Cooking a simple meal

Hibiscus Teach

Vocabulary · EVERYDAY COOKING

Cooking a simple meal

Describe simple kitchen actions and explain how to prepare a meal in a clear order.

A2-B110-15 minutes8 useful words and phrases

Created by , British English teacher.

Try the activities, then check your answers.

Listen and repeat

Each item has a British and an American button. Listen to the word and example, repeat them, then make your own sentence. Both tracks use the same eight items.

British English · Libby

Open or download british MP3

American English · Amanda

Open or download american MP3

Choose an accent on any word below.

01

Prepare the ingredients

Ingredients are the foods you use to make a dish. These four verbs describe what you do before or during cooking.

peel

verb

Remove the skin from a fruit or vegetable.

Peel the carrots before cooking them.

peel a potato; peel an apple

Peel describes removing the outside skin. It does not mean cutting the food into pieces.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

chop

verb

Cut food into pieces with a knife.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

chop an onion; finely chopped vegetables

The pieces do not have to be thin or identical. Finely chopped means cut into very small pieces.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

slice

verb

Cut food into thin, flat pieces.

Slice the tomatoes for the salad.

slice bread; thinly sliced tomatoes

Compare chopping an onion into small pieces with slicing it into thin pieces.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

mix

verb

Combine two or more ingredients.

Mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice.

mix flour and water; mix one ingredient with another

Mix focuses on combining ingredients. You can mix ingredients by stirring them.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

Speak now: For 30 seconds, describe how you prepare a simple salad. Use chop, slice and mix.

Possible model response

I chop a cucumber into small pieces. I slice two tomatoes. Then I mix the vegetables with a little oil.

Solo: name the ingredients before describing the actions. Tutor: ask why the learner chooses slices or small pieces.

02

Cook and finish

These verbs describe movement, heat and checking flavour. Use first, then and finally to make the order easy to follow.

stir

verb

Move a spoon or another tool around in food or liquid.

Stir the soup with a wooden spoon.

stir the sauce; stir gently

Stir describes the movement. You can stir one liquid without adding anything to it.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

boil

verb

Heat a liquid until it bubbles strongly, or cook food in a liquid at that temperature.

Boil the potatoes until they are soft.

boil water; boil an egg

In boil the potatoes, the potatoes cook in boiling water. The verb does not mean frying in oil.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

fry

verb

Cook food in hot oil or fat.

Fry the onion in a little oil.

fry an egg; fry vegetables

A little oil is enough for some frying methods. Frying does not always mean covering the food completely with oil.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

taste

verb

Try a small amount of food or drink to check its flavour.

Taste the soup before adding more salt.

taste the sauce; taste a small amount

Here taste is an action. In the soup tastes good, it describes the flavour instead. Let hot food cool before tasting.

Word + example. Listen, then repeat.

Speak now: For 30 seconds, explain two different ways to cook potatoes. Use boil and fry.

Possible model response

I can boil potatoes in water until they are soft. I can also cut them into small pieces and fry them in oil.

Solo: name the cooking liquid or fat each time. Tutor: ask how the two methods change the finished food.

Try it in context

Say each answer aloud before opening the explanation.

1. You need thin, flat pieces of tomato for a sandwich. Which verb fits: chop or slice?

Check answer 1

Slice the tomato.

Slice tells the listener to make thin, flat pieces. Chop usually suggests cutting into pieces without that particular shape.

2. You move a spoon around in a sauce without adding an ingredient. Which verb describes the movement?

Check answer 2

Stir the sauce.

Stir describes the circular movement. Mix focuses on combining things, so it is not as precise here.

3. Put these instructions in a sensible order: taste the finished soup; peel the carrots; boil the carrots in water.

Check answer 3

First peel the carrots. Then boil them in water. Finally taste the finished soup.

Prepare the vegetables before cooking them. Check the flavour at the end, once a small amount is cool enough to taste.

Solo: explain one instruction with first, then or finally. Tutor: ask which action prepares the food and which cooks it.

Check and use your learning

Mastery quiz · 8 questions

Choose one answer for every question, then check your answers. Read the explanations before trying again.

1. What do you remove when you peel a potato?
2. Which instruction asks for small pieces?
3. You want thin, flat pieces of bread. What do you do?
4. Which sentence clearly combines two ingredients?
5. Which action means moving a spoon around in soup?
6. Boil the potatoes normally means cook them in:
7. Which instruction describes frying?
8. Why might you taste soup before adding salt?

Explain your simple meal · 45 seconds

Speak for 45 seconds. Explain a simple meal using at least four cooking verbs. Give the steps in a clear order.

First, I… / Then, I… / I mix… with… / Finally, I…

Possible model response

First, I peel two carrots and chop an onion. Then I fry the onion in a little oil. I add water and the carrots and boil them until they are soft. I stir the soup and finally taste a small amount before adding salt.

Solo: repeat your explanation without reading. Tutor: ask one question about the order or an ingredient.

Make the words yours

Tomorrow, describe a meal you know using four verbs without looking at the lesson. Notice whether you mean chop or slice, and mix or stir.

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