Talking About Your House And Apartment

What does “cooker” mean in British English?

In British English, a cooker is the big kitchen machine you cook on — what Americans call a stove. In this conversation the difference happens in real time: one speaker lists “a cooker,” and the other has to ask, “What’s a cooker?” The answer is one word: “A stove.” And note: a cooker is always a machine. The person who cooks is a cook.

British kitchens split the words even further: the flat top with the rings is the hob (American: stovetop), while cooker covers the whole unit. Americans mostly keep cooker for compounds like rice cooker and pressure cooker. So if a British friend says “my cooker is broken,” dinner is cancelled — no person is hurt.