undercook

Imagine baking a cake and pulling it out of the oven too soon. When you cut into it, the center is still gooey and not fully done. That's what this word means. It happens when food is not heated long enough to become safe or reach the right texture.

This can be dangerous, especially with meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, because it can lead to food poisoning. The word is mainly used for food, though people sometimes also use it in a loose, figurative way for something that was not fully prepared or thought through.

To undercook means to cook food for too short a time or at too low a heat, so the inside stays raw, cold, or not fully done. It is most often used when talking about food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, or baked dishes. Because harmful bacteria can survive if food does not reach a safe temperature, undercooked food can be a serious health risk. For example: "The chicken was undercooked and had to be sent back to the kitchen." Or, "She worried she had undercooked the lasagna when she noticed the noodles in the center were still hard."

Sometimes the word is also used figuratively, though this is less common than the food meaning. In that kind of use, it suggests that an idea, plan, or piece of work was not developed enough before being shown to others or put into action. For instance, if someone says a proposal feels "undercooked," they usually mean it seems unfinished, weak, or not thought through well enough.

The opposite is overcook or overcooked. In everyday English, this word mainly warns that food needs more cooking time, but in broader speech it can also suggest that something still needs more work before it is truly ready.