Finally... ...cooking words~!

Ok, now I finally have the time to give Mikan-chan what she wants and talk about cooking vocabulary~! So today, I will go over a dozen or so words that are commonly used when you cook.

simmer

This is when you cook something on a LOW heat, usually sauces. My online dictionary says it is when you cook something gently or when you cook at just BELOW the boiling point...

Please simmer your sauce for 10 minutes then serve.

fry

This is when you cook something in a bit of oil or fat, typically in a frying pan.

I like fried eggs. (Watashi ha tamagoyaki ga suki desu.)

deep-fry

This is also cooking in oil but you use A LOT of oil, to completely cover the food. For example, when you make french fries or tempura.

Put the frozen french fries in the deep-fryer.

grill

This is when you cook something on a grill, which is a surface of parallel metal bars like this:

I love grilled hamburgers~!

BBQ = barbecue

This is a grill, pit or fireplace OUTDOORS you use to cook meat. It is really popular in the summer in North America. My uncle has 2 barbecues~!

Man, it's been awhile since I went to a BBQ.

boil

To heat a liquid until it reaches 100 C and starts to bubble.

Oh, gotta go my soup is boiling~!

nuke = microwave

Nuke is casual English for the verb to microwave something. Which simply means to cook something in a microwave, usually leftovers(nokorimono).

I'm gonna nuke some leftovers for dinner tonight.

I'm gonna microwave some leftovers for dinner tonight.

pre-heat

This is often seen in recipes or on packaging. It means to heat an oven to a set temperature BEFORE you start cooking.

Pre-heat the oven to 150 C.

bake

To cook food with a dry heat, especially in an oven. It is usually used to describe making bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, etc.

I don't know how to bake a cake, I don't even have an oven.

steam

This is to cook something using steam, usually vegetables or dumplings, like an-man or shir-lam-pau.

Steamed vegetables are very healthy.

Ok, that is it for now. For more information check out these websites:

food/cooking online quiz
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/lefg2_vocabulary11.html

food vocabulary
http://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/food-drink-vocabulary.htm

cooking intermediate level worksheet
http://english.specialist.hu/a3/xtt/icook.htm

24 word vocabulary you can use in games online
http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/lists/a/words.php?f=cooking_1