home-cooked meal

Meaning

A meal that is prepared and cooked at home using fresh ingredients, rather than bought ready-made or eaten at a restaurant. It often carries a connotation of comfort, health, and warmth.

Examples

• After weeks of traveling, all I wanted was a simple home-cooked meal.

  After weeks of traveling, all I wanted was a simple home-cooked meal.

• Nothing beats a delicious home-cooked meal with the family on Sundays.

  Nothing beats a delicious home-cooked meal with the family on Sundays.

• She treats her friends to a home-cooked meal every Friday night.

  She treats her friends to a home-cooked meal every Friday night.

• I missed my mom's home-cooked meals when I was away at college.

  I missed my mom's home-cooked meals when I was away at college.

• Cooking a healthy home-cooked meal takes time but is worth the effort.

  Cooking a healthy home-cooked meal takes time but is worth the effort.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I love eating home-cook meals.

  ✓ I love eating home-cooked meals.

  The adjective must be in the past participle form 'cooked' to describe food prepared at home.

• ✗ We had a house-cooked meal last night.

  ✓ We had a home-cooked meal last night.

  The standard English collocation is 'home-cooked', not 'house-cooked'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• There is nothing better than a warm ___ after a long day at work.

  💡 Think of a meal made fresh in your own kitchen.

  Show answer

  home-cooked meal

• My grandmother always prepares a wonderful ___ when we visit.

  💡 A comforting dinner prepared by a family member at home.

  Show answer

  home-cooked meal