EFE learning modules / Cooking & Recipes

Cooking & Recipes @ Understanding specific cooking verbs, reading step-by-step instructions, identifying ingredients, and following complex recipes.

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

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Too many cooks spoil the broth

/ቱ ሜኒ ኩክስ ስፖይል ዘ ብሮዝ/

ብዙ ወዝ አደሮች ወጡን ያበላሹታል

If too many people are involved in a task or activity, it will not be done well

በአንድ ሥራ ላይ ብዙ ሰዎች ከተሳተፉ ሥራው ሊበላሽ ይችላል

In Practice

"We have too many people managing this recipe; too many cooks spoil the broth."

"Let only one person lead the kitchen because too many cooks spoil the broth."

Fluent Tip

Used when many people trying to do the same thing lead to a poor result.

A piece of cake

/ኤ ፒስ ኦፍ ኬክ/

በጣም ቀላል

Something that is very easy to do

ለማድረግ በጣም ቀላል የሆነ ነገር

In Practice

"Following this pasta recipe was a piece of cake."

"I thought the dessert would be hard, but it was a piece of cake."

Fluent Tip

Informal way to describe an easy task.

To spice things up

/ቱ ስፓይስ ቲንግስ አፕ/

ነገሮችን ይበልጥ ሳቢ ማድረግ

To make something more interesting or exciting

አንድን ነገር የበለጠ አስደሳች ወይም ሳቢ ማድረግ

In Practice

"Add some chili flakes to spice things up."

"We decided to spice things up by trying a new cuisine."

Fluent Tip

Used both in literal cooking and metaphorically in life.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

/አውት ኦፍ ዘ ፍራይንግ ፓን ኤንድ ኢንቱ ዘ ፋየር/

ከድጡ ወደ ማጡ

To go from a bad situation to one that is even worse

ከመጥፎ ሁኔታ ወደ ተባባሰ ሁኔታ መሄድ

In Practice

"I quit the busy restaurant for a bakery, but it was out of the frying pan into the fire."

"Trying to fix the burnt sauce made it worse—out of the frying pan into the fire."

Fluent Tip

Describing worsening circumstances.

To simmer down

/ቱ ሲመር ዳውን/

መረጋጋት ወይም መቀዝቀዝ

To become calm after being angry or excited

ከተቆጡ ወይም ከተደሰቱ በኋላ መረጋጋት

In Practice

"Let the sauce simmer down for ten minutes."

"After the argument in the kitchen, everyone needed to simmer down."

Fluent Tip

Can be literal (cooking heat) or emotional.

On the back burner

/ኦን ዘ ባክ በርነር/

ለጊዜው ትኩረት የማይሰጠው

To delay or give low priority to something

ለአንድ ነገር ዝቅተኛ ቅድሚያ መስጠት ወይም ማዘግየት

In Practice

"We put the new dessert menu on the back burner for now."

"The soup is on the back burner while I prep the salad."

Fluent Tip

Common in project management and cooking.

Half-baked

/ሃፍ ቤክድ/

ያልተሟላ ወይም ያልበሰለ ሃሳብ

Not fully thought through or planned

በደንብ ያልታሰበበት ወይም ያልታቀደ

In Practice

"That was a half-baked plan for the catering event."

"Don't give me half-baked excuses for the burnt roast."

Fluent Tip

Used for incomplete ideas.

To have a lot on one's plate

/ቱ ሃቭ ኤ ሎት ኦን ዋንስ ፕሌት/

ብዙ ሥራ መያዝ

To be very busy with many tasks

በብዙ ሥራዎች መጠመድ

In Practice

"The head chef has a lot on his plate tonight."

"I can't help with the dishes; I have a lot on my plate."

Fluent Tip

Refers to being overwhelmed with work.

Take it with a grain of salt

/ቴክ ኢት ዊዝ ኤ ግሬይን ኦፍ ሶልት/

በጥርጣሬ መቀበል

To not completely believe something that you are told

የተነገረውን ነገር ሙሉ በሙሉ አለማመን

In Practice

"Take his cooking advice with a grain of salt."

"I read the reviews but took them with a grain of salt."

Fluent Tip

Skepticism.

