyTopics Successc2
cook the books
- (informal) to change facts or figures dishonestly or illegally
- His accountant had been cooking the books for years.
- Someone was cooking the books.
cook somebody’s goose
- (informal) to destroy somebody’s chances of successTopics Difficulty and failurec2
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cook