English, baby!

Cooking

Date: Feb 18 2010

Themes: Food, Hobbies

Grammar: Modal Verbs

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen

Good cooks make it look so easy. Using simple ingredients, they can whip up a delicious meal, bake a beautiful dessert, or create a gourmet snack. But we can’t all be gifted chefs. If you are not a good cook, putting food on the table every night might seem like a real chore. That’s when you end up having frozen pizza, cold sandwiches, or takeout every night.

In English, when someone is a really bad cook, we say he “can’t boil water,” since all that takes is some water, some heat, and a pot. For someone who’s that bad in the kitchen, even a cookbook isn’t much help. Find out if Marni and Dale know how to boil water.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dale

Marni

Dale: So, Marni, do you enjoy cooking?

Marni: You know, cooking is something I’m just not very good at. I can boil water, but that’s about it.

Dale: You don’t try? Are you not experimental?

Marni: I feel like I’m always in a rut. I’ll get excited about something and it’s like I just go back to what I know. Like I can saute some onions, boil some water, make some pasta, and it just becomes the same old thing. I’m eating the same thing every night.

Dale: Do you not like those cooking shows that are on TV, and kinda learn from them and get hungry, watching them cook this fabulous dinner?

Marni: OK, well here’s the interesting thing about a lot of cooking shows, you know like the reality shows, they don’t really show you how to cook anything. It’s all like fast-paced, like making a meal. So I think cookbooks are a better resource.

Dale: Do you use cookbooks?

Marni: No. I should though.

Dale: Cooking for me is like the most relaxing time. For me it’s more like an art feeling. I can step back, use all my senses at once, taste, smells, sight. Just the whole feeling about it.

Marni: Do you use a lot of fresh herbs? Do you like to dice and chop and all that stuff?

Dale: Yes. I love to do all those things. I think that’s the way that cooking should be. Nothing frozen, everything fresh.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Modal Verbs" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Dale loves to cook. He considers cooking an artform and finds it relaxing. He enjoys being in the kitchen where he can smell the food cooking and see the beautiful ingredients. For him, it’s important to use fresh, healthy ingredients.

Marni is an OK cook, but she often just makes the same thing. She isn’t very creative in the kitchen, and she doesn’t find cooking shows or cookbooks helpful. Cooking to Marni is something she only gets excited about sometimes. Usually, it is more of a chore for her.

Do you enjoy cooking, or is it just a chore? What are your favorite foods to cook?

Comments

1 through 20 of 80
Next >
1 2 3 4

Elenar

Russian Federation

I like cooking very much but l need many times for it and i must have free time. I like pasta and different stuffing with it. I like cooking Asian meal like meat pockets, pilaf:)

TIDING

Algeria

I quite enjoy cooking- the whole process is enjoyable to me. Well, except the resulting dishes…that part isn’t so much fun. Baking is my absolute joy in the kitchen- it is so relaxing to build something from scratch and beat the life out…I mean gently kneed dough and mold it into something tasty. :)

You should definetely learn! It’s fun to create something delicious. :) It’s easy to get discouraged if you fail at something, but the fun is when you try again and you impress yourself!

sara1998

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

to tell the truth i hate cooking and i just like to eat different delicious foods!

it’s not even a chore because there’s always some one who can cook instead of you!

Tiramisu99

China

Yeah! I enjoy cooking,i like preparing meal for my family,though i am not good at cook,however,i am very interesting in it. every time when i in the kitchen, i feel relax.i’d like to make the food looks beautiful,smells flavourful,tastes delicious,but it is not easy for me. my favorite food is hot food,i usually add some chilies in the food when i cooking.::))

katrina Lin

China

I like

icyman

China

raj molani

Pakistan

i am a bachelor student in the unversity of Sindh now and i live with my classmate in the plaza.Here we are cooked the food for us by themself ,and i am also to take interest to cook the vegetables now….. my favorite food is dry food and sindh Salan Ka Sag is tme most interested to me ….....when we are going to university ,i get up early in the morning for preparing brackfast for all freind they they have lived with me now at plaza …...after that i catch bus to travel toward university when i come back from university to take Manjhan Ge Mani and the sleep….........its my bachelor life

ahmedghieth9

Egypt

i love cooking specialy eggs,and patatos ,lol

rui885462

China

im a born cook

rui885462

China

im a born cook

rui885462

China

im a born cook

Joy4short

Japan

guan3883451 from China! Why you are copying my comment below? You are such a slubberdegullion! You better study manners first before you study english i think

khadija02

Morocco

i love cooking so much specially the moroccan meals it’s verry delicious like couscous and pastilla

Bruce_zhou

China

seems i m “can not boil water” too,i m eating out every day,all because of i hate cook ,and i m so lazy,actually , i like eating all kind of food that would be delicious,so i hope i can do better cooking in future,that i can eat delicious food every day,expecial sea food ,i like best

guan3883451

China

Actually. i dont like cooking, You can let me clean the house everyday,do the dishes ,laundry or whatever household chores can be except cooking. But i am hoping to love cooking as much as possible

Joy4short

Japan

Actually. i dont like cooking, You can let me clean the house everyday,do the dishes ,laundry or whatever household chores can be except cooking. But i am hoping to love cooking as much as possible.

weah44

Sudan

i dont know cooking , i just can chop an dice and do small stuff , but not cooking , my close friend used to tell me ccoking is kind of art and exciting that is you make something tasty and all you friends like it ^^

i would like to learn how to cook