precooked
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Cooked partially or completely beforehand: Describes food that has undergone some or all of its cooking process in advance, typically requiring only reheating or minimal final preparation before consumption.
Usage
- The adjective precooked is used to describe food items. It indicates that the primary cooking has already been done, often for convenience or preservation.
- It is commonly used attributively (before a noun) but can also be used predicatively (after a linking verb like 'is' or 'was').
Examples
- Attributive use (before a noun):
- The store sells a variety of precooked meats.
- For a quick dinner, she bought a precooked roast chicken.
- Predicative use (after a linking verb):
- This rice is precooked and only needs to be heated.
- The sausages were already precooked when I bought them.
Advanced Usage
- In commercial and industrial contexts: The term is standard in food manufacturing, packaging, and retail to describe the state of prepared foods.
- The factory specializes in precooked, frozen pasta dishes.
Variants and Related Words
- Precook (verb): To cook (food) partially or completely in advance.
- You can precook the beans to save time later.
- Pre-cooked (adjective): An alternative hyphenated spelling, especially common in British English or in formal writing to avoid ambiguity.
- The label says "pre-cooked ham."
Synonyms
- Prepared: Made ready for use or consumption. (More general; can include non-cooking preparation).
- Ready-made / Ready-to-eat: Already prepared and requiring no further cooking, though not necessarily implying a prior cooking step.
- Par-cooked: Specifically cooked partially in advance. (A more technical synonym).
Antonyms
- Raw: Not cooked.
- Uncooked: Not cooked; in a natural state.
- Freshly cooked / Made-to-order: Cooked at the time of serving, not in advance.
Adjective
- cooked partially or completely beforehand
- frozen precooked meals from the supermarket