Episode 220

EPISODE 220
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

COOKING

Yesterday John decided to cook dinner. He tried to prepare a starter (= a small dish to start your meal, e.g. soup), the main course (= the biggest dish of your meal) and a dessert (= something sweet you eat at the end of your dinner). First of all, John prepared tomato soup. He chopped an onion (= cut into very small pieces), fried it (=cooked it oil or butter), then he added three tomatoes and he simmered (= cooked very slowly) the mixture for a long time. Next, he boiled some potatoes (= cooked them in water) and roasted (= cooked in the oven with oil) some chicken meat, but he forgot to add any spices. Finally, he tried to bake (= cooked in the oven without any oil) a cake, but he burnt it. It was not the best dinner he had ever eaten.

 

 

More contexts for the new words:

• I like soft-boiled eggs.
  (= eggs cooked in water for maximum 4 minutes)
• She can bake very good brown bread.
  (= we can bake bread and cakes without any extra fat)
• She likes roast chicken very much.
  (= cooked in the oven with oil)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Match the halves of expressions.

1. to chop                         a) a cake
2. to simmer                    b) an onion
3. to bake                         c) chips
4. to roast                        d) for a long time
5. to fry                            e) meat in the oven
6. a salad for                   f) starters
7. a cookie for                g) the dessert

 

EXERCISE 2

Complete the questions with the words from the text. Then answer the questions yourself.

1. When did you last b………………………… a cake?
2. Do you prefer your vegetables f………………………… or b…………………………?
3. What is your favorite m………………………… course?

ENGLISH IN USE 

Today we will concentrate on making negative sentences about the past again, but this time we will look at the verb „to be”. As you already know it is a „special” verb, so look at this sentence:

It was not (= wasn’t) the best dinner he had ever eaten.

Is there „didn’t” in the sentence? No, we just put „not” after the proper form of the verb “to be”. Here there are some more examples to help you remember the rule:

We were not (= weren’t) happy.
She was not (= wasn’t) sad.

Remember, it is incorrect to say „He didn’t be at home.”

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ Frank is such a COUCH POTATO!

B/ I know! All he does is lie on the sofa and watch TV all day! 

A couch potato is a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active style of life.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If you HEAT UP food, you make it hot.

Please wait a minute while I heat up the chicken.
This soup is cold – could you heat it up, please?

 

2. If food BOILS OVER, it flows over the side of the pan.

When you boil milk, make sure it doesn’t boil over.
I have to clean the cooker. The soup has boiled over.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the sentences using words from the idiom/phrasal verbs you have learned in the correct form.

 

1. Stop being such a ……………………….. potato and take the dog for a walk.
2. Take the milk off the heat before it boils ………………………..
3. Heat ……………………….. the soup before you serve it.

 

 

NEWS

  HELL’S KITCHEN

 

Hell’s Kitchen was last week’s most popular TV reality show. In the program, people who want to become famous chefs compete by preparing various dishes. The dishes are usually quite good, but sometimes it happens that the contestants burn food or spill wine. The winner will get a contract in one of London’s best restaurant, so the competition is quite fierce.

 

 

GLOSSARY

– a chef – a trained cook in a restaurant

– a dish – food prepared in a particular way as part of a meal

– a contestant – a person taking part in a competition

– to burn – to damage food by cooking for too long

– to spill – to make a liquid flow outside

– fierce – strong, aggressive

 

download lesson (pdf)