🥘Cooking verbs
Chop, simmer, whisk — technique words.
28 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
to chop verb | to chop also: to dice (cubes), to mince (very fine) | hacher also: couper (cut), émincer (slice thin) Aspirated h: je hache. Viande hachée = minced meat. | picar Also to sting, to itch, to nibble (picar algo = have a snack). |
to slice verb | to slice | trancher also: couper en tranches Also to settle a question decisively. | cortar en rodajas also: rebanar (bread), filetear |
to peel verb | to peel | éplucher also: peler Épluche-légumes = peeler. | pelar Also to get a haircut (pelarse) and to be freezing (hace un frío que pela). |
to fry verb | to fry also: to deep-fry, to sauté / pan-fry | frire also: faire revenir (brown/sauté), faire sauter Frire = deep-fry; mostly used as faire frire. | freír Irregular: frío, fríes, fríe… frito = fried. Huevos fritos. |
to boil verb | to boil Water boils; you boil an egg — same verb both ways. | bouillir also: faire cuire à l'eau (boil food) L'eau bout. Faire bouillir de l'eau. | hervir also: cocer (boil food: cuezo) Stem-changing: hierve. Huevo cocido / duro = boiled egg. |
to simmer verb | to simmer Also of anger: simmering. | mijoter also: laisser frémir, cuire à feu doux Also to plot something: qu'est-ce que tu mijotes ? | cocer a fuego lento Literally 'cook on slow fire'. |
to bake / roast verb | to bake also: to roast (meat/veg) Bake = bread, cakes, fish; roast = meat, potatoes. Both in the oven. | cuire au four also: rôtir (roast), faire cuire One verb, cuire, covers bake/cook/roast — the place (au four) does the work. | hornear also: cocer al horno, asar (roast) |
to grill verb | to grill also: to broil (US, heat from above), to barbecue | griller Pain grillé = toast. Also to skip a red light (griller un feu). | asar a la parrilla also: asar, hacer a la plancha (griddle) |
to stir verb | to stir | remuer also: mélanger (mix), touiller (informal) | remover also: revolver (Latin America), mezclar (mix) Stem-changing: remuevo. Also 'to remove' in modern use — context. |
to whisk / beat verb | to whisk also: to beat (eggs), to whip (cream) | fouetter also: battre (les œufs), monter (en neige) Un fouet = a whisk (and a whip). | batir Batidora = blender/mixer. Also to beat a record. |
to knead verb | to knead Silent k; homophone of need. | pétrir | amasar La masa = dough. Also to amass a fortune. |
to season verb | to season also: to salt, to spice | assaisonner also: saler, poivrer, épicer Assaisonnement = dressing/seasoning. | sazonar also: condimentar, salpimentar (salt & pepper), aliñar (dress a salad) |
to taste (try) verb | to taste Both 'I tasted it' and 'it tastes good'. | goûter Also the afternoon snack: le goûter. 'Ça a bon goût' = it tastes good. | probar Also to try (on), to prove. Stem-changing: pruebo. 'Sabe bien' = it tastes good. |
to add verb | to add Add the salt; add up = do the sum. | ajouter also: rajouter (add more) Rajouter = add some more; in speech it often just means ajouter. | añadir also: agregar (Latin America), echar (put in) Recipes in Spain say añadir or echar; Latin America prefers agregar. |
to have a barbecue verb | to have a barbecue also: to barbecue, to have a BBQ British: 'have a barbecue' (the event); 'barbecue the sausages' (the cooking). Australia: a barbie. | faire un barbecue also: faire des grillades Le barbecue is both the grill and the party. Quebec: faire un BBQ. | hacer una barbacoa also: hacer un asado (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile), hacer una parrillada In the Southern Cone the asado is an institution — the word to know there. |
to grate verb | to grate Sounds exactly like 'great'. A grater. | râper Fromage râpé = grated cheese. Une râpe = a grater. | rallar Queso rallado. Not rayar (to scratch) — which sounds the same for most speakers. |
to layer verb | to layer Layer the pasta and the sauce. A layer = one level of a lasagne or a cake. | superposer also: disposer en couches, alterner les couches Une couche = a layer (and a nappy). Recipes say 'monter en couches'. | superponer also: disponer en capas, hacer capas Una capa = a layer (and a cape). Irregular like poner: superpongo. |
to melt verb | to melt Melt the butter; the butter melts — one verb both ways. | faire fondre also: fondre (it melts) Le beurre fond (by itself); je fais fondre le beurre (I melt it). Fondre alone is intransitive in the kitchen. | derretir also: fundir (metal, cheese) Stem-changing: derrito. Derretirse = to melt (itself). |
to mix verb | to mix also: to combine Mix = combine things; stir = move a spoon around. | mélanger Keeps the e: nous mélangeons. Also to mix up, confuse. | mezclar /mesˈklaɾ/ in Latin America. Una mezcla = a mixture. |
to pour verb | to pour Sounds like 'paw' and 'poor' (for many British speakers). It's pouring = heavy rain. | verser also: servir (a drink) Also to pay in (verser de l'argent). | verter also: echar (everyday), servir (a drink) Verter is a recipe word; at home you echar agua or servir un vaso. |
to roast verb | to roast Roast meat and potatoes; the Sunday roast. Also to mock someone. | rôtir also: faire rôtir, torréfier (coffee) Un rôti = a roasting joint. Coffee is torréfié. | asar also: tostar (coffee, nuts) Pollo asado. Asar covers oven, spit and grill. |
to roll out (dough) verb | to roll out Roll out the pastry. With a rolling pin. | étaler also: abaisser (pastry chefs) Étaler la pâte au rouleau. Also to spread butter. | estirar also: extender Estirar la masa con el rodillo. Also to stretch (a muscle). |
to sauté verb | to sauté also: to pan-fry From French 'jumped': the food jumps in the pan. Past sautéed. | faire sauter also: faire revenir (brown gently) Pommes de terre sautées. Faire revenir = brown onions before adding liquid. | saltear also: sofreír (gently) Verduras salteadas. Sofreír = cook gently in oil — the base of a sofrito. |
to spread (butter, jam) verb | to spread Spread butter on toast. Irregular: spread, spread. | tartiner also: étaler Une tartine = a slice of bread and butter; pâte à tartiner = chocolate spread. | untar also: extender Untar mantequilla en el pan. Queso de untar = cream cheese. |
to steam verb | to steam Steamed vegetables; steam from the pan. | cuire à la vapeur No single verb: cuire à la vapeur, or just 'à la vapeur' on a menu. | cocer al vapor also: cocinar al vapor No single verb. Stem-changing: cuezo. |
to weigh verb | to weigh Sounds like 'way'. Weigh the flour; how much do you weigh? Weigh-in = the pre-fight scales. | peser The e becomes è before a silent ending: je pèse. La pesée = the weigh-in. | pesar Also to weigh on you: me pesa. El pesaje = the weigh-in. |
to cut verb | to cut Irregular: cut, cut. Weight cut = losing weight before a fight. | couper Also to switch off (couper le gaz) and to cut someone off. | cortar Also to break up (with someone): cortar con alguien. |
to break verb | to break also: to crack (an egg) Break a plate; crack an egg. Irregular: broke, broken. | casser also: briser (literary) Casser un œuf, casser un verre. Se casser la jambe = break your leg. | romper also: cascar (an egg), partir (into pieces) Past participle roto (irregular). An egg is cascado or roto. |