Kitchen and Cooking Vocabulary in English: Words, Examples and Quiz

a large box that uses electricity to keep food and drinks cold; the full word is refrigerator

Put the milk back in the fridge, please.

a very cold part of a fridge, or a separate machine, that keeps food frozen

There's some ice cream in the freezer.

the flat top where you put pots and pans to cook; in British English the whole machine is a cooker

The soup is on the stove.

a hot box with a door, used for baking and roasting food

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

a small oven that heats food very quickly

I heated my lunch in the microwave for two minutes.

the bowl with taps where you wash dishes and vegetables

The dirty plates are in the sink.

a machine that washes plates, glasses and cups

Can you empty the dishwasher?

a container with a handle that you use to boil water

I'll put the kettle on and make some tea.

a small machine that makes bread brown and hot

Put two slices of bread in the toaster.

an electric machine that mixes fruit or vegetables into a smooth liquid

I make a banana smoothie in the blender every morning.

a piece of furniture with doors and shelves where you keep plates, cups or food

The glasses are in the cupboard above the sink.

the flat surface in a kitchen where you prepare food; British English often says worktop

Leave the bread on the counter.

a deep round container for cooking soup, pasta or rice

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salty water.

a flat, wide pan with a long handle, used for frying food

Heat some oil in a frying pan.

a flat metal plate that you put food on to cook it in the oven; British English says baking tray

Put the cookies on a baking sheet.

a flat piece of wood or plastic that you cut food on; British English says chopping board

Use the green cutting board for vegetables.

a large spoon made of wood, used for stirring food while it cooks

Stir the sauce with a wooden spoon.

a small tool for taking the skin off fruit and vegetables

Can you pass me the peeler? I need to peel the carrots.

a metal tool with small holes that cuts food like cheese into very small pieces

I can't find the cheese grater.

a tool for opening metal food containers; British English says tin opener

We need a can opener for these beans.

the top that covers a pot or container

Put the lid on the pot and wait ten minutes.

a cup with lines on the side that shows how much flour, milk or water you have

Fill the measuring cup with milk.

a deep round dish for mixing food or eating soup and cereal

Mix the eggs and sugar in a big bowl.

a flat round dish that you put food on

Can you put the plates on the table?

a tool with a sharp edge for cutting; the plural is knives

Be careful, that knife is very sharp.

a tool with three or four points that you use to pick up food

Most people eat pasta with a fork.

a tool with a small round end for eating soup or stirring drinks

I need a spoon for my soup.

a large cup with straight sides and a handle, used for hot drinks

She drinks coffee from a big blue mug.

a container made of glass for cold drinks, without a handle

Could I have a glass of water, please?

a piece of paper or cloth for cleaning your mouth and hands while you eat

There are napkins next to the plates.

to make food ready to eat by heating it; as a noun, a cook is a person who cooks

Who cooks in your family?

to heat water until it bubbles, or to cook food in very hot water

Boil the eggs for eight minutes.

to cook food in hot oil or butter in a pan

Fry the onions until they are soft.

to cook bread, cakes or cookies in an oven

My grandmother bakes bread every Sunday.

to cook meat or vegetables in an oven, usually with a little oil

We roasted a chicken with potatoes.

to cook food over or under strong, direct heat

In summer we grill fish in the garden.

to cook food above boiling water, so the hot air cooks it

I usually steam broccoli for five minutes.

to make cold or cooked food hot again

I'll heat up last night's soup for lunch.

to make something solid become liquid with heat

Melt the butter in a small pan.

to cut food into small pieces with a knife

Chop the tomatoes and the onion.

to cut food into thin, flat pieces; as a noun, a slice is one of those pieces

Slice the bread, please. I'd like two slices.

to take the skin off fruit or vegetables

Peel the potatoes before you boil them.

to rub food against a grater to cut it into very small pieces

Grate some cheese on top of the pasta.

to put two or more things together so they become one thing

Mix the flour and the eggs.

to move a spoon around and around in a liquid or food

Stir the soup so it doesn't burn.

to make a liquid flow out of a container

Pour the milk into the bowl slowly.

to put one more thing into food you are making

Add a little salt and pepper.

instructions that tell you how to cook something and what you need

Can you give me the recipe for this cake?

one of the foods you need to make a dish

You only need four ingredients for this soup.

a large spoon, or the amount it holds, used to measure food

Add two tablespoons of olive oil.

a small spoon, or the amount it holds, used for tea or for measuring

I take one teaspoon of sugar in my coffee.

a very small amount that you can hold between your finger and thumb

Add a pinch of salt to the water.

food cooked in a particular way as part of a meal; the dishes also means all the plates and bowls you have used

Pasta is my favorite dish.

food that nobody ate at a meal, kept to eat later

We had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

to wash the plates, glasses and pans after a meal; British English also says do the washing-up

You cooked, so I'll do the dishes.

tasting very good

This chicken is absolutely delicious.

having a good flavor

That was a really tasty lunch.

having a strong, hot taste from chili or other spices

Is the curry very spicy?

tasting of salt, often too much

The soup is a bit too salty.

tasting of sugar

This tea is too sweet for me.

having a sharp taste, like a lemon

Green apples are a little sour.

having a strong, sharp taste that is not sweet, like black coffee

Dark chocolate is a bit bitter.

cooked too much, so it is black and tastes bad; American English also says burned

Sorry, the toast is a little burnt.

not cooked

Don't eat raw chicken.

recently made, picked or bought, not old

I buy fresh bread every morning.

made at home, not bought from a shop

Is this jam homemade?