Lesson
Vocabulary for cooking and kitchen activities
Text
This lesson introduces essential cooking vocabulary used in recipes, kitchen instructions, and professional food contexts. You will learn verbs (actions), nouns (ingredients and tools), and common collocations used when preparing food.
Table
| Word | Part of speech | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| chop | verb | Please chop the onions finely for the sauce. |
| sauté | verb | Sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes on medium heat. |
| simmer | verb | Let the stock simmer for 30 minutes to develop flavor. |
| whisk | verb | Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is smooth. |
| ingredient | noun | Check the ingredient list before you start cooking. |
| preheat | verb | Preheat the oven to 180°C before you bake the cake. |
| a pinch of | expression | Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. |
| measuring cup | noun | Use a measuring cup to add one cup of flour. |
Tip
Focus on verb + object collocations and measurement phrases. These combinations are essential for clear recipe instructions.
Learn verbs with their objects and common measurement expressions for precise instructions.
Example
Please chop the garlic and add it to the pan.
Preheat the oven to 200°C before you put the tray in.
Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks.
Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes to reduce it.
Tip
Be aware of universal errors learners make with cooking vocabulary and recipe language.
Focus on collocations, correct articles, and precise measurement words.
Quiz
Choose the correct sentence:
Hint: Focus on the normal word order: verb before object.
Correct!
In English, the normal order is subject + verb + object: 'seasoned the soup'.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: He seasoned the soup with salt and pepper.
In English, the normal order is subject + verb + object: 'seasoned the soup'.
Quiz
Complete: She _____ the garlic before adding it to the pan.
Hint: Think of the past action done to garlic in recipe steps.
Correct!
'Minced' is the past tense form of the verb 'mince' and describes cutting into very small pieces before cooking.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: minced
'Minced' is the past tense form of the verb 'mince' and describes cutting into very small pieces before cooking.
Quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Hint: Think about countable vs uncountable nouns.
Correct!
Rice is an uncountable noun in general use, so we do not use 'a' or plural forms like 'many' without a unit.
Incorrect
The correct answer was: I need rice for dinner.
Rice is an uncountable noun in general use, so we do not use 'a' or plural forms like 'many' without a unit.
Vocabulary
to cut food into small pieces with a knife
Chop the parsley before you sprinkle it on the dish.
Vocabulary
to cook food quickly in a small amount of oil or butter over high heat
Sauté the onions until they are translucent.
Vocabulary
to cook liquid at a temperature just below boiling, so small bubbles form slowly
Simmer the sauce gently to concentrate the flavors.
Vocabulary
to beat ingredients (usually eggs or cream) quickly with a utensil to add air and mix
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Vocabulary
a food item that is used with others to make a particular dish
Check that you have all the ingredients before you start cooking.
Vocabulary
to heat an oven to a required temperature before putting food in it
Preheat the oven to 180°C before baking the loaf.
Expression
a very small amount of something, especially salt or spice
Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.
Vocabulary
a cup marked with standard measurements for measuring ingredients
Use a measuring cup to pour two cups of milk.