Difference Between Cook and Cooker

Cook vs Cooker

Cook and Cooker are two words in the English language that are quite often confused. The word ‘cook’ refers to a person who cooks food or prepares food. On the other hand a cooker is a kind of appliance or an apparatus used in the process of cooking.

As a matter of fact the word ‘cooker’ is vividly used in British English rather than American English. The equivalent for cooker in American English is either a range or a stove. The range is otherwise called as cooking range.

To say ‘My friend is a very good cooker’ is grammatically wrong. The right way of saying that is ‘My friend is a very good cook.’

Since the word ‘cooker’ is used to refer to the apparatus used in the act of cooking, you can use the word in sentences as follows:

1. I prefer to buy gas cooker.

2. A cooker is not a very expensive apparatus.

It is interesting to note that the word ‘cook’ has the same form when it used as a verb and as a noun. When used as a verb the word ‘cook’ means ‘prepare food by beating it’. Observe the sentences:

1. He cooks well.

2. The food is not cooked well.

In both the sentences given above, the word ‘cook’ is used in the sense of ‘preparation of food’. In the second sentence it means ‘the food is not prepared well’.

Cooker on the other hand is a container or device meant for cooking food. It is an appliance that is powered by electricity or gas for preparing food.

It is interesting to note that in British English the word ‘cooker’ sometimes refers to a fruit, especially an apple that is easily cooked than eaten raw. You cannot relish it eating raw but would enjoy it when cooked.