cooking

cooking — noun

1. the activity of making food ready to eat by washing, cutting, and applying heat

1.nounA1
Definition

the activity of making food ready to eat by washing, cutting, and applying heat using methods such as boiling, frying, or baking

Example

Jisoo learned cooking from her grandmother when she was young.

The cooking class teaches students how to prepare fresh pasta from scratch.

cooking class: noun compound for a learning activity

Common collocations
  • do the cooking
  • home cooking
  • love cooking
  • enjoy cooking
  • cooking skills
  • cooking method
Synonyms
  • cookery

    more common in British English; refers to the art or skill of cooking

  • food preparation

    broader term that includes steps before heating, such as washing and chopping

Grammar Patterns

cooking + noun (compound)

possessive + cooking

Usage Note

Uncountable noun. To refer to a person who cooks, use the countable noun 'cook' ('She is a wonderful cook').

Common Mistakes

I love the cooking of my mother.
I love my mother's cooking.
Use possessive form, not 'of', to describe someone's style of cooking.
She is a good cooking.
She is a good cook.
'cooking' is the activity; 'cook' is the person who does it.

2. meals or dishes made ready to eat through heating, viewed in terms of their styl

2.nounA2
Definition

meals or dishes made ready to eat through heating, viewed in terms of their style, origin, or quality

Example

This restaurant serves traditional Mexican cooking that tastes just like home.

traditional [origin] cooking: cuisine style

Dewi's cooking is always fresh and full of bold flavour.

Common collocations
  • home cooking
  • traditional cooking
  • homemade cooking
  • regional cooking
  • local cooking
Synonyms
  • cuisine

    more formal; emphasises a regional or cultural style of cooking

  • fare

    formal; used for the type of food offered, especially in restaurants

  • dishes

    refers to specific prepared items rather than the overall style

Grammar Patterns

possesive + cooking

adjective + cooking

[origin/nationality] + cooking

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1 (the activity), this sense refers to the food itself. It is often preceded by a possessive noun ('grandma's cooking') or a cultural adjective ('Italian cooking').

Common Mistakes

I bought some cooking at the market.
I bought some cooked food at the market.
'cooking' as a noun for prepared food describes a style or quality, not individual items for sale.

cooking — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Cooking' is the most general word — it covers any method of making food ready to eat by applying heat. 'Cookery' is a close synonym used especially in British English for the skill or study of cooking ('cookery class'). 'Cuisine' is more formal and refers specifically to a regional or cultural style ('Italian cuisine', 'haute cuisine') — you would not say 'I love my grandmother's cuisine' unless you were being humorous. 'Baking' is a narrower term limited to oven-based cooking of bread, cakes, and pastries. 'Food preparation' is the broadest of all, covering steps that do not involve heat, such as chopping and marinating. In everyday use, 'cooking' is the natural choice for talking about the activity itself: 'She enjoys cooking.' Use 'cuisine' when discussing the food traditions of a particular culture.

cookerycuisine ↗bakingfood preparation

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • do the cooking
  • love cooking
  • enjoy cooking
  • take up cooking
  • the art of cooking

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

'Cooking' comes from the Old English word 'coc' (a person who prepares food), which was borrowed from Latin 'coquus', meaning 'cook'. The form 'cooking' — the noun for the activity — appeared by adding the suffix '-ing' to the verb 'cook'. The same Latin root 'coquere' (to cook) also gave us 'cuisine' through French, and 'kitchen' through Old English.