To butter someone up

/ቱ ባተር ሰምዋን አፕ/

ለጥቅም ሲባል በአድናቆት ማባበል

To be very nice to someone so they will do what you want

የሚፈልጉትን እንዲያደርጉልዎ ለአንድ ሰው በጣም ደግ መሆን

In Practice

"He is trying to butter up the chef to get the recipe."

"She buttered up her mom before asking for the expensive spices."

Fluent Tip

Flattery for gain.

Bread and butter

/ብሬድ ኤንድ ባተር/

ዋና የገቢ ምንጭ

A person's main source of income

የአንድ ሰው ዋና የገቢ ምንጭ

In Practice

"Baking cakes is my bread and butter."

"The restaurant's bread and butter is its lunch crowd."

Fluent Tip

Livelihood.

To have a finger in every pie

/ቱ ሃቭ ኤ ፊንገር ኢን ኤቭሪ ፓይ/

በሁሉም ነገር ውስጥ ጣልቃ መግባት

To be involved in many different things

በብዙ የተለያዩ ነገሮች ውስጥ መሳተፍ

In Practice

"The kitchen manager has a finger in every pie, from cleaning to plating."

"She likes to have a finger in every pie during meal prep."

Fluent Tip

Usually implies being overly involved.

Chop up

/ቾፕ አፕ/

መቆራረጥ

To cut something into small pieces

አንድን ነገር ወደ ትናንሽ ቁርጥራጮች መቁረጥ

In Practice

"Chop up the onions for the stew."

"I need to chop up the parsley finely."

Fluent Tip

Common instruction for vegetables and meat.

Stir in

/ስተር ኢን/

መቀላቀል (በማማሰል)

To add an ingredient and mix it by moving a spoon

አንድን ግብአት ጨምሮ በማንኪያ ማማሰል

In Practice

"Stir in the heavy cream at the end."

"Carefully stir in the blueberries so they don't break."

Fluent Tip

Specific to mixing liquids or powders into a base.

Boil over

/ቦይል ኦቨር/

ገንፍሎ መውጣት

When liquid boils and flows over the side of the pot

ፈሳሽ ፈልቶ ከድስቱ ወጥቶ ሲፈስ

In Practice

"Turn down the heat before the milk boils over."

"The pasta water boiled over and made a mess."

Fluent Tip

Safety and mess warning in recipes.

Whip up

/ዊፕ አፕ/

በፍጥነት ማዘጋጀት

To make something to eat very quickly

የሚበላ ነገር በፍጥነት ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"I can whip up a quick salad for lunch."

"He whipped up an amazing meal in just twenty minutes."

Fluent Tip

Informal cooking preparation.

Bake off

/ቤክ ኦፍ/

መጋገርን ማጠናቀቅ

To finish baking something, often from frozen or pre-made dough

አንድን ነገር መጋገር ማጠናቀቅ

In Practice

"We need to bake off the croissants in the morning."

"The bakery has a bake off every four hours."

Fluent Tip

Commercial or step-by-step baking.

Dish out

/ዲሽ አውት/

ምግብ ማቅረብ/ማከፋፈል

To serve food onto plates

ምግብን በየሳህኑ ማቅረብ

In Practice

"Start dishing out the soup to the guests."

"She dished out generous portions of lasagna."

Fluent Tip

Serving phase of a meal.

Eat out

/ኢት አውት/

ውጭ መብላት

To have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home

ከቤት ውጭ ሆቴል ውስጥ መብላት

In Practice

"We feel like eating out tonight."

"Eating out is more expensive than cooking at home."

Fluent Tip

Social dining.

Heat up

/ሂት አፕ/

ማሞቅ

To make something warm or hot

አንድን ነገር ማሞቅ

In Practice

"Heat up the leftovers in the microwave."

"I'll heat up some bread to go with the soup."

Fluent Tip

Reheating or preheating.

Cut back

/ካት ባክ/

መቀነስ

To reduce the amount of an ingredient

የአንድን ግብአት መጠን መቀነስ

In Practice

"I'm trying to cut back on salt in my cooking."

"Cut back the sugar by half if you want it less sweet."

Fluent Tip

Recipe adjustments.

Mix in

/ሚክስ ኢን/

መደባለቅ

To combine an ingredient with others

አንድን ግብአት ከሌሎች ጋር ማዋሃድ

In Practice

"Mix in the chocolate chips."

"Slowly mix in the flour to avoid lumps."

Fluent Tip

General mixing instruction.

