Food & Cooking

20 words

1. 1

   cut down on sugarcollocation/kʌt daʊn ɒn ˈʃʊɡə/

   to reduce the amount of sugar you eat or drink

   “My doctor told me to cut down on sugar to improve my blood pressure.”

2. 2

   home-cooked mealcollocation/ˌhəʊmˈkʊkt miːl/

   a meal that is cooked at home rather than bought ready-made or eaten in a restaurant

   “After a long day at work, I prefer a simple home-cooked meal.”

3. 3

   order takeoutcollocation/ˈɔːdə ˈteɪkˌaʊt/

   to ask a restaurant to send food for you to eat at home

   “We often order takeout when we're too tired to cook.”

4. 4

   make a reservationcollocation/meɪk ə ˌrɛzəˈveɪʃən/

   to contact a restaurant/hotel to arrange a table or room in advance

   “We need to make a reservation for Friday night; it's a busy weekend.”

5. 5

   follow a recipecollocation/ˈfɒləʊ ə ˈrɛsɪpi/

   to do exactly what the instructions in a cooking recipe tell you

   “If you follow a recipe closely, the cake should not fail.”

6. 6

   chop vegetablesverb phrase/tʃɒp ˈvɛdʒ.tə.bəlz/

   to cut vegetables into small pieces with a knife

   “Before stir‑frying, I usually chop vegetables into bite‑sized pieces.”

7. 7

   set the tablecollocation/sɛt ðə ˈteɪbəl/

   to arrange plates, cutlery, and glasses on the table before a meal

   “Can you help me set the table while I finish the salad?”

8. 8

   cook from scratchcollocation/kʊk frəm ˈskrætʃ/

   to prepare food using basic ingredients rather than ready-made products

   “My grandmother prefers to cook bread from scratch every weekend.”

9. 9

   have a sweet toothcollocation/hæv ə ˈswiːt tuːθ/

   to really like sweet foods

   “I've always had a sweet tooth, so I can't resist chocolate.”

10. 10

    use fresh ingredientsverb phrase/juːz frɛʃ ˈɪn.ɡriː.di.ənts/

    to cook with ingredients that are recently harvested or not processed

    “Good home cooks tend to use fresh ingredients whenever possible.”

11. 11

    junk foodnoun phrase/ˈdʒʌŋk fuːd/

    food that is low in nutritional value and high in fat, sugar, or salt

    “Many people regret eating too much junk food when they gain weight.”

12. 12

    marinate meatverb phrase/ˈmær.ɪ.neɪt miːt/

    to soak meat in a seasoned liquid before cooking to add flavour

    “I usually marinate meat overnight so it's more tender for grilling.”

13. 13

    add seasoningverb phrase/æd ˈsiː.zən.ɪŋ/

    to put salt, pepper or other spices into food to improve flavour

    “Remember to add seasoning to taste after the soup has simmered.”

14. 14

    heat the panverb phrase/hiːt ðə pæn/

    to warm up a frying pan before cooking

    “First, heat the pan on medium heat before adding oil.”

15. 15

    eat outphrasal verb/iːt aʊt/

    to have a meal at a restaurant or café rather than at home

    “We usually eat out on Sundays.”

16. 16

    serve hotverb phrase/sɜːv hɒt/

    to present or offer food while it is still hot

    “Soups are usually served hot, not cold.”

17. 17

    prepare a mealverb phrase/prɪˈpeə(r) ə ˈmiːl/

    to plan and make food for a meal

    “She prepared a meal for the whole family last night.”

18. 18

    bake a cakeverb phrase/beɪk ə keɪk/

    to cook a cake in an oven

    “She baked a cake for her friend's birthday.”

19. 19

    boil waterverb phrase/bɔɪl ˈwɔːtə(r)/

    to heat water until it reaches the boiling point

    “Boil water before adding the pasta.”

20. 20

    stir-fry vegetablesverb phrase/ˈstɜː(r)ˌfraɪ ˈvɛdʒtəb(ə)lz/

    to quickly fry vegetables in a wok or pan while stirring constantly

    “I stir-fry vegetables with garlic and soy sauce for a quick dinner.”