verb | noun
cookcook1 /kʊk/ verb 1 
to make food ready to eat► cook to make food ready to eat, usually by heating it: Who is cooking dinner tonight? Brendan likes to cook.
► make to cook or prepare food so that it is ready to eat: I’m making lunch. Do you want a sandwich? Dad made a pasta dish for dinner.
► fix (informal) fix means the same as make: Dad was fixing breakfast for all of us.
► prepare prepare means the same as make but sounds more formal: Tonight the chef has prepared roast pork and potatoes with local squash.
2 to cook food in a particular way► fry to cook something in hot oil or butter on top of the stove: You only have to fry the fish for a few minutes.
► bake to cook something such as bread or cake in an oven: Put the cookies in the oven and bake them for ten minutes. Antonio likes to bake his own bread.
► roast to cook meat or vegetables in an oven: For our dinner, I decided to roast the vegetables along with the beef.
► boil to cook food in very hot water, or to cook a liquid until it is so hot it makes bubbles: To make a soft-boiled egg, you boil the egg for three minutes. Boil the sugar and water together until the sugar turns a golden brown.
► steam to cook something using steam: Steam the broccoli for about seven minutes.
► broil to cook food by putting it directly over or under flames or heat. You usually broil meat: Broil the pork chops for three minutes on each side before you serve them.
► grill to cook food on a frame over a fire: Dan was grilling in the backyard. Grill the shrimp until they are pink.
verb | noun
cookcook2 /kʊk/ noun ► cook someone who makes food so that it is ready for people to eat: One of the cooks at the diner accidentally started a fire in the kitchen. My mother is a great cook.
► chef someone who has had special training to cook and works in a restaurant: The chef has decided to put lamb on the menu tonight.