overcook

American

[oh-ver-kook] / ˌoʊ vərˈkʊk /

verb (used with object)

overcooked, overcooking

to cook (food) longer than necessary or recommended, especially to the point of adversely affecting quality or edibility.

overcook British

/ ˌəʊvəˈkʊk /

verb

to cook (something) until dry, burnt, or inedible

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

overcooked

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I say to people now just treat it like male grooming – don't overcook it.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025

“That was usually a mistake on our part because we had let it overcook and then they loved it,” said Dora.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2025

Professor Williams added: "I don't think it's useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan."

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024

Not only can the emulsion split, but you can also overcook the added emulsifying egg yolk.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2024

There’s also a bowl of fufu—starchy dough that Ama used to make for holidays—and a few trays of chofi, fried turkey tail that my uncle always seems to overcook.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023