Clean up

/ክሊን አፕ/

ማፅዳት

To make a place tidy after cooking

ከምግብ ዝግጅት በኋላ ቦታን ማፅዳት

In Practice

"Who is going to help me clean up the kitchen?"

"It's important to clean up as you go."

Fluent Tip

Post-cooking maintenance.

Thaw out

/ዞ አውት/

ማቅለጥ

To let frozen food become warm enough to cook

የቀዘቀዘ ምግብ እንዲቀልጥ ማድረግ

In Practice

"Don't forget to thaw out the chicken."

"It takes three hours for the meat to thaw out."

Fluent Tip

Preparing frozen ingredients.

Hunger is the best sauce

/ሀንገር ኢዝ ዘ ቤስት ሶስ/

ለራበው ሰው ሁሉም ነገር ይጣፍጣል

Food tastes much better when you are hungry

ሰው ሲርበው ማንኛውም ምግብ ይጣፍጠዋል

In Practice

"After the hike, even plain bread tasted great; hunger is the best sauce."

"You don't need fancy spices if you are truly hungry; hunger is the best sauce."

Fluent Tip

Appreciating simple food when hungry.

You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs

/ዩ ካንት ሜክ አን ኦምሌት ዊዝአውት ብሬኪንግ ኤግስ/

ያለ መስዋዕትነት ውጤት አይገኝም

It is impossible to achieve something important without some disruption or sacrifice

አንድን ትልቅ ነገር ለማሳካት አንዳንድ መስዋዕትነቶችን መክፈል ግድ ነው

In Practice

"The kitchen remodel is messy, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

"Training to be a chef is hard, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

Fluent Tip

Accepting necessary difficulties.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

/ዘ ፕሩፍ ኦፍ ዘ ፑዲንግ ኢዝ ኢን ዘ ኢቲንግ/

ውጤቱ የሚታወቀው በተግባር ነው

The real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results

የአንድ ነገር ትክክለኛ ዋጋ ሊታወቅ የሚችለው በተግባር ሲታይ ብቻ ነው

In Practice

"The recipe looks good on paper, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating."

"He claims to be a master chef; well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating."

Fluent Tip

Emphasizing results over theory.

Better a small fish than an empty dish

/ቤተር ኤ ስሞል ፊሽ ዛን አን ኤምፕቲ ዲሽ/

ከምንም ይሻላል

It is better to have something small than nothing at all

ከምንም ነገር ጥቂት ነገር ማግኘት ይሻላል

In Practice

"We only have beans, but better a small fish than an empty dish."

"The portion is small, but better a small fish than an empty dish."

Fluent Tip

Gratitude for small amounts.

Every cook praises his own broth

/ኤቭሪ ኩክ ፕሬይዝስ ሂዝ ኦውን ብሮዝ/

ሁሉም ሰው የራሱን ስራ ያደንቃል

Everyone thinks their own work or creation is the best

ሁሉም ሰው የራሱ ሥራ ወይም ፈጠራ ምርጥ እንደሆነ ያስባል

In Practice

"Of course he likes the soup; every cook praises his own broth."

"She won't admit she oversalted it because every cook praises his own broth."

Fluent Tip

Describing bias toward one's own work.

Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper

/ሆፕ ኢዝ ኤ ጉድ ብሬክፋስት በት ኤ ባድ ሳፐር/

በተስፋ ብቻ መኖር አይቻልም

It is good to be optimistic at the beginning, but optimism alone won't sustain you

በመጀመሪያ ላይ ተስፋ ማድረግ ጥሩ ነው፡ ነገር ግን በተስፋ ብቻ መኖር አይቻልም

In Practice

"We hope the restaurant succeeds, but hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper."

"You need a business plan, not just hope; hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper."

Fluent Tip

Warning against relying solely on optimism.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

/ዶንት ፑት ኦል ዩር ኤግስ ኢን ዋን ባስኬት/

ሁሉንም ሃብት በአንድ ቦታ አታድርግ

Do not risk everything on a single venture

ሁሉንም ነገር በአንድ ነገር ላይ ብቻ አትመድብ

In Practice

"Invest in different restaurants; don't put all your eggs in one basket."

"Apply to multiple culinary schools; don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Fluent Tip

Advice on risk management.

