What does undercooking mean?
Undercooking means cooking food insufficiently, often for less time or at a lower temperature than necessary. The resulting food may remain raw in parts, have an unsuitable texture, or fail to meet food-safety requirements. The word is used both as a gerund, as in “the undercooking of rice,” and as a present participle, as in “undercooking the chicken.” Although its basic meaning is straightforward, it is especially useful when discussing culinary technique and the risks associated with food that has not been cooked thoroughly. It also contrasts with overcooking, which makes food excessively long or hot enough to become dry, tough, or burnt. The term is common in recipes, kitchen guidance, health education, and food-safety discussions in both British and American English.
The process of cooking food insufficiently, leaving it raw or not fully cooked.
"The undercooking of chicken can create a serious food-safety risk."
Often used as a mass noun, though countable plural uses are possible.
Cooking food for too short a time or otherwise insufficiently.
"The chef was undercooking the fish and had to return it to the pan."
This form is normally used in an ongoing or habitual sense and takes a direct object.
Rare in ordinary use; writers usually prefer a phrase such as “occurrences of undercooking” when a plural is needed.
"The report documented repeated undercookings of the same dish."
Undercooking can leave food looking done while its centre is still raw—and that is where food-safety risks begin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does undercooking come from?
Undercooking is an English compound formed from under-, meaning “insufficiently,” and cook, meaning “to prepare food by heating.” Cook descends through Old French from Latin coquere, a verb associated with boiling, cooking, and ripening; cooker and kitchen have related histories involving the same Latin root. The compound is a modern English formation whose culinary and food-safety uses are now firmly established.
Related word forms
How undercooking is actually used
The word is neutral in register but is used mainly in culinary, domestic, and food-safety contexts. It is particularly relevant when discussing meat, poultry, eggs, and other foods that require thorough cooking.
Easily confused with undercooking
Undercooking is the act of cooking food insufficiently, whereas undercooked describes the resulting condition of the food.