Overcooked: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when food, especially vegetables or pasta, has been cooked for too long, but is not necessarily burnt. Often makes the food mushy.

• The pasta was overcooked and had lost its firm texture.
• These vegetables are overcooked; they are too soft.

Used when food has been cooked for too long at a high temperature, resulting in a blackened or charred surface. This often gives the food a bitter taste and a very dry texture.

• The toast is burnt; it has turned completely black.
• I forgot about the cookies in the oven and now they're burnt.

Used to describe food that is burned on the surface but not necessarily fully burnt inside. Often this term is used in a positive sense for grilling or barbecuing.

• The steak was charred on the outside but perfectly cooked inside.
• He likes his vegetables slightly charred for that smoky flavor.

Used similarly to 'overcooked,' but can also refer to other aspects of preparation or decoration that are excessive or too much.

• The roast was overdone and tasted dry.
• Sometimes the special effects in movies are overdone, making them less believable.

Use this word when food has been cooked for too long and it has lost its optimal texture or taste, but it is not necessarily burnt.

• The pasta is overcooked and mushy.
• I think the steak is overcooked; it’s too dry.

This word is used when food has been cooked at too high a temperature or for too long, resulting in a blackened or charred exterior, often with a bitter taste. This has a negative connotation.

• Be careful, or you'll burn the toast.
• The edges of the cookies are burnt.

This term is used when food is intentionally cooked to have a slight blackened or crispy exterior, often to enhance flavor. It can be seen as positive or neutral, depending on context.

• The vegetables were delicious with a bit of char on them.
• I love the char on this grilled chicken.

This word generally means to do something excessively or too much, not necessarily related to cooking but applicable in many contexts.

• Don't overdo it with the spices.
• He tends to overdo things at the gym.