B220 words · Upper-intermediate

Cooking & Taste vocabulary — B2

Cooking vocabulary for kitchen technique and taste, covering how to simmer, preheat and reheat leftovers and describing texture with words like tender, creamy, chewy and zesty.

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Words in this set

leftovers
/ˈlɛfˌtoʊvərz/
Food that was not eaten at a meal and is kept for later.
Example: I took the leftovers to work for lunch the next day.
seasoning
/ˈsizənɪŋ/
Salt, pepper or dried plants added to food to improve its flavour.
Example: The stew tastes flat; it needs more seasoning.
simmer
/ˈsɪmər/
To cook liquid gently just below the point where it bubbles hard.
Example: Let the sauce simmer for twenty minutes with the lid off.
overcooked
/ˌoʊvərˈkʊkt/
Left on the heat too long and gone dry or mushy.
Example: The pasta was overcooked and completely mushy.
preheat
To turn the oven on early so that it is hot before the food goes in.
Example: Don't forget to preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
drain
/dreɪn/
To pour the water off food you have cooked, usually by tipping it into a bowl full of holes.
Example: Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan.
mouldy
/ˈmoʊldi/
Covered in small fuzzy green or white spots because it has been left too long and gone bad.
Example: Half the strawberries at the bottom were already mouldy.
reheat
To warm up food that was cooked earlier so it can be eaten again.
Example: Just reheat the curry in the microwave for two minutes.
airtight
/ˈɛrˌtaɪt/
Shut so completely that nothing at all can pass into or out of a container.
Example: Keep the biscuits in an airtight tin so they stay crisp.
spoil
/spɔɪl/
When food becomes unsafe or unpleasant to eat because it has been kept too long.
Example: Warm weather makes fresh fish spoil within a few hours.
bland
/blænd/
Dull to eat because it has almost no taste.
Example: The chicken was dry and pretty bland without sauce.
tender
/ˈtɛndər/
Soft and easy to cut or chew, said about cooked meat.
Example: The lamb was so tender it fell off the bone.
chewy
/ˈtʃui/
Needing a lot of biting before it is soft enough to swallow.
Example: These cookies are lovely and chewy in the middle.
creamy
/ˈkrimi/
Thick, smooth and rich in the mouth, like a sauce or soup made with lots of milk or butter.
Example: This mushroom soup is lovely and creamy.
lumpy
/ˈlʌmpi/
Full of small solid bits, in a sauce or mixture that should be completely smooth.
Example: The gravy went lumpy because I added the flour too fast.
runny
/ˈrʌni/
More liquid and less firm than you would normally expect it to be.
Example: I like my boiled eggs with a runny yolk.
zesty
having a fresh, sharp, pleasant taste, often like citrus fruit.
Example: The salad had a zesty lemon dressing.
crisp
/krɪsp/
pleasantly hard, dry and fresh, such as a fresh apple or golden bacon.
Example: He liked his bacon crisp and golden.
grainy
/ˈɡreɪni/
having a texture like small grains, not smooth.
Example: The mustard had a grainy texture.
velvety
/ˈvɛlvəti/
having a very smooth, soft texture, like the fabric velvet.
Example: The sauce had a velvety finish.