A watched pot never boils

/ኤ ዎችድ ፖት ኔቨር ቦይልስ/

ሲጠብቁት ጊዜ አይሄድም

Time feels longer when you are waiting for something to happen

አንድ ነገር እንዲከሰት ሲጠብቁ ጊዜው የዘገየ ይመስላል

In Practice

"Stop staring at the oven; a watched pot never boils."

"I'm so hungry, but a watched pot never boils."

Fluent Tip

Encouraging patience.

Small helpings are easily digested

/ስሞል ሄልፒንግስ አር ኢዚሊ ዳይጀስትድ/

ጥቂት ነገር በቀላሉ ይከወናል

Smaller tasks or amounts are easier to handle

ትናንሽ ሥራዎች ወይም መጠኖች በቀላሉ ይከናወናሉ

In Practice

"Let's learn one recipe at a time; small helpings are easily digested."

"Don't overwhelm the students; small helpings are easily digested."

Fluent Tip

Advice on moderation and learning.

Gluttony kills more than the sword

/ግላተኒ ኪልስ ሞር ዛን ዘ ሶርድ/

ከመጠን በላይ መብላት ለጤና ጠንቅ ነው

Overeating is more dangerous than violence

ከመጠን በላይ መብላት ከጥቃት ይልቅ አደገኛ ነው

In Practice

"Watch your diet, remember gluttony kills more than the sword."

"Health is wealth; gluttony kills more than the sword."

Fluent Tip

Warning against over-indulgence.

Fine words butter no parsnips

/ፋይን ወርድስ ባተር ኖ ፓርስኒፕስ/

ባዶ ቃላት ሆድ አይሞሉም

Words or promises are useless without action

ቃላት ወይም ተስፋዎች ያለ ተግባር ዋጋ የላቸውም

In Practice

"You promised to cook, but fine words butter no parsnips."

"Stop talking about the recipe and start cooking; fine words butter no parsnips."

Fluent Tip

Demanding action over talk.

An army marches on its stomach

/አን አርሚ ማርችስ ኦን ኢትስ ስተመክ/

ምግብ ለሥራ አስፈላጊ ነው

To be effective, people need to be well-fed

ሰዎች ውጤታማ እንዲሆኑ በደንብ መመገብ አለባቸው

In Practice

"Make sure the workers have lunch; an army marches on its stomach."

"The kitchen is the most important part of the camp; an army marches on its stomach."

Fluent Tip

Highlighting the importance of food for productivity.

Chef it up

/ሼፍ ኢት አፕ/

በጥሩ ሁኔታ ማብሰል

To cook something skillfully or enthusiastically

በችሎታ ወይም በጉጉት ምግብ ማብሰል

In Practice

"I'm going to chef it up in the kitchen tonight."

"Look at him cheffing it up with those spices."

Fluent Tip

Informal praise for someone cooking.

The bomb

/ዘ ቦምብ/

በጣም የሚጣፍጥ

Extremely good or delicious

በጣም ጥሩ ወይም ጣፋጭ

In Practice

"That lasagna was the bomb!"

"This new sauce is the bomb."

Fluent Tip

Describing high-quality food.

From scratch

/ፍሮም ስክራች/

ከመጀመሪያው (ከጥሬ ግብአት)

Making something using only basic ingredients

መሰረታዊ ግብአቶችን ብቻ በመጠቀም አንድን ነገር ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"I made this bread from scratch."

"Cooking from scratch takes more time but tastes better."

Fluent Tip

Common in home cooking talk.

Fire

/ፋየር/

በጣም ምርጥ

Amazing, excellent (usually referring to flavor)

ድንቅ፡ በጣም ጥሩ (ብዙውን ጊዜ ጣዕምን ያመለክታል)

In Practice

"These tacos are fire!"

"The seasoning on this chicken is fire."

Fluent Tip

Modern youth slang for great food.

Salty

/ሶልቲ/

መከፋት ወይም መበሳጨት

To be annoyed or upset (often about losing)

መበሳጨት ወይም መከፋት

In Practice

"He was salty because his soufflé fell."

"Don't get salty just because I cook better than you."

Fluent Tip

Metaphorical use of a cooking taste.

Guac

/ጓክ/

ጓካሞሌ (የአቮካዶ ድልህ)

Short for guacamole

የጓካሞሌ አጭር መጠሪያ

In Practice

"Do you want extra guac with that?"

"I make the best guac in town."

Fluent Tip

Common abbreviation in restaurants.

