Library / English Dictionary

COOKING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat

Example:

he left the preparation of meals to his wife

Synonyms:

cookery; cooking; preparation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("cooking" is a kind of...):

change of state (the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics)

Meronyms (parts of "cooking"):

tenderisation; tenderization (the act of making meat tender by pounding or marinating it)

seasoning (the act of adding a seasoning to food)

Domain member category:

challah; hallah ((Judaism) a loaf of white bread containing eggs and leavened with yeast; often formed into braided loaves and glazed with eggs before baking)

Jewish rye; Jewish rye bread ((Judaism) bread made with rye flour; usually contains caraway seeds)

calamari; calamary; squid ((Italian cuisine) squid prepared as food)

curry ((East Indian cookery) a pungent dish of vegetables or meats flavored with curry powder and usually eaten with rice)

brown sauce; Chinese brown sauce (a sauce based on soy sauce)

caramelise; caramelize (convert to caramel)

caramelise; caramelize (be converted into caramel)

alcoholise; alcoholize (make alcoholic, as by fermenting)

alcoholise; alcoholize (treat or infuse with alcohol)

conserve (preserve with sugar)

pickle (preserve in a pickling liquid)

salt (preserve with salt)

marinade; marinate (soak in marinade)

can; put up; tin (preserve in a can or tin)

brine (soak in brine)

fortify; lace; spike (add alcohol to (beverages))

fortify (add nutrients to)

boil down; concentrate; reduce (cook until very little liquid is left)

boil down; concentrate; decoct; reduce (be cooked until very little liquid is left)

bake (cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven)

ovenbake (bake in an oven)

brown (fry in a pan until it changes color)

coddle (cook in nearly boiling water)

fire (bake in a kiln so as to harden)

farce; stuff (fill with a stuffing while cooking)

baste (cover with liquid before cooking)

souse (cook in a marinade)

micro-cook; microwave; nuke; zap (cook or heat in a microwave oven)

crisp; crispen; toast (make brown and crisp by heating)

shirr (bake (eggs) in their shells until they are set)

blanch; parboil (cook (vegetables) briefly)

overboil (boil excessively)

fricassee (make a fricassee of by cooking)

stew (cook slowly and for a long time in liquid)

jug (stew in an earthenware jug)

simmer (boil slowly at low temperature)

roast (cook with dry heat, usually in an oven)

barbecue; barbeque; cook out (cook outdoors on a barbecue grill)

pan roast (roast in a pan)

braise (cook in liquid)

fry (cook on a hot surface using fat)

frizzle (fry something until it curls and becomes crisp)

deep-fat-fry (fry in deep fat)

griddle (cook on a griddle)

pan-fry (fry in a pan)

deep-fry; french-fry (cook by immersing in fat)

stir fry (fry very quickly over high heat)

saute (fry briefly over high heat)

grill (cook over or under a grill)

hibachi (cook over a hibachi grill)

steam (cook something by letting steam pass over it)

broil; oven broil (cook under a broiler)

pan-broil (broil in a pan)

pressure-cook (cook in a pressure cooker)

bruise (break up into small pieces for food preparation)

blacken; char; scorch; sear (burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color)

render; try (melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities)

splat (split open and flatten for cooking)

clarify (make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating)

dun (cure by salting)

corn (preserve with salt)

filet; fillet (cut into filets)

puree; strain (rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender)

egg (coat with beaten egg)

dredge (cover before cooking)

flour (cover with flour)

crumb (coat with bread crumbs)

truss (tie the wings and legs of a bird before cooking it)

bread (cover with bread crumbs)

mask (cover with a sauce)

dress (put a dressing on)

sauce (dress (food) with a relish)

whip; whisk (whip with or as if with a wire whisk)

cream (make creamy by beating)

beat; scramble (stir vigorously)

churn (stir (cream) vigorously in order to make butter)

rice (sieve so that it becomes the consistency of rice)

frost; ice (decorate with frosting)

butterfly (cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking)

put on (put on the stove or ready for cooking)

spatchcock (prepare for eating if or as if a spatchcock)

devil (coat or stuff with a spicy paste)

cook (prepare a hot meal)

precook (cook beforehand so that the actual preparation won't take long)

whip up; whomp up (prepare or cook quickly or hastily)

concoct; cook up (prepare or cook by mixing ingredients)

lard (prepare or cook with lard)

flavor; flavour; season (lend flavor to)

curry (season with a mixture of spices; typical of Indian cooking)

spice; spice up; zest (add herbs or spices to)

ginger (add ginger to in order to add flavor)

savor; savour (give taste to)

pepper (add pepper to)

salt (add salt to)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cooking"):

baking (cooking by dry heat in an oven)

browning; toasting (cooking to a brown crispiness over a fire or on a grill)

broil; broiling; grilling (cooking by direct exposure to radiant heat (as over a fire or under a grill))

frying; sauteing (cooking in fat or oil in a pan or griddle)

fusion cooking (cooking that combines ingredients and techniques and seasonings from different cuisines)

braising (cooking slowly in fat in a closed pot with little moisture)

poaching (cooking in simmering liquid)

roasting (cooking (meat) by dry heat in an oven (usually with fat added))

boiling; simmering; stewing (cooking in a liquid that has been brought to a boil)

percolation (the act of making coffee in a percolator)

cuisine; culinary art (the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so prepared)

Derivation:

cook (transform and make suitable for consumption by heating)

cook (prepare for eating by applying heat)

cook (prepare a hot meal)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

-ing form of the verb cook

Credits

 Context examples: 

But the princess knew nothing of making fires and cooking, and the fiddler was forced to help her.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

A question about whether an individual feels or felt that people had difficulty cooking for them.

(Feel Like People Have Difficulty Cooking for Me, NCI Thesaurus)

In the United States, cooking is the main cause of home fires.

(Fire Safety, NIH)

This substance may be formed during cooking of foods that contain sodium nitrite as a preservative, including meat, fish and cheese.

(N-Nitrosopyrrolidine, NCI Thesaurus)

Mustard oil is used as a cooking oil, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, and in various medicinal preparations.

(Mustard Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

A room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.

(Kitchen, NCI Thesaurus)

This substance may be formed during the cooking of foods that contain sodium nitrite as a preservative, including meat, fish and cheese.

(N-Nitrososarcosine, NCI Thesaurus)

Used mainly in cooking today, olive oil has been used for medicines and in cosmetics.

(Olive Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Peanut oil is used primarily as a cooking oil and as a food ingredient.

(Peanut Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Palm oil is commonly used as a commercial cooking oil due to its stability at high temperatures.

(Palm Oil, NCI Thesaurus)