Cooking Verbs — Kochverben
| German | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| kochen | — | to cook / to boil |
| braten | — | to fry / to roast |
| backen | — | to bake |
| grillen | — | to grill |
| hacken | — | to chop |
| schneiden | — | to slice / to cut |
| schälen | — | to peel |
| mischen | — | to mix |
| rühren | — | to stir |
| gießen | — | to pour |
| servieren | — | to serve |
Tip Kochen can mean both "to cook" (prepare food) and "to boil" (boil water). Context tells you which: „Sie kocht das Abendessen." (She is cooking dinner.) vs. „Das Wasser kocht." (The water is boiling.) Backen (to bake) is used for bread, cakes, and pizza — anything baked in an oven.
Kitchen Tools and Cooking Terms — Küchenutensilien und Kochbegriffe
| German | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Messer | die Messer | knife |
| die Gabel | die Gabeln | fork |
| der Löffel | die Löffel | spoon |
| die Pfanne | die Pfannen | frying pan |
| der Topf | die Töpfe | pot |
| das Backblech | die Backbleche | oven tray / baking sheet |
| die Schüssel | die Schüsseln | bowl |
| das Schneidebrett | die Schneidebretter | chopping board |
| der Schneebesen | die Schneebesen | whisk |
| der Spatel | die Spatel | spatula |
| das Rezept | die Rezepte | recipe |
| die Zutat | die Zutaten | ingredient |
| die Portion | die Portionen | portion / serving |
| der Geschmack | die Geschmäcke | taste / flavour |
| roh | — | raw |
| gar / gekocht | — | cooked / done |
Real world: following a recipe in German
German cooking instructions look like this: „Schäle die Kartoffeln und schneide sie in Stücke." (Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces.) „Bringe das Wasser zum Kochen." (Bring the water to the boil.) „Rühre die Soße gut." (Stir the sauce well.) „Serviere das Gericht heiß." (Serve the dish hot.) Cooking instructions in German always use the imperative form of the verb.
Practice Problems
Translate: Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces.
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Schäle die Kartoffeln und schneide sie in Stücke.
What is the plural of 'der Topf'?
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die Töpfe
What gender is 'Schneebesen'?
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masculine — der Schneebesen
How do you say 'to bake' in German?
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backen