'well-cooked' originates from the combination of 'well' and 'cooked', where 'well' is an adverb meaning 'in a good or satisfactory way' and 'cooked' is the past participle of 'cook', meaning 'to prepare food by heating it'.

'Well-cooked' combines the Old English 'wel' meaning 'in a good way' and 'cocian', the Old English word for 'cook'.

Initially, it meant 'prepared food thoroughly', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.