What does undercooked mean?
Undercooked describes food that has received too little heat or cooking time to reach the desired result. It most often appears in warnings about meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, or baked goods, where the centre may remain raw, soft, or insufficiently firm. The term is especially important in food safety: heating food to the appropriate safe internal temperature reduces the risk of foodborne illness, while a preference for a softer or runnier texture can also explain its everyday use. In general English, “undercooked” is clear and largely neutral, but it often carries a mildly disapproving or cautionary tone because it can suggest careless preparation. Unlike “uncooked,” it implies that some cooking has taken place. The word is common in both British and American English and is also used as the past tense and past participle of the verb “undercook,” meaning to cook inadequately.
Not cooked sufficiently, especially because too little heat or cooking time was applied.
"The undercooked pasta remained too firm in the centre."
Chiefly used of food, particularly in evaluative descriptions and food-safety advice.
To cook something inadequately or for too short a time.
"They undercooked the chicken while distracted by the phone."
This is the past tense and past participle of the verb undercook.
With meat and eggs, undercooked is not merely a texture complaint—it can be a food-safety warning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does undercooked come from?
Undercooked is an English compound formed from the prefix under-, meaning “insufficiently,” and cooked, the past participle of cook. Cook came into English through Middle English and Old French from Latin coquere, meaning “to cook” or “to boil.” The compound follows a familiar English pattern and is structurally parallel to underdone, while forms such as cooker, cookery, and precook belong to the same lexical family.
Related word forms
How undercooked is actually used
The adjective is common in both everyday descriptions and formal food-safety guidance. It often has a mildly cautionary or disapproving connotation, especially when discussing meat, poultry, or eggs.
Easily confused with undercooked
Uncooked food has not been heated at all, whereas undercooked food has undergone some cooking but not enough.