Cooking in German

When using German for cooking, you’ll talk about actions, tools, ingredients, and methods. Here’s how to use this language in recipes and kitchen conversations.

Describing Common Cooking Actions

To talk about steps in a recipe, use verbs like:

• anbraten means to fry or brown, usually at the start of a recipe. For example: Man soll das Fleisch anbraten.
• kochen is to cook or boil: Die Kartoffeln kochen zehn Minuten.
• schneiden and aufschneiden are for cutting or slicing: Bitte das Brot schneiden.
• rühren is to stir: Die Soße rühren, bis sie dick ist.
• hinzufügen means to add: Salz und Pfeffer hinzufügen.
• abschmecken is to taste and adjust the seasoning: Die Suppe abschmecken.

Other verbs are used in specific steps:

• garnieren (to garnish), mischen (to mix), dämpfen (to steam), frittieren (to deep-fry), backen (to bake), schälen (to peel), hacken (to chop), rollen (to roll), sautieren (to sauté), schmoren (to stew), bedecken (to cover), aufwärmen (to reheat).
• To describe food texture, use weich (soft) and mürbe (tender), while stark is strong, e.g., for flavors.

Describing Kitchen Appliances and Utensils

To explain what utensils or appliances to use:

• der Backofen (the oven), die Mikrowelle (the microwave), der Kühlschrank (the fridge) for where to prepare or store items.
• die Pfanne or die Bratpfanne (the frying pan) and der Topf (the pot) for cooking on a stove.
• die Auflaufform (the casserole dish), das Backblech (the baking tray) when baking.
• For mixing: der Mixer (the mixer), die Küchenmaschine (the kitchen machine), der Schneebesen (the whisk), der Holzlöffel (the wooden spoon), die Kelle (the ladle).
• Other useful items: das Sieb (the sieve), der Eislöffel (the ice cream scoop), die Gabel (the fork), der Eierbecher (the egg cup), die Essstäbchen (chopsticks) for serving or eating.

Describing Food Items

To discuss ingredients:

• Basics like das Wasser, das Brot, die Eier, die Kartoffel, das Mehl, and das Gemüse.
• For meats and dairy: das Rindfleisch, der Schinken, der Käse, der Sauerrahm, der Jagdwurst, das Steak.
• For salad and sauces: der Grünen Salat, die Soße, das Ketchup, die Tomatenpaste.
• General seasonings: das Salz, das Pfeffer, der Knoblauch, die Knoblauchzehe, der Kren, das Olivenöl.

Example usage:

• Füge die Tomaten und das Olivenöl hinzu.
• Die Eier in der Pfanne anbraten.
• Schneiden Sie die Kartoffeln in Würfel.

Describing Cooking Methods

Describing how to prepare foods:

• dämpfen (to steam): Das Gemüse dämpfen.
• pommes frites (fries) are often frittiert or gebacken.

Cooking Times and Temperatures

Explain cooking timing and temperature:

• kalt (cold), mild (mild/warm), warm (warm/hot)
• dauern for how long: Der Kuchen muss 30 Minuten backen.
• fertig means something is finished: Das Essen ist fertig!

Typical phrases:

• Im Backofen bei 180 Grad backen.
• Das Fleisch auf hoher Temperatur anbraten, dann auf niedriger Temperatur schmoren lassen.
• Die Suppe warm servieren.

Cooking in German isn’t just about the right words for food, it’s also about knowing the verbs, equipment, and common recipe phrases. For everyday cooking, recipes in German usually use the imperative and lots of short, direct statements