Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Cookery \Cook"er*y\ (k[oo^]k"[~e]r*[y^]), n.
   1. The art or process of preparing food for the table, by
      dressing, compounding, and the application of heat.

   2. A delicacy; a dainty. [Obs.] --R. North.

Source : WordNet®

cookery
     n : the act of preparing something (as food) by the application
         of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed
         who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation
         of meals to his wife" [syn: {cooking}, {preparation}]