Nuke it

/ኒውክ ኢት/

በማይክሮዌቭ ማሞቅ

To cook or heat something in a microwave

በማይክሮዌቭ ውስጥ ምግብ ማብሰል ወይም ማሞቅ

In Practice

"If it's cold, just nuke it for a minute."

"I don't like to cook; I just nuke everything."

Fluent Tip

Informal for microwave cooking.

Kitchen nightmare

/ኪችን ናይትሜር/

በጣም የተዝረከረከ ወይም አስከፊ ኩሽና

A disastrous situation in a kitchen

በኩሽና ውስጥ ያለ አስከፊ ሁኔታ

In Practice

"Cleaning up after that party was a kitchen nightmare."

"The restaurant was a total kitchen nightmare before the new manager."

Fluent Tip

Describing chaos.

Grub

/ግራብ/

ምግብ

Food (slang)

ምግብ

In Practice

"Let's go get some grub."

"The grub at that diner is actually pretty good."

Fluent Tip

Casual term for food.

Foodie

/ፉዲ/

ምግብ ወዳድ

A person with a strong interest in food and gourmet cooking

ለጥሩ ምግብና ለምግብ አዘገጃጀት ትልቅ ፍላጎት ያለው ሰው

In Practice

"She's a real foodie; she travels for restaurants."

"As a foodie, I love trying complex new recipes."

Fluent Tip

Common term for food enthusiasts.

Short order

/ሾርት ኦርደር/

ፈጣን ምግብ

Food that can be cooked quickly

በፍጥነት ሊበስል የሚችል ምግብ

In Practice

"He works as a short order cook."

"I need a short order lunch today."

Fluent Tip

Diner/Cafe terminology.

Dog

/ዶግ/

ቋሊማ/ሆት ዶግ

Slang for a hot dog or sausage

ለሆት ዶግ ወይም ለቋሊማ የሚሰጥ የቃላት አጠቃቀም

In Practice

"Put another dog on the grill."

"I want my dog with mustard and onions."

Fluent Tip

Casual BBQ talk.

Whip something together

/ዊፕ ሰምቲንግ ቱገዘር/

በፍጥነት አንድ ነገር ማዘጋጀት

To create a meal quickly with available ingredients

ያሉትን ግብአቶች በመጠቀም በፍጥነት ምግብ ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"I can whip something together with these leftovers."

"She whipped together a great dinner in no time."

Fluent Tip

Improvised cooking.

Throwing a dinner party

/ዝሮይንግ ኤ ዲነር ፓርቲ/

የእራት ግብዣ ማድረግ

Organizing and hosting a formal meal for guests

ለእንግዶች የእራት ግብዣ ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"We are throwing a dinner party this Saturday."

"Throwing a dinner party requires a lot of prep."

Fluent Tip

Social hosting.

Fixing a meal

/ፊክሲንግ ኤ ሚል/

ምግብ ማዘጋጀት

Preparing food

ምግብ ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"I'm fixing a meal for the family."

"What are you fixing for dinner?"

Fluent Tip

Common in American English.

Grab a bite

/ግራብ ኤ ባይት/

ጥቂት ነገር መብላት

To get something small or quick to eat

ትንሽ ወይም ፈጣን ነገር መብላት

In Practice

"Let's grab a bite before the movie."

"I only have time to grab a bite."

Fluent Tip

Casual eating out.

Dash of this, pinch of that

/ዳሽ ኦፍ ዚስ ፒንች ኦፍ ዛት/

ጥቂት ከዚህ ጥቂት ከዚያ

Using small, unmeasured amounts of ingredients

ያልተለኩ ትናንሽ ግብአቶችን መጠቀም

In Practice

"I don't use recipes; just a dash of this and a pinch of that."

"The soup needs a dash of this, pinch of that spice."

Fluent Tip

Intuitive cooking style.

Cook up a storm

/ኩክ አፕ ኤ ስቶርም/

በጣም ብዙ ምግብ ማብሰል

To cook a large amount of food with great energy

በታላቅ ጉልበት ብዙ ምግብ ማብሰል

In Practice

"My mom is in the kitchen cooking up a storm for the holiday."

"He cooked up a storm for his friends."

Fluent Tip

High-energy cooking.

