Food slowly cooked or baked in an ovenproof dish, the vessel used for it, a related laboratory heating dish, and the rare verb for cooking by that method.
After evaporation, crystals remained in the casserole.
The lid helped the casserole keep its heat during the drive.
A glass casserole lets the cook see the bubbling edges.
The old casserole cracked after a sudden change in temperature.
Similar words
ovenproof dish
stew
bake
oven dish
gratin dish
oven dish
braise
hotdish
bake
baking dish
Meanings
Oven-cooked dish
noun
food
neutral
Food cooked slowly or baked together in an ovenproof dish, often as a mixed meal or side with sauce, vegetables, meat, pasta, rice, or a topping.
Usage
Use casserole for a dish cooked and usually served from the same ovenproof container. It can be a main dish or a side, and it may be savory or sweet.
Examples
She brought a green bean casserole to Thanksgiving dinner.
The tuna noodle casserole came out browned and bubbling.
A breakfast casserole can be assembled the night before.
The sweet potato casserole was served beside the turkey.
They baked a vegetable casserole for the potluck.
Leftover chicken became a creamy rice casserole.
Common mistakes
The word is made too narrow when only meat-and-rice dinners count, or too broad when any mixed food is called a casserole.
Incorrect
Correct
I tossed a lettuce casserole for lunch.
I tossed a lettuce salad for lunch.
Green bean casserole is not a casserole because it is a side dish.
Green bean casserole is a casserole served as a side dish.
Every casserole must contain meat.
A vegetarian casserole can contain beans, vegetables, pasta, rice, or cheese.
The raw mixture was already a casserole before it went into the oven.
The mixture became a casserole after it baked in the oven.
Similar words
hotdish
bake
baked dish
one-dish meal
oven dish
gratin
Ovenproof cooking dish
noun
kitchenware
neutral
A deep ovenproof dish or pan used for cooking and often serving food, usually wide enough for a mixed baked dish and sometimes fitted with a lid.
Usage
Use casserole for the cooking vessel itself when the context is cookware, especially an oven-safe dish for slow cooking, baking, and serving.
Examples
Butter the casserole before adding the noodles.
The ceramic casserole went straight from oven to table.
Choose a shallow casserole for a crisp topping.
The lid helped the casserole keep its heat during the drive.
A glass casserole lets the cook see the bubbling edges.
The old casserole cracked after a sudden change in temperature.
Common mistakes
The vessel sense is confused with ordinary plates, skillets, or any container that happens to hold food.
Incorrect
Correct
Fry the eggs in a casserole over high heat.
Fry the eggs in a skillet over high heat.
Set each sandwich on a casserole.
Set each sandwich on a plate.
Pour the soup into a casserole if the recipe asks for a saucepan.
Pour the soup into a saucepan if the recipe asks for a saucepan.
Use a plastic casserole under the broiler.
Use an oven-safe casserole under the broiler.
Similar words
casserole dish
baking dish
ovenproof dish
baking pan
oven dish
gratin dish
Laboratory heating dish
noun
science
technical
A small deep porcelain dish, often with a handle, used in a laboratory to heat, evaporate, or dry substances.
Usage
Use casserole in laboratory writing only when the text means the porcelain heating dish, not kitchen cookware.
Examples
The residue was dried in a porcelain casserole.
Use tongs to move the hot laboratory casserole.
The analyst heated the solution gently in a casserole.
A small casserole sat on the wire gauze above the flame.
The procedure specified a covered porcelain casserole.
After evaporation, crystals remained in the casserole.
Common mistakes
The laboratory vessel is mistaken for kitchen equipment or for a different lab dish with another purpose.
Incorrect
Correct
The chemist baked dinner in the porcelain laboratory casserole.
The chemist heated the sample in the porcelain laboratory casserole.
Cover the culture in a casserole.
Cover the culture in a Petri dish.
Weigh the powder in a kitchen casserole.
Weigh the powder in a lab dish.
Hold the hot casserole with bare fingers.
Hold the hot casserole with tongs.
Similar words
laboratory casserole
porcelain dish
heating dish
evaporating dish
Cook in a casserole
verb
cooking
neutral
To cook food slowly in a casserole dish, especially by baking or stewing it with liquid in a covered vessel.
Usage
Use casserole as a verb only in culinary contexts where a recipe or writer means to cook food in the casserole method.
Examples
The recipe casseroles the rabbit with wine and onions.
She casseroled the vegetables until they were tender.
The chef likes to casserole cheaper cuts of meat.
Beans can be casseroled with tomatoes and herbs.
They casserole the fish gently in a covered dish.
The dish is casseroled at low heat for an hour.
Common mistakes
The verb is uncommon, so it is often replaced by clearer verbs or used where no casserole cooking is involved.
Incorrect
Correct
Casserole the salad before serving.
Toss the salad before serving.
She casserole the vegetables yesterday.
She casseroled the vegetables yesterday.
The cook casseroled the steak on the grill.
The cook grilled the steak.
Casserole the sauce in a frying pan.
Simmer the sauce in a frying pan.
Similar words
bake
stew
braise
slow-cook
oven-cook
Usage
Use casserole first for the baked or slow-cooked dish and next for the ovenproof vessel. The labware and verb uses are real but much narrower.
Common mistakes
Calling any mixed food a casserole is too broad, while insisting it must be a meat main dish is too narrow.
Etymology
Borrowed from French casserole, meaning saucepan, from a diminutive of casse, a pan or ladle. The English word first named the vessel, then the food cooked in it.
FAQ
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.