Under-cook

To cook food for an insufficient amount of time, resulting in it not being fully cooked or properly heated. This often leaves the food raw, tough, or potentially unsafe to eat, particularly with meats, poultry, and certain vegetables. Under-cooked food can present a health hazard due to the presence of bacteria or parasites that are not killed during adequate cooking. The term is a compound verb and can be used transitively, meaning to cook something insufficiently, or intransitively, referring to the act of a dish being cooked insufficiently. The degree of being under-cooked can vary from slightly under-done to completely raw.

Under-cook meaning with examples

• The chicken was clearly under-cooked, the meat near the bone was still pink and there was a gelatinous texture, making it very unappetizing and raising serious food safety concerns. Nobody ate the chicken as a result, but it was a good reminder to check the internal temperatures properly.
• Despite following the recipe exactly, the vegetables remained slightly under-cooked, retaining a crispness that wasn't quite tender enough for the intended dish. A little more time would have probably created perfection.
• The chef apologized profusely, admitting the steak had been severely under-cooked and offered to prepare a fresh one cooked to the guest's desired doneness. It was an extremely rare offering, almost a raw offering, a very undesirable state for many patrons.
• After the oven timer beeped, I checked the center of the cake, but it was still sadly under-cooked, sinking and leaving a gooey center. I gave it another 15 minutes but it was still not perfect!