Feeding a crowd

/ፊዲንግ ኤ ክራውድ/

ለብዙ ሰው ምግብ ማቅረብ

Cooking for a large number of people

ለብዙ ሰዎች ምግብ ማብሰል

In Practice

"This chili recipe is great for feeding a crowd."

"Feeding a crowd is hard work."

Fluent Tip

Large scale cooking.

Leftovers

/ሌፍትኦቨርስ/

የተረፈ ምግብ

Food remaining after a meal has been eaten

ከምግብ በኋላ የተረፈ ምግብ

In Practice

"We are having leftovers for lunch tomorrow."

"Don't throw away the leftovers."

Fluent Tip

Common household term.

Family style

/ፋሚሊ ስታይል/

በጋራ ሳህን ማቅረብ

Serving large platters of food for everyone to share

ሁሉም ሰው እንዲካፈል በትልልቅ ሳህኖች ምግብ ማቅረብ

In Practice

"The restaurant serves dinner family style."

"We like eating family style at home."

Fluent Tip

Service style description.

Home-cooked meal

/ሆም ኩክድ ሚል/

የቤት ምግብ

A meal prepared and eaten at home

በቤት ውስጥ ተዘጋጅቶ የሚበላ ምግብ

In Practice

"Nothing beats a fresh home-cooked meal."

"I missed my mom's home-cooked meals."

Fluent Tip

Emphasizing quality and care.

Garnish it

/ጋርኒሽ ኢት/

ማስጌጥ

To decorate a dish with a small amount of food

ምግብን በጥቂት ነገሮች ማስጌጥ

In Practice

"Garnish it with some fresh parsley."

"The chef garnish it with edible flowers."

Fluent Tip

Plating instruction.

Kitchen hand

/ኪችን ሃንድ/

የኩሽና ረዳት

A person who helps with basic tasks in a kitchen

በኩሽና ውስጥ መሰረታዊ ስራዎችን የሚረዳ ሰው

In Practice

"He started his career as a kitchen hand."

"The kitchen hand is busy peeling potatoes."

Fluent Tip

Employment terminology.

Melting pot

/ሜልቲንግ ፖት/

የተለያዩ ባህሎች መገናኛ

A place where different peoples, styles, or ideas are mixed together

የተለያዩ ህዝቦች፡ ቅጦች ወይም ሃሳቦች የሚቀላቀሉበት ቦታ

In Practice

"New York City is a giant melting pot of cultures."

"This recipe is a melting pot of different flavors."

Fluent Tip

Societal or creative descriptions.

Recipe for disaster

/ሬሲፒ ፎር ዲዛስተር/

ለጥፋት የሚዳርግ ሁኔታ

A situation that is very likely to lead to a bad result

ወደ መጥፎ ውጤት ሊያመራ የሚችል ሁኔታ

In Practice

"Hiring unskilled staff for a busy kitchen is a recipe for disaster."

"Adding too much salt and no water is a recipe for disaster."

Fluent Tip

Warning of failure.

Stewing in one's own juices

/ስቱይንግ ኢን ዋንስ ኦውን ጁስስ/

በራስ ንዴት ውስጥ መብሰል

To be left alone to suffer the consequences of one's own actions or anger

በራስ ድርጊት ወይም ንዴት ምክንያት ብቻውን እንዲሰቃይ መተው

In Practice

"Leave him alone; let him stew in his own juices for a bit."

"She was left stewing in her own juices after the argument."

Fluent Tip

Refers to emotional states.

Slow burn

/ስሎው በርን/

ቀስ ብሎ የሚጨምር

Something that starts slowly and builds up over time

በዝግታ ጀምሮ በጊዜ ሂደት የሚጨምር ነገር

In Practice

"Their romance was a slow burn."

"The flavor of this spice is a slow burn."

Fluent Tip

Describes feelings or spicy tastes.

Seasoning one's life

/ሲዘኒንግ ዋንስ ላይፍ/

ህይወትን ጣፋጭ ማድረግ

Adding variety or excitement to life

ለህይወት ልዩ ልዩ ነገሮችን ወይም ደስታን መጨመር

In Practice

"Travel is a way of seasoning one's life."

"I use hobbies for seasoning my life."

Fluent Tip

Poetic expression.

The icing on the cake

/ዘ አይሲንግ ኦን ዘ ኬክ/

በጥሩ ላይ የተጨመረ ተጨማሪ ደስታ

An extra benefit on top of something already good

በጥሩ ነገር ላይ የሚጨመር ተጨማሪ ጥቅም

In Practice

"Winning the award was the icing on the cake for the chef."

