General appearance, presentation and quality

1. These chips are terribly greasy. [too much oil/fat]
2. This meat is overcooked/overdone/under-cooked/underdone.
3. British cooking can be very stodgy. [heavy, hard to digest]
4. Mm, this chicken’s done to a turn. [just perfect, not overdone]
5. These pistachio nuts are terribly more-ish. [informal; you want to eat more]

III. What might you say to the person/people with you in a restaurant if …

1. your chips had too much oil/flat on them?
2. your dish had obviously been cooked too much/too long?
3. your piece of meat was absolutely perfectly cooked?
4. your dish seemed to have no flavor at all?

IV. Use the following word combinations in your own sentences for describing food:

1. moist, rich, sticky cake
2. a delicious, rich dessert
3. a classic, delicious, savoury, tasty dish
4. a/an appetizing, delicious, excellent, healthy, nourishing, substantial tasty, wholesome meal
5. crisp, crunchy, fresh, green salad
6. creamy, piquant, rich, spicy, sweet and sour, tangy, thick sauce
7. a healthy, light, quick, savoury, tasty snack
8. chunky, clear, creamy, hearty, thick, thin soup

V. Match the following quantifiers with their food:

VI. Give your own examples with other verbs describing ways of cooking food from the list below. What would you like to put on the foods from the list in the box:

A leg of chicken, eggs, stew, potatoes, cheese, sausages, lamb chops, a fillet of cod, prawns, mushrooms, beef.

VII. Give a recipe of a dish using the following verbs:

VIII. Choose the correct word:

1. Food can be cooked in various ways: by … in a saucepan of hot water; by … in a frying pan with hot oil or fat; or by … under a grill, which heats the food from above. We can … bread under a grill or in a toaster to make it crisp and brown. Cakes and bread are … in the oven, but we use the word … for cooking meat or potatoes in the oven (roast, toast, baked, frying, boiling, grilling).
2. Just before the milk comes to the …, turn down the heat (bake, roast, boil, stew).
3. … the meat well with salt and pepper (grill, barbecue, roast, season).
4. Bring the soup to the …, then simmer for five minutes (bake, roast, boil, stew).
5. I’ll put the kettle on to … (bake, roast, boil, stew).
6. Make sure you have all the … ready before you start cooking (ingredients, recipe, receipt).
7. We use a knife to … bread, cheese and vegetables (chop, cube, dice, slice, mince).
8. We … meat, and sometimes vegetables, in the oven (grill, roast, bake, fry).
9. My mum likes to … her own bread and cakes (roast, bake, grill, fry).
10. Follow a … if you’re not sure how to make the dish (recipe, receipt).
11. You forgot to … the potatoes before you cooked them (chop, peel, skin).
12. When we … food, like chips, we cook it in hot oil (grill, bake, roast, fry).
13. I’m going to have steak because it’s the chef’s … (speciality, delicacy).
14. … are plants, such as oregano, whose leaves we use for their taste (herbs, lemon, spices).
15. … add flavor to food and they usually come from seeds (spices, herbs).
16. Chop the …, including the mint, and add to the soup (herbs, spices, onion).
17. It’s very unhealthy if you … all your food in oil (bake, fry, roast, grill).
18. You need to … the bread for about half an hour (bake, fry, roast, grill).
19. Indian food uses a lot of hot … to flavor the dishes (herbs, spices, delicacies, specialties).
20. You should … the onions before you chop them (boil, peel, scrape).
21. I can do spaghetti, but my … is pizza (delicacy, specialty).
22. Make sure you … the carrot thinly so that it cooks well (chop, slice, mince, tenderize).
23. I’d love to have the … for the sauce you made last night (ingredients, recipe, receipt).
24. We can’t make a cake unless we have all the …. (ingredients, recipe, receipt).
25. To save time, we can … the potatoes with the meat (steam, fry, grill, roast).

1. Courses and dishes – a typical menu:

NB: Desserts are sometimes called sweets, pudding, afters (especially at home)

Snacks are small items (sandwiches, pies etc)

1. Classify the following words into groups: “fish” and “seafood”

Prawns, sardines, squid, oysters, mackerel, mussel, hake, crab, plaice, trout, lobster, cod, sole, whiting

II. Find the name of the meat of these animals:

Calf, deer, sheep (two names), pig (three names)

III. What countries do these fruit grow in?

Peach, plum, grapefruit, grape, nectarine, star-fruit, blackcurrant, raspberry, melon, lime, kiwi-fruit, mango

IV. Read the text and fill in the table:

Text I