10 English Idioms Related to Cooking
If you've read our article on essential cooking vocabulary, you'll already know some of the most important words you need in the kitchen.
Many of those words, however, are also used in everyday idioms. Sometimes the meanings are close to their original uses. But other times, you'll need to learn a new meaning to understand.
This article will explain some of the most common idioms that use words for cooking. Grab your knife and fork, and let's dig in!
Bake
Just like in cooking, this use of "bake" refers to heat. This time, it's a casual word that means something or someone is very hot.
- Our air conditioner is broken, so we've been baking in our apartment for the past week.
- At the theme park, we baked in the sun while we waited to enter the popular attractions.
Bake in
Something that is "baked in" is included from the beginning rather than added later. This means it is an important, fundamental part of something.
- Add spices early in the cooking process so the flavors can be properly baked in.
- Strong security features have been baked into the latest version of the software in order to stop cyber attacks.
Half-baked
When baking something to eat, it's important to give it the necessary time to be cooked completely; you don't want to remove it from the oven too soon.
Similarly, the idiom "half-baked" means that something seems incomplete and, therefore, is unsuccessful.
- Dan always has these half-baked ideas that never work. He should spend more time planning.
- The movie's development was rushed, which is probably why it feels so half-baked.
Roast
"Roasting" things like chicken or pork means cooking them over a fire.
Outside of the kitchen, however, it has quite a different meaning: "to tease or insult"!
- My friends roasted me over my new haircut. I guess they don't like it much …
- The politician was quickly roasted on social media for his controversial statements.
Have bigger fish to fry
This idiom is used for comparisons, and it means having something more important to do.
- Let's not waste time on these minor details; we have bigger fish to fry.
- Max decided to avoid the silly office arguments; she had bigger fish to fry that would require all of her focus.
Stir-crazy
When cooking, we stir things to mix them up, such as when stir-frying.
"Stir-crazy," on the other hand, is an informal term to describe intense anxiety due to being kept inside for too long.
- We haven't left home in three days because of the snow storm, and we're going stir-crazy!
- The students usually feel a little stir-crazy on Friday afternoons; they can't wait for the weekend to begin.
Boil down to
Water that boils bubbles rapidly, then eventually becomes steam. As an idiom, "boil down to" refers to the most important or fundamental part of something after the less-important parts have been removed.
- What it all boils down to is this: We have until tonight to make a decision.
- The whole season boils down to this championship game.
Simmer
Things "simmer" when they are cooked at low heat for a long period of time.
Outside of the kitchen, this word refers to emotions like anger or excitement that are strong but not obvious.
- Everyone could feel the tension between them, which had been simmering for months.
- There were rumors the singer would release a new album soon, and excitement was simmering among her fans.
Boiling point
If you increase the heat on something that is simmering, it will eventually reach the "boiling point," which is when strong emotions change into strong actions.
- The months of tension reached a boiling point due to the court's controversial decision.
- Frustration with the poor leadership reached a boiling point yesterday, when crowds began protesting loudly outside of city hall.
Grill
You "grill" food by cooking it on metal bars held over a fire. But this verb also means "to question someone intensely."
- The police grilled the suspect, asking for details on everything he did in the past week.
- When we got home late, my parents grilled us about where we'd been.
Wrap-up
As we can see here, some cooking expressions can even be used far away from any kitchen. Memorizing these idioms will prepare you to use and understand these words in their literal sense as well as their figurative sense. It's a very efficient way to learn!