"A free dessert was the icing on the cake for our anniversary."

Fluent Tip

Positive addition.

Simmering anger

/ሲመሪንግ አንገር/

ውስጥ ውስጡን የሚቃጠል ቁጣ

Anger that is felt but not fully expressed

የሚሰማ ግን በግልጽ ያልወጣ ቁጣ

In Practice

"There was a simmering anger between the two cooks."

"You can feel the simmering anger in the room."

Fluent Tip

Describing suppressed emotion.

Whisked away

/ዊስክድ አዌይ/

በፍጥነት ተወስዶ መሄድ

Taken somewhere quickly and suddenly

በፍጥነት እና በድንገት ወደ አንድ ቦታ መወሰድ

In Practice

"They were whisked away to a private dining room."

"The dishes were whisked away as soon as we finished."

Fluent Tip

Refers to speed, like whisking an egg.

Raw talent

/ሮ ታለንት/

ያልተገራ ችሎታ

Natural ability that has not yet been developed

በስልጠና ያልዳበረ ተፈጥሯዊ ችሎታ

In Practice

"The young baker has a lot of raw talent."

"You can see raw talent in her chopping skills."

Fluent Tip

Inherent ability.

Fermenting ideas

/ፈርሜንቲንግ አይዲያስ/

የሚዳብሩ ሃሳቦች

Ideas that are developing or changing over time

በጊዜ ሂደት የሚዳብሩ ወይም የሚለወጡ ሃሳቦች

In Practice

"I have a few fermenting ideas for the new menu."

"The plan was fermenting ideas for months."

Fluent Tip

Intellectual development.

Kneading the soul

/ኒዲንግ ዘ ሶል/

ነፍስን ማለስለስ

Working through emotional difficulties to find peace

ሰላምን ለማግኘት ስሜታዊ ችግሮችን ማሸነፍ

In Practice

"For many, cooking is like kneading the soul."

"The therapy was like kneading the soul back to health."

Fluent Tip

Spiritual or emotional work.

Garnish of truth

/ጋርኒሽ ኦፍ ትሩዝ/

ጥቂት እውነት

A small amount of honesty in a larger story

በአንድ ትልቅ ወሬ ውስጥ ያለች ትንሽ እውነት

In Practice

"His tall tales usually have a garnish of truth."

"It was a lie with just a garnish of truth."

Fluent Tip

Describing partial honesty.

Easy as pie

/ኢዚ አዝ ፓይ/

እንደ ኬክ ቀላል

Extremely easy

በጣም ቀላል

In Practice

"Fixing this oven was easy as pie."

"The recipe is easy as pie; anyone can do it."

Fluent Tip

Common comparison for simplicity.

Cool as a cucumber

/ኩል አዝ ኤ ኪውከምበር/

በጣም የተረጋጋ

Very calm and relaxed

በጣም የተረጋጋ

In Practice

"The head chef stayed cool as a cucumber during the rush."

"Even when things go wrong, she stays cool as a cucumber."

Fluent Tip

Describing composure.

Flat as a pancake

/ፍላት አዝ ኤ ፓንኬክ/

በጣም ጠፍጣፋ

Very flat

በጣም ጠፍጣፋ

In Practice

"The cake came out flat as a pancake."

"The tire was as flat as a pancake."

Fluent Tip

Describing physical shape.

Sharp as a chef's knife

/ሻርፕ አዝ ኤ ሼፍስ ናይፍ/

እንደ ሼፍ ቢላዋ ስለታም

Very intelligent or observant

በጣም ብልህ ወይም ነገሮችን ቶሎ የሚረዳ

In Practice

"His mind is as sharp as a chef's knife."

"You need to be sharp as a chef's knife to succeed here."

Fluent Tip

Describing mental acuity.

Like a hot knife through butter

/ላይክ ኤ ሆት ናይፍ ስሩ ባተር/

በጣም በቀላሉ

Something done very easily and without resistance

ያለ ምንም ተቃውሞ በጣም በቀላሉ የሚከናወን ነገር

In Practice

"The new saw went through the wood like a hot knife through butter."

"The team moved through the defense like a hot knife through butter."

Fluent Tip

Describing smooth action.

