Woman: “A Piece of cake”
Man: A piece of cake, means that something is very easy to do.
For example:
Man: Mmm, this pavlova is delicious, I don’t know how you make them.
Woman: It’s a piece of cake, they are only egg whites whisked together.
Man: That’s it?
Woman: Yes, but, the secret is in the cooking.

Woman: “Takes the biscuit”
Man: If you say that someone takes the biscuit, it means that a person is not being serious and their behaviour is very irritating.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: Can you do the washing up tonight?
Man: Do I have to?
Woman: You really take the biscuit. We both work, and you do nothing to help me around the house.

Woman: Whisk together the eggs, milk and flour.
Man: Whisk is a verb which means to beat or mix eggs, for example using a fork or a whisk. A whisk is a kitchen tool for this purpose.
Now listen to an example of this phrase:
Woman: Can you help me whisk these eggs, my arm is starting to ache.
Man: No problem, pass the bowl here.

Woman: Stir together to make a batter.
Man: Stir is a verb which means to move a liquid etc, round and round, using a spoon etc. A batter is a mixture of flour, eggs and milk, used to cover food such as fish, vegetables etc, before frying them, or to make pancakes.
For example:
Woman: Ok, now I have to stir in the milk to the eggs and flour, a little at a time, so I don’t get lumps.
Man: What are you making?
Woman: English style fish and chips. I just need to finish this batter, then cover the fish in it, then fry them.

Woman: Fry the eggs.
Man: Fry is a verb which means to cook something in hot fat or oil.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: Can you watch the fish while I make a salad?
Man: What do I have to do?
Woman: Let them fry, and turn them over when they are golden brown.

Woman: Drain the pasta.
Man: Drain is a verb which means to separate water from the pasta in this example, so the water disappears.
For example:
Woman: Do you think the pasta is cooked enough?
Man: Yes, definitely, turn the gas off, and I’ll drain it.
Woman: OK, here’s the colander

Woman: Now you will listen to a conversation between two people making pancakes.

Woman: Now if you are going to help me, you are going to have to follow my instructions, and I don’t want a big mess in the kitchen.
Man: Whatever you say.
Woman: First of all whisk these eggs, until they are a pale yellow colour.
Woman: Now add a little bit of flour and stir it in very slowly.
Woman: Now you can add a little more flour, then stir in the milk, just a little at a time.
Perfect, you’ve made a very good batter.
Man: What exactly are we making?
Woman: Pancakes, you’ll love them.
Man: What can I do next?
Woman: Put the frying pan on, with a little oil, and when the oil is hot, add a spoonful of the batter, and spread it out to make a large circle.
Woman: OK, now it’s golden brown on the bottom, turn it over so the other side cooks.
Man: Aah this bit is a little difficult.
Woman: No, it’s not, you’ve done a good job. The first one is nearly ready. Lift it out of the pan, and sprinkle with sugar and squeeze some orange onto it.
Man: Mmm, it’s delicious, let’s make some more straight away.

Woman: A frying pan.
Man: A frying pan is a flat pan with a long handle. You use it to fry food in hot oil or butter.
For example:
Woman: Can you watch the frying pan, while I answer the phone. Make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot or burn the garlic.
Man: What do I have to do then?
Woman: Just keep on stirring it with a spoon. I’ll be back in a second.

Woman: A saucepan.
Man: A saucepan is a round metal pot with a handle that is used for cooking things on top of an oven.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: Mmm, the tomato sauce is ready, let me just check the pasta.
Man: Mmm, it is good.
Woman: Leave that sauce pan alone, or there won’t be enough for the pasta.

Woman: A colander
Man: A colander is a metal or plastic bowl, with a lot of small holes in it. It is used to drain water from food, such as vegetables and pasta, after it has been cooked or washed.
Listen to this:
Woman: Can you hold the colander for me, while I drain the water from the pasta please?
Man: Certainly.

Woman: Diced.
Man: Diced is a special cut of vegetables, so that they are cut into very small square shapes.
For example
Woman: Can you help me with these vegetables please?
Man: Sure, what would you like me to do?
Woman: Dice the carrots please.
Man: What does that mean?
Woman: First cut them into flat strips, and then cut them into small squares.
Man: OK, I’ll try my best.
Woman: Chop.
Man: Chop means to cut something into pieces with a knife.
For example:
Woman: Can you chop the onions please?
Man: Do I have to? They always make my eyes water.
Woman: That’s because you don’t keep the surface face down. OK I’ll chop the onions and you chop the tomatoes.

Woman: Ground
Man: Ground is the past of grind, which means to press and break something into very small pieces or into a powder, between two hard surfaces or in a special machine.
For example:
Woman: Mmm, this is delicious, it just needs a little ground black pepper.
Man: I’ll grind it, that’s my job.
Is that enough?
Woman: Yes, thanks.

Woman: Now let’s listen to a recipe on how to make Cottage Pie, adapted from www.bbc.co.uk.

Man: COTTAGE PIE (sformato)

Serving for 4
Ingredients
1 lb (450g) mince
8oz (225g) carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion finely chopped
1lb(450g) old potatoes
Knob of margarine
3-4 tablespoons of milk
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 200°C (400°F/ Gas mark 6).
• Peel the potatoes and place them in a saucepan of water to boil.
• Dry fry the mince in your frying pan until brown.
• Add the onion and carrot and cook with the mince for 5 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes in the colander and return to the pan.
• Add the margarine and milk to the potatoes and mash until creamy.
• Put the mince mixture into a baking dish and spoon over the mashed potatoes.
• Place in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Woman If you wish you can hear this lesson again. In the meantime we hope we have helped you to be more confident with your English. Watch out for the next topic. Thank you for using the EnglishBlog.

Man: I want a peach.
Man: I need 3 tomatoes for this recipe.
Man: Can you pass me an egg please?

Woman: Uncountable nouns are things we cannot count, such as rice, flour, fruit etc.
They are plural nouns. You cannot use "a" and "an" with plural uncountable nouns, for example, we do not say “a rice” or “a fruit”, but you can use “some” in front of them, for example some water. And you can often use “a…of” such as “a bowl of rice,” “a slice of cake”.
For example:

Man: I’d like a plate of spaghetti please.
Man: Can you pass me some pasta?
Man: I need some flour.

Woman: Now let’s listen to these words in the dialogue: pay attention to how they are used.
Man: What are you doing?
Woman: I’m going to make an apple pie. First I need to make some pastry, can you pass me some flour please?
Man: Sure, here it is. Do you need anything else?
Woman: Just some butter please.
Man: I’ll help you. How much butter do you need?
Woman: Just 3 spoonfuls please, and put it in the bowl slowly so I can blend it in with the flour.
Man: Shall I peel and chop the apples?
Woman: Yes please, 4 apples should be enough.
Man: OK, the apples are ready, what shall I do with them now?
Woman: Pass them to me please, and I’ll boil them with a little sugar, they only take 5 minutes. You can watch them and keep on stirring them while I add some water the flour and butter to make the pastry.
Man: Mmm, what a nice smell, I love apple pie.
Woman: Well you’re only allowed 1 slice of it, you’re on a diet remember.
Man: If you say so.