20+ Essential Cooking Verbs: Master Kitchen Vocabulary in English

Cooking terms are useful words that describe how food is prepared, cooked, and served. From simple actions like chop, boil, and fry to techniques like grill, steam, and roast, these verbs help you understand recipes and talk about food in English. Learning common cooking verbs also helps English learners follow recipes, discuss meals, and understand kitchen instructions more easily.

List of Cooking Terms

Vocabulary	IPA (US)	Short Description
Grate	/ɡreɪt/	To reduce food into small pieces by rubbing it on a grater.
Slice	/slaɪs/	To cut food into thin, flat pieces.
Peel	/pil/	To remove the outer skin of fruits or vegetables.
Whisk	/wɪsk/	To beat ingredients quickly with a whisk or fork.
Boil	/bɔɪl/	To cook food in liquid heated to the boiling point.
Fry	/fraɪ/	To cook food in hot oil or fat.
Grill	/ɡrɪl/	To cook food on a grill over direct heat.
Bake	/beɪk/	To cook food using dry heat in an oven.
Pour	/pɔr/	To cause liquid to flow from one container to another.
Scramble	/ˈskræmbəl/	To cook food while stirring it continuously, often eggs.
Simmer	/ˈsɪmər/	To cook liquid just below the boiling point.
Spread	/sprɛd/	To distribute a soft food evenly over a surface.
Stir	/stɜr/	To mix ingredients by moving a spoon in a circular motion.
Taste	/teɪst/	To test the flavor of food to check seasoning.
Add	/æd/	To put an ingredient into a mixture.
Blend	/blɛnd/	To mix ingredients until smooth.
Roast	/roʊst/	To cook food with dry heat in an oven or over fire.
Chop	/tʃɑp/	To cut food into small pieces using a knife.
Dip	/dɪp/	To briefly put food into a liquid or sauce.
Roll	/roʊl/	To flatten dough or shape food by rolling.
Steam	/stim/	To cook food using steam from boiling water.

Cooking Verbs with Definitions & Examples

If you want to expand your cooking vocabulary further, check these related guides:

• • Fruit Names in English
  • Vegetable Names in English

 

Grate

• The action of reducing food into small shreds by rubbing it on a grater.
• Grate the carrot finely into small pieces.

Slice

• To cut something into thin slices.
• One of the catering staff accidentally sliced their finger while cutting cheese.

Peel

• To remove the outer covering of something such as a fruit, egg, or shrimp.
• Would you peel me an orange?

Whisk

• To beat ingredients such as eggs or cream using a light, rapid movement.
• You can whisk the eggs with a spoon or fork.

Boil

• To heat a liquid until it reaches the boiling point (around 100°C), producing continuous bubbles.
• Once water begins to boil, its temperature no longer rises.

Fry

• To cook food in hot oil or fat.
• We can fry some of these pieces of cold meat for lunch.

Grill

• To cook food over direct heat on a grill.
• Grill the sausages for ten minutes.

Bake

• To cook food using dry heat, typically in an oven.
• Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes until they are crisp.

Pour

• To make a liquid flow steadily from one container to another.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.

Scramble

• To cook food while stirring it continuously, usually eggs, forming soft pieces.
• Make the toast and scramble the eggs.

Simmer

• To cook food in liquid just below the boiling point (around 85–95°C), producing gentle bubbles.
• Let the soup simmer for a few minutes.

Spread

• To distribute a soft food evenly across a surface.
• He spread strawberry jam on his toast.

Stir

• To mix ingredients by moving a spoon or utensil around in a liquid.
• I need a teaspoon to stir my tea.

Taste

• To try food in order to check its flavor or seasoning.
• Always taste the soup before adding more salt.

Add

• To put an ingredient into a mixture.
• Add a teaspoon of mixed herbs.

Blend

• To mix ingredients thoroughly until they become smooth.
• Blend the ingredients into a smooth paste.

Roast

• To cook food with dry heat in an oven or over an open fire.
• Are you going to roast the chicken?

Chop

• To cut food into small pieces using a knife.
• Chop the carrots into small pieces.

Dip

• To briefly place food into a sauce or liquid.
• The children like to dip their bread into the soup.

Roll

• To flatten dough or shape food by rolling it.
• Roll out the icing into a large square.

Steam

• To cook food using steam from boiling water without direct contact with the water.
• Steam for about 12 minutes until the cake has risen and feels springy in the center.