oven ready

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparableBritish

   Prepared and packaged so that it can be cooked in the oven without further preparation.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: an oven-ready meal; the dish is oven ready.

   Patterns

   • oven-ready meal
   • oven-ready chicken
   • be oven ready

   I bought an oven-ready chicken for dinner because I didn't have time to prepare one.

   The supermarket sells a range of oven-ready meals for busy people.

   Make sure the pie is oven ready before you put it in the oven.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableBritishfigurative

   Already prepared and ready to be used or put into action, especially in politics.

   Grammar: Used before a noun, often in political contexts: an oven-ready plan.

   Patterns

   • oven-ready plan
   • oven-ready deal

   The party claimed it had an oven-ready plan for the economy.

   Critics said the deal was not as oven-ready as the government suggested.

Common combinations

oven-ready meal

He heated up an oven-ready meal after work.

oven-ready chicken

She put the oven-ready chicken in the oven for an hour.

oven-ready plan

The minister promised an oven-ready plan for the health service.

oven-ready deal

The trade agreement was described as oven-ready.

Synonyms and how they differ

ready-prepared

A more general term for food that has been prepared in advance, not necessarily for the oven.

prepackaged

Focuses on the packaging rather than the cooking method.

Commonly confused: oven ready or ovenproof?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “oven ready”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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