How to Use cook-off in a Sentence

cook-off

1 of 2 noun
  • That cook-off/bake-off gave her an idea of what to expect this time around.
    — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Copeland, who competes in chili cook-offs, got ready to make a huge pot of chili.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Expect cooking demos, a jerk cook-off, and a seafood throw-down.
    — Ann Trieger Kurland, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2023
  • Wear your green and enjoy green Jell-O shots, chili cook-off and more.
    — Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Other events include a cook-off and 5K run.
    — Melissa Renteria, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Terlingua is also home to two renowned chili cook-offs, which bring in thousands each fall.
    — Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Admission is free and a $20 taste wristband is required for the chili cook-off.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The town is also known for its famous chili cook-off that began in 1967.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 June 2024
  • Amateur chefs will compete in a chili cook-off for prizes, including people’s choice award and hottest chili.
    — Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
  • People come from continents away to partake of these meals and even invite Dodin and his household to cook-offs.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024
  • These include craft fairs, outdoor live music, pumpkin displays, chili cook-offs, s'mores and hot chocolate.
    — Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • There will be live entertainment, a free kids fun area with bounce houses and more, plus a classic car show and a chili and salsa cook-off.
    — Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Expect at least two chili cook-offs in San Francisco and Morgan Hill.
    — Jay R. Brooks, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Plans for the event include a chili cook-off, crawfish, inflatables, kid's activities, karaoke and more.
    — Special To The Camden News, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Texans who want to celebrate can find everything from historic reenactments to chili cook-offs and live music.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The three-day fest located on 18th Street and includes an open-air mercado and outdoor mole cook-off.
    — Shanzeh Ahmad, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2023
  • There’s also an engaged full-time community; expect events like chili cook-offs, festivals, live music, and more.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
  • There will also be food competitions such as the chili cook-off, where for $25, visitors can sample and vote for their favorite.
    — Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025
  • On April 21, Rubio’s hosted its first fish taco cook-off in the test kitchen at its Carlsbad headquarters.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2023
  • For reality fans who skew more culinary, there is no better binge-watch than Top Chef, the series where chefs compete in a high-stakes cook-off.
    — EW.com, 21 July 2024
  • This month is the chance to experience some of the best kitchen skills in Mississippi’s part of the Gulf Coast, through not one but two cook-offs.
    — Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Other weekend events include a classic carnival, a classic boat show, live music, art lessons aboard a whale-watching vessel, a clam chowder cook-off and a beach-cleanup.
    — Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
  • But the Neales have come a long way since their first neighborhood cook-off in 2015, which netted them a bowling trophy for best barbecue ribs.
    — Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
  • For reality fans who skew more culinary, there is no better binge-watch than Top Chef, the series where chefs compete in several high-stakes cook-offs.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The two-day event will also include an array of food and beverage demonstrations, cook-off competitions and panel discussions.
    — Mariya Moseley, refinery29.com, 11 Oct. 2023
  • When Mia went to support a cousin at the trail ride’s annual chili cook-off one afternoon, another cousin waved to her from a different family wagon.
    — Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Another highlight will be the 2026 cook-off, which will be the largest in festival history with more than 100 teams.
    — Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Featured will be a parade, carnival rides, beer tent, rib cook-off, bags tournament, arts and crafts fair and the Miss Libertyville Pageant.
    — Sheryl Devore, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2023
  • This three-day celebration takes over the city every May, drawing in thousands of visitors for cook-offs, live music, and of course, crawfish served in every which way.
    — Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Her plans include hosting a local band showcase, a community barbecue cook-off, and an event highlighting local gospel artists and radio stations.
    — The Arizona Republic, 21 Feb. 2023

cook off

2 of 2 verb
  • Pair it with the tortilla press gift set above to get your cook off to a solid start.
    — Scott Gilbertson Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 9 Dec. 2025
  • That means the water has mostly cooked off, and the milk solids will then soon start to brown.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2025
  • If the surface of your steak is damp, the heat of the pan first has to cook off that water.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
  • Alcohol will cook off, and lemon juice can take on rancid notes.
    — M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2023
  • As the meat roasts, the sheet pan allows the cider to cook off without steaming the meat.
    — Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2022
  • If there’s some liquid left in the pan, remove the top pan and let the liquid cook off.
    — Bettina Makalintal, Bon Appétit, 4 Jan. 2022
  • Or have some fun with the food and consider a virtual cook off.
    — Aly Walansky, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022
  • Let the vodka cook off and reduce before stirring in the cream.
    — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2023
  • Rice finishes cooking off the heat.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Drip tray Many electric grills have a drip tray or pan that catches the grease and fat that cooks off from your food.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Sprinkle the flour over the beef and cook, stirring, to cook off the raw flavor of the flour, about 1 minute.
    — cleveland, 1 July 2020
  • The lid should fit the pot securely, yet still allow some steam to escape so that moisture can cook off in soups and stews.
    — Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, 9 Nov. 2020
  • Here’s hoping next year’s cook off will be live, tasty and a bit heated in flavor and competition.
    — cleveland, 7 Feb. 2021
  • There have been some volcanic events that cook off a bunch of coal, for example, and fire that into the atmosphere.
    — Michael Calore, WIRED, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Some of the liquid is also cooked off in the process of creating brown butter, leading to denser, chewier cookies.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Note how the heating happens before the bacteria is added, so the probiotics don’t get cooked off.
    — Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The key to this classic is making sure cook off all the liquid in the summer squash, because no one wants a watery casserole.
    — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The shirataki will release quite a lot of liquid, as they are stored in water, so take a minute to cook off the liquid until the pan is dry.
    — Chihiro Tomioka, Bon Appétit, 20 May 2022
  • When your mushrooms have released most of their liquid either pour the liquid off and reserve for later use, or cook off the liquid in the pan.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 28 Mar. 2023
  • The state's top jurists gather every November for an annual chili cook off.
    — Nashville Tennessean, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Mike Conley looks absolutely cooked off the bench.
    — Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
  • As with other cooking methods that include wine, beer, cider, or liquor, the alcohol cooks off with temperature and time.
    — Wes Siler, Outside Online, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Soon enough, though, the sun cooked off the morning chill, the wind turned in my favor, and the temperature jumped from early spring to a more fitting midsummer.
    — Matt Crossman, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes.
    — Kendra Vaculin, Bon Appétit, 17 Feb. 2024
  • Either carefully light with a match and flambé, reducing heat and shaking pan or simply allow alcohol to cook off, one minute or so.
    — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2022
  • Once the alcohol cooks off and the liquid reduces, stock or water can be added, followed by a pat of butter, which turns the mixture into a silky, velvety sauce. When gin and dry vermouth simmer in a skillet of pork fat, their booze dissipates and their floral qualities take charge.
    — Ali Slagle, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2023
  • Add chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has cooked off, 3 to 4 minutes.
    — Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 2 May 2023
  • Firefighters will let a fire burning at an outdoor gun range in southern Colorado burn out on its own due to concerns of unfired ammunition cooking off.
    — Austen Erblat, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
  • Brahmi dusted off his chili recipe that won him first place in a chili cook off against other Dallas chefs years prior, and the Frito Chili Soufflé was born.
    — Claire Ballor staff Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Stir in remaining butter and 2 to 4 tablespoons of pasta cooking water (depending on how much liquid has cooked off) until the sauce is slightly thick.
    — Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cook-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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