Food Preparation Verbs

Verbs and their description Translations

bake

to make bread, cakes etc using an oven

beat

to mix foods such as eggs, cream, or butter well using a fork or a special tool or machine.
This tool or machine can be called a beater.

blanch

to put fruit, nuts, or vegetables into boiling water for a short time, often in order to make
it easier to remove the skin

blend

to mix different foods or other substances together

bone

to remove the bones from meat or fish before cooking it

butcher

to kill an animal and cut it up so that it can be eaten

butter

to spread butter on something

carve

to cut a large piece of cooked meat into thin pieces before serving it

chill

if you chill food or drink, or if it chills, it becomes cold enough to be ready to eat or
drink

chip

to cut potatoes into long thin pieces so that you can cook them in hot oil

churn

to mix milk or cream in a special container in order to make butter

clean

to remove the inside parts of an animal, bird, or fish before cooking it

core

to take the centre out of a piece of fruit such as an apple

cube

to cut cheese, bread, or other food into cubes

deseed

to remove the seeds from a fruit or vegetable

dice
Food Preparation Verbs
to cut food into small square pieces

dish

to serve food

dish up

to put food into dishes so that it is ready to be eaten

do

to prepare a particular kind of food

dress

to add flavor to a salad by putting a mixture of liquids such as oil and lemon juice on it.
The mixture is called a dressing.

dress

to prepare something such as a chicken or crab (=a sea animal) by cleaning it and
taking out the parts that you cannot eat

drizzle

to pour a small amount of liquid over food that you are preparing

enrich

to make food taste better by adding something

fillet

to prepare fish or meat for cooking by removing the bones

fix

to prepare food or drink

flake

if food such as fish flakes, or if you flake it, it breaks easily into small flat pieces

flavor

to add something to food or drink that changes its taste or gives it a particular taste

fold

to use a spoon or knife to add something slowly and gently to a mixture

fortify

to add a substance to food or drink to make it stronger or healthier

frost

to put icing on a cake

garnish

to add something to a dish of food to make it look more attractive

get
Food Preparation Verbs
to prepare a meal

grate

to rub cheese, vegetables, chocolate etc against a grater in order to cut them into small
pieces

grease

to rub a small amount of oil or fat on the inside of a container before cooking food in it
in the oven

gut

to remove the organs from inside a fish before you cook it

ice

to cover a cake with icing

infuse

if you infuse something such as leaves or herbs, or if they infuse, you put them into hot
water in order to make a drink, medicine, or beauty treatment

juice

to make juice from a fruit or vegetable

ladle

to serve something with a ladle

liquidize

to crush something, especially solid food such as fruit or vegetables, into a liquid

macerate

to make food soft by leaving it in a liquid, or to become soft in this way

marinade

to marinate food

marinate

to put meat, fish, or vegetables in a marinade

mash

to crush something, especially food

mill

to crush a substance such as peppercorns or coffee beans

mince

to cut meat into very small pieces using a machine

peel

to remove the skin from a fruit or vegetable

pepper
Food Preparation Verbs
to put pepper on food

pipe

if you pipe cream or icing onto food as a decoration, you force it through a special tube
onto the food

pit

to stone a piece of fruit

pluck

to pull the feathers off the body of a dead bird so that it can be cooked

pod

to remove peas or beans from a pod

preheat

to heat an oven to a particular temperature before putting food into it to be cooked

prepare

to make food ready to be cooked or eaten, for example by cleaning or cutting it

press

to squeeze fruit or vegetables in order to get juice or oil out of them

rub in

to mix something such as butter or fat into another substance such as flour, using your
fingers

salt

to add salt to food

scale

to remove scales from fish

scrape

to remove the skin of a vegetable or fruit with a tool

season

to add salt, pepper, or other spices to food

seed

to remove the seeds from a plant or fruit

shell

to remove the outer part that covers nuts, peas, or other foods

shred

to cut or tear food into long thin pieces

shuck
Food Preparation Verbs
to remove the shell or outer part of something such as a nut or vegetable

sift

to pour a dry substance through a sieve to remove the large pieces

skin

to remove the skin from an animal, fruit, or vegetable

spice up

to add spices to food in order to give it a stronger taste

spread

to cover a surface with a thin layer of a soft food

stir

to move food around in a dish or pan using a spoon or other object

stuff

to fill meat or vegetables with small pieces of another type of food

sugar

to add sugar to something, or to cover something with sugar

tenderize

to make meat soft by hitting it or putting it in a liquid containing oil

thaw

if frozen food thaws, or if you thaw it, it becomes softer and ready to cook

toss

to mix food with a liquid so that it becomes covered in the liquid

warm through

to heat food until it is warm in all parts

water down

to add water to a drink or liquid in order to make it less strong

whip

to mix a food very quickly in order to put air into it

whisk

to mix something very quickly using a whisk

Food Preparation Verbs
Activity: Vegetable Preparation!
1. Select a few specific vegetables from the vocabulary list.

Vegetable1:

Vegetable2:

Vegetable3:

Vegetable4:

2. Select verbs to prepare those vegetables.

3. Create a short description of the vegetables so that you can explain what they are to a possible customer.
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4. Choose a dish that could be prepared using the vegetables you selected. Then using the verbs, write a
detailed explanation on how you will prepare it.

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