Selling like hotcakes

/ሴሊንግ ላይክ ሆትኬክስ/

እንደ ቆሎ ተፈላጊ መሆን

Selling very quickly and in large numbers

በጣም በፍጥነት እና በብዛት መሸጥ

In Practice

"The new cookbook is selling like hotcakes."

"These fresh muffins are selling like hotcakes."

Fluent Tip

Commercial success.

Red as a beet

/ሬድ አዝ ኤ ቢት/

እንደ ቀይ ስር የቀላ

To have a very red face, usually from embarrassment

ብዙውን ጊዜ በሀፍረት ምክንያት ፊት በጣም ሲቀላ

In Practice

"When he burnt the toast, he turned red as a beet."

"She was red as a beet after the compliment."

Fluent Tip

Describing a physical reaction.

Packed like sardines

/ፓክድ ላይክ ሳርዲንስ/

እንደ ሳርዲን የተጨናነቀ

Crowded very tightly together

በጣም ተፋፍጎ የተጨናነቀ

In Practice

"We were packed like sardines in the small kitchen."

"The guests were packed like sardines in the dining room."

Fluent Tip

Describing lack of space.

Like two peas in a pod

/ላይክ ቱ ፒስ ኢን ኤ ፖድ/

በጣም የሚመሳሰሉ

Two people who are very similar or always together

በጣም የሚመሳሰሉ ወይም ሁልጊዜ አብረው የሚሆኑ ሁለት ሰዎች

In Practice

"The twin chefs are like two peas in a pod."

"They share the same tastes; they are like two peas in a pod."

Fluent Tip

Describing similarity.

Sweet as honey

/ስዊት አዝሃኒ/

እንደ ማር የጣፈጠ/ደግ

Very sweet or very kind

በጣም ጣፋጭ ወይም በጣም ደግ

In Practice

"Her voice is as sweet as honey."

"This dessert is sweet as honey."

Fluent Tip

Describing taste or personality.

Sour as a lemon

/ሳውር አዝ ኤ ሌመን/

እንደ ሎሚ የመረረ

Having a sour taste or an unpleasant attitude

ጎምዛዛ ጣዕም ያለው ወይም መጥፎ ባህሪ ያለው

In Practice

"The sauce was sour as a lemon."

"He has a face as sour as a lemon today."

Fluent Tip

Describing taste or mood.

Hot as a jalapeño

/ሆት አዝ ኤ ሃላፒኖ/

እንደ ቃሪያ የሚያቃጥል

Very spicy or physically hot

በጣም የሚያቃጥል ወይም ትኩስ

In Practice

"This curry is as hot as a jalapeño."

"The kitchen is as hot as a jalapeño in the summer."

Fluent Tip

Temperature or spice level.

Seasoned to perfection

/ሲዘንድ ቱ ፐርፌክሽን/

በጥሩ ሁኔታ የተቀመመ

Having exactly the right amount of spices and salt

ትክክለኛ የሆነ የቅመም እና የጨው መጠን ያለው

In Practice

"The steak was seasoned to perfection."

"Every dish at this restaurant is seasoned to perfection."

Fluent Tip

Often used in food reviews.

Farm to table

/ፋርም ቱ ቴብል/

ከእርሻ በቀጥታ ለምግብነት

Food that is sourced directly from a local farm

በቀጥታ ከአካባቢ እርሻ የሚመጣ ምግብ

In Practice

"We promote a farm to table philosophy."

"This restaurant specializes in farm to table dining."

Fluent Tip

Trendy restaurant marketing.

Melt in your mouth

/ሜልት ኢን ዩር ማውዝ/

በአፍ ውስጥ የሚቀልጥ

Food that is very soft and delicious

በጣም ለስላሳ እና ጣፋጭ የሆነ ምግብ

In Practice

"The butter cookies just melt in your mouth."

"This tender beef will melt in your mouth."

Fluent Tip

Describing texture.

Made with love

/ሜድ ዊዝ ላቭ/

በፍቅር የተሰራ

Cooked with great care and affection

በጥንቃቄ እና በፍቅር የተሰራ

In Practice

"Grandma's food is always made with love."

"You can taste that this meal was made with love."

Fluent Tip

Sentimental cooking.

Secret ingredient

/ሲክሬት ኢንገሪዲየንት/

ምስጢራዊ ግብአት