overcook
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cook for too long: To heat food beyond the point of being properly or desirably cooked, often resulting in a loss of texture, flavor, or nutritional value.
Usage
- The verb "overcook" describes an action where food is subjected to heat for an excessive duration.
- It is typically used in the passive voice ("be overcooked") to describe the state of the food.
- It can be used with a direct object ("I overcooked the pasta") or without one ("Be careful not to overcook").
Examples
- Verb:
- If you overcook the steak, it will become tough and dry.
- The rice is mushy because I overcooked it.
- These vegetables were completely overcooked and lost all their crunch.
Advanced Usage
- "to be overcooked to a pulp": An emphatic phrase describing food that is so overcooked it has lost all structure.
- The carrots were overcooked to a pulp and were barely recognizable.
Variants and Related Words
- Overcooked (adj): Describing food that has been cooked too long.
- The overcooked broccoli was very soft.
- Overcooking (n): The process or result of cooking something too long.
- Overcooking is a common mistake for beginner chefs.
Synonyms
- Overdo: To do something to an excessive degree (can be used for cooking, but is more general).
- Burn: To damage by excessive heat, often a more severe result of overcooking.
Antonyms
- Undercook: To cook for too short a time.
- Perfectly cook: To cook for exactly the right amount of time.
Related Phrases
- to cook to death (idiomatic, informal): To overcook something severely.
- You cooked that chicken to death; it's like leather.
Verb
- cook too long
- The vegetables were completely overcooked