cooking
A2Neutral, used across all registers from informal to technical.
Definition
Meaning
The process of preparing food by combining, heating, and seasoning ingredients to make it safe and pleasant to eat.
The activity, practice, or skill of preparing food; can also refer to the process of something happening or developing, especially in secret (e.g., 'plans were cooking'). In colloquial use, can mean performing or doing something very well (e.g., 'the band was cooking').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily an uncountable noun referring to the activity or result (the food). The gerund/participle form of the verb 'to cook' is identical. Its meaning as an informal adjective ('cooking oil', 'cooking utensils') is derived from its verbal root and means 'used in or suitable for cooking'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. Minor differences in food-related terminology within cooking (e.g., 'grill' vs. 'broil', 'courgette' vs. 'zucchini') do not affect the core word itself.
Connotations
Neutral in both. Associated with domesticity, skill, and creativity equally.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
do the cookingbe cooking somethingtake up cookingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “what's cooking?”
- “cooking with gas”
- “cook the books (different verb sense)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in industries like food service, appliances, and media (e.g., 'cooking segment', 'cooking appliance sales').
Academic
Used in fields like nutrition, anthropology, and cultural studies (e.g., 'the anthropology of domestic cooking').
Everyday
The most common context, referring to daily meal preparation at home.
Technical
Used in food science, chemistry, and professional culinary arts (e.g., 'molecular cooking', 'cooking temperatures').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She is cooking a roast for Sunday lunch.
- The chef cooks the steak on the grill.
American English
- He's cooking burgers on the barbecue.
- Can you cook the pasta for eight minutes?
adverb
British English
- (Rare as standalone adverb; typically 'cooking-wise') The kitchen is well-equipped cooking-wise.
American English
- (Rare as standalone adverb) They came home to a wonderfully cooking-smelling house.
adjective
British English
- We need more cooking apples for this recipe.
- She bought a set of new cooking pots.
American English
- This is a good cooking show on TV.
- Make sure you use cooking spray on the pan.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I like cooking with my mum.
- Is he good at cooking?
- We are cooking dinner now.
- She took a cooking class to learn how to make pasta.
- Healthy cooking doesn't have to be difficult.
- The cooking time for the chicken is 45 minutes.
- His passion for authentic Italian cooking led him to study in Rome.
- The book explores the science behind everyday cooking techniques.
- After years of practice, her cooking has become truly exceptional.
- The molecular cooking techniques employed by the chef resulted in a truly avant-garde dish.
- Anthropologists often study domestic cooking practices to understand cultural norms.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a COOK with a KING's crown, ruling over a kitchen. COOK + KING sounds like 'cooking'.
Conceptual Metaphor
CREATING IS COOKING (e.g., 'she cooked up a scheme', 'the project is cooking along').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с "кухней" (kitchen). "Cooking" - это процесс, "kitchen" - место. Русское "готовка" - более прямой эквивалент.
- "Готовить" означает и "to cook", и "to prepare". В английском "cooking" всегда связано с тепловой обработкой пищи.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'kitchen' instead of 'cooking' (e.g., 'I like kitchen' vs. 'I like cooking').
- Misspelling as 'cookking' or 'cookeing'.
- Using plural incorrectly (e.g., 'I do cookings' vs. 'I do the cooking').
Practice
Quiz
In the idiom 'what's cooking?', what does 'cooking' metaphorically mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Cooking' refers to the general activity or process. 'Cuisine' refers to a specific style or method of cooking characteristic of a particular country, region, or establishment.
Typically, no. It is an uncountable noun (e.g., 'I enjoy cooking'). You cannot say 'a cooking' in this sense. However, it can be used countably in informal contexts to mean a session or instance of cooking (e.g., 'That was a good cooking!' is very informal and rare).
Yes, commonly. It forms compound nouns where it describes something used for cooking: 'cooking oil', 'cooking time', 'cooking utensils'. In these cases, it functions as a modifier.
'Cook' is primarily a verb (to prepare food) or a noun for a person (a chef). 'Cooking' is the '-ing' form, functioning as a gerund (the activity) or a present participle (is cooking).