調理 (chōri) means “cooking” | MotiTan Japanese Dictionary

More examples

魚を調理するときは、中心まで火を通します。sakana o chō ri su ru to ki wa chū shin ma de hi o tō shi ma su

When cooking fish, make sure it is heated through to the center.

Describes the organized preparation of food by changing and combining ingredients with suitable methods.

料理ryōri: The preparation of food as a meal, often in an everyday or conversational context.

食材を切る、煮る、焼くなどして、食べ物を作ること。shoku zai o ki ru ni ru ya ku na do shi te ta be mono o tsuku ru ko to

The Sino-Japanese compound 調理 (chōri) combines 調 (chō, "arrange") with 理 (ri, "put in order"), giving the sense of arranging food for preparation.

In everyday Japanese, 料理する (ryōri suru) is usually more conversational than 調理 (chōri), which often occurs in recipes and workplace language.