Cooked
/kʊkt/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo prepare food for eating by applying heat.
/kʊkt/
To prepare food by using heat.
He cooked the chicken until it was golden brown.
💡 Simply: Cooking is like giving food a hot bath so it's safe to eat and tastes yummy! Imagine you're making your favorite pizza – you're cooking it!
👶 For kids: To make food ready to eat by putting it on a fire or in a hot oven.
More Examples
She learned how to cook from her grandmother.
The chef cooked a special dish for the event.
We cooked dinner together last night.
How It's Used
"She cooked a delicious meal for her family."
"I cook dinner every evening."
Having been prepared by heating.
/kʊkt/
The potatoes were perfectly cooked.
💡 Simply: When something is 'cooked', it means it's been heated up to make it ready to eat. Think about a cooked egg – it's no longer runny!
👶 For kids: Already made hot to eat.
More Examples
I prefer my eggs cooked over easy.
The meat was undercooked, so we sent it back to the kitchen.
The cooked pasta was delicious.
How It's Used
"The steak was cooked to perfection."
"He preferred cooked vegetables over raw ones."
From Old English *cocian* 'to cook'. The past tense and past participle form 'cooked' is a regular verb formation.
Used since Old English, the word 'cooked' has maintained its core meaning relating to food preparation throughout history.
Memory tip
Think of how you make a meal.