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/ |
enlarge image[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
- 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/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 planned secretly
- Everyone is being very secretive—there's something cooking.
Word OriginOld English cōc (noun), from popular Latin cocus, from Latin coquus.
Idioms
be 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