--- title: "Cooking in Spanish: Learn to cook in Spanish" description: Learn essential Spanish cooking vocabulary, including verbs, kitchen utensils, and recipe structures. Improve your Spanish while mastering the art of cooking! 🍳 --- [SoyGuiri Blog](https://blog.soyguiri.com) # [Cooking in Spanish: Learn to cook in Spanish](https://blog.soyguiri.com/cooking-in-spanish) Written by [Mónica Jiménez](https://blog.soyguiri.com/author/mónica-jiménez) | Mar 5, 2025, 9:00:00 AM Cooking is a daily activity that can help you improve your Spanish in a practical and fun way. In this article, you will learn how to say **'to cook'** in Spanish, discover essential cooking verbs and utensils, understand how to follow a recipe, and finally, share your signature dish. Let's cook in Spanish! 🍳 ## 🍳 How do you say *'to cook'* in Spanish? The verb ***'cocinar'*** (*to cook*) is the equivalent of "to cook" in English. Depending on the context, you can also use: **'Cocer'** (*to boil*), e.g., **'cocer pasta'** (*to boil pasta*). **'Asar'** (*to roast or grill*), e.g., **'asar pollo'** (*to roast chicken*). **'Freír'** (*to fry*), e.g., **'freír patatas'** (*to fry potatoes*). ## ✅ Essential cooking verbs in Spanish To follow a recipe in Spanish, it is important to know some key verbs: **🍏 *'Pelar'****(to peel)*: To remove the skin from fruit or vegetables. 🍏 **🔪 *'Picar'****(to chop)*: To cut into small pieces.  **🥚 'Batir'** (*to whisk*): To mix quickly. **🥄 *'Mezclar'****(to mix)*: To combine ingredients.  **♨️ *'Hervir'****(to boil)*: To cook in boiling water.  **🍞 *'Hornear'****(to bake)*: To cook in the oven.  **🍳 *'Sofreír'****(to sauté)*: To fry over low heat.  **🌿 *'Aliñar'****(to season)*: To add condiments or spices.  ## ♨️ Essential kitchen utensils in Spanish ***'Cuchillo de chef'*** (*Chef’s knife*): Used for cutting, chopping, and slicing.  ***'Cuchillo para pelar'** (Paring knife)*: Small and precise, ideal for fruits and vegetables. ***'Tabla de cortar'** (Cutting board)*: A surface for cutting without damaging the countertop. ***'Rallador'** (Grater)*: Used to grate cheese, vegetables, or spices.  ***'Pelador'** (Peeler)*: Used to remove the skin from fruits and vegetables. ## 🔥 Utensils for cooking: ***'Sartén'** (Frying pan)*: Ideal for frying, sautéing, and browning food.  ***'Olla'** (Pot)*: Used for boiling, slow cooking, and preparing broths or soups.  ***'Cazo'** (Saucepan)*: Smaller than a pot, useful for sauces and heating liquids. ***'Horno'** (Oven)*: Used for baking bread, cakes, meat, and vegetables.  ***'Vaporera'** (Steamer)*: Used to cook food healthily by steaming. ## 📓 Common expressions in recipes Spanish recipes often include certain recurring terms and expressions that are useful to know: **🧂*****'Una pizca de...'** (A pinch of...)*: Used to indicate small amounts of spices or condiments.  **♨️*****'A fuego lento'** (On low heat)*: Indicates that the cooking should be done at a low and constant temperature.  **🔥*****'A fuego medio'** (On medium heat)*: Cook at an intermediate temperature.  **🔥🔥*****'A fuego alto'** (On high heat)*: Indicates that cooking should be done at a high temperature.  **🧂*****'Salpimentar'** (To season with salt and pepper)*: Add salt and pepper to taste.  **🍞*****'Enharinar'** (To flour)*: Coat food with flour before frying or cooking.  **🍷*****'Macerar'** (To marinate)*: Let food rest in a liquid to absorb flavour.  ***🥖 'Dorarse'** (To brown)*: Cook until the surface of the food turns golden brown.  **🍰*****'Montar claras a punto de nieve'** (To whip egg whites to stiff peaks)*: Beat egg whites until they become firm and fluffy.  ## 📋 Sentence structures and verb tenses in a recipe Spanish recipes use a combination of verb tenses and specific structures to give instructions clearly and precisely. Some of the most common tenses are: **🫵​ Imperative tense**: Used to give orders or direct instructions. Example: **'Pela las patatas y córtalas en trozos pequeños'** *(Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces)* 🔪 **👇​ Present tense**: Used to describe the general process of a recipe. Example: **'Se añade el azúcar y se mezcla bien'** (*The sugar is added and mixed well*) 🍰 **👈​ Present perfect**: Sometimes used to indicate a completed action. Example: **'Una vez que has mezclado los ingredientes, viértelos en el molde'** *(Once you have mixed the ingredients, pour them into the mould)* 🥄 **👉​ Future simple**: In some recipes, it is used to indicate the result of a step. Example: **'Después de 20 minutos, el bizcocho estará dorado'** *(After 20 minutes, the cake will be golden brown)* ⏳ ### It is also common to see passive structures such as: **'Se' + verb**: **'Se corta la cebolla en rodajas'** (*The onion is cut into slices*).  **Use of connectors** to structure the steps: **'Primero'** (First), **'A continuación'** (Next), **'Después'** (Then), **'Por último'** (Finally). ## 👩‍🍳 Our recipes in Spanish ### Carpaccio de higos - *Fig Carpaccio* > [Ver esta publicación en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZGevePtMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [Una publicación compartida de SoyGuiri ☀️ - The real way to learn Spanish. (@soyguiri\_school)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZGevePtMu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) ### Berenjenas glaseadas - *Glazed aubergine* > [Ver esta publicación en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAJMf7KOS2P/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [Una publicación compartida de SoyGuiri ☀️ - The real way to learn Spanish. (@soyguiri\_school)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAJMf7KOS2P/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) ### Bizcocho esponjoso - *Sponge cake* > [Ver esta publicación en Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8HnuGLhetZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [Una publicación compartida de SoyGuiri ☀️ - The real way to learn Spanish. (@soyguiri\_school)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8HnuGLhetZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) ### Tortilla de patatas española - *Spanish potato omelette* ## ⭐ Share your signature recipe! Now that you know the verbs and kitchen utensils, we invite you to share your signature recipe in Spanish. It can be a traditional dish from your country or a recipe you have created. Tell us the ingredients and steps, and let's learn to cook in Spanish together! Ready to cook and learn Spanish at the same time? Let's go! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 Share your signature recipe!     [View full post](https://blog.soyguiri.com/cooking-in-spanish) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Mónica Jiménez" }, "dateModified" : "2025-03-05T09:00:00.391Z", "datePublished" : "2025-03-05T09:00:00Z", "headline" : "Cooking in Spanish: Learn to cook in Spanish", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 627, "url" : "https://144185739.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/144185739/Imagen%20-%20Post%20-%203%20best%20ways%20%289%29.png", "width" : 1200 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.soyguiri.com/cooking-in-spanish", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60, "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png", "width" : 60 }, "name" : "SoyGuiri Blog" } } ```