40 Cooking Words in English for Recipes and Kitchens [2026]

Following an English recipe is a specific skill, and it rests almost entirely on verbs. Confuse simmer with boil and the sauce splits; miss the difference between chop and dice and the texture is wrong. The ingredients change from dish to dish, but the instruction words repeat, which means a small, reliable vocabulary unlocks a huge number of recipes.

This guide groups 40 cooking words into preparation, heat and measurement, each with a definition and an example from the kind of recipe you would really read.

Preparation

What you do to the ingredients before they meet the heat.

1. chop: cut into pieces. Chop the onion roughly.
2. dice: cut into small, even cubes. Dice the carrots finely.
3. slice: cut into thin flat pieces. Slice the bread thickly.
4. grate: rub against a grater into shreds. Grate the cheese.
5. peel: remove the outer skin. Peel the potatoes.
6. mix: combine ingredients. Mix the flour and sugar.
7. stir: move in circles with a spoon. Stir until smooth.
8. whisk: beat quickly to add air. Whisk the eggs.
9. knead: press and fold dough. Knead for ten minutes.
10. marinate: soak in a flavoured liquid. Marinate the chicken overnight.
11. drain: remove liquid, usually through a sieve. Drain the pasta.
12. season: add salt and pepper. Season to taste.
13. grease: rub with fat to stop sticking. Grease the tin.
14. sift: pass through a sieve to remove lumps. Sift the flour.

Heat

How the cooking really happens.

15. boil: cook in very hot, bubbling water. Boil the eggs for six minutes.
16. simmer: cook just below boiling. Simmer the sauce gently.
17. fry: cook in hot oil. Fry the onions until soft.
18. saute: fry quickly in a little fat. Saute the mushrooms.
19. roast: cook in the oven with fat. Roast the vegetables.
20. bake: cook in the oven, usually without added fat. Bake for twenty minutes.
21. grill: cook under a direct top heat. Grill the cheese until golden.
22. steam: cook over boiling water. Steam the broccoli.
23. poach: cook gently in barely simmering liquid. Poach the eggs.
24. braise: cook slowly in a little liquid. Braise the beef for hours.
25. preheat: heat the oven before you start. Preheat to 180 degrees.
26. melt: turn solid to liquid with heat. Melt the butter.
27. toast: brown with dry heat. Toast the nuts in a pan.
28. reduce: boil to thicken and concentrate. Reduce the sauce by half.

Measurement

The words that keep quantities right.

29. teaspoon: a small unit, written tsp. Add a teaspoon of salt.
30. tablespoon: a larger unit, written tbsp. Two tablespoons of oil.
31. cup: a standard measuring unit. One cup of flour.
32. pinch: a tiny amount held between finger and thumb. A pinch of salt.
33. ounce: a small imperial weight, written oz. Four ounces of butter.
34. gram: a metric weight, written g. Two hundred grams of sugar.
35. litre: a metric volume. One litre of stock.
36. portion: the amount for one person. This makes four portions.
37. to taste: as much as you prefer. Add chilli to taste.
38. heaped: a spoon filled above the rim. A heaped tablespoon of flour.
39. level: a spoon filled exactly to the rim. A level teaspoon of baking powder.
40. a dash: a small splash of liquid. A dash of milk.

With these 40 words you can read almost any English recipe and follow it with confidence. For the festive kitchen and table, our Christmas words guide covers another everyday set. A CEFR level is really a map of what you can already do in English and what to learn next, so a free English level test is a useful way to see which everyday skills, like following instructions, you have already secured and where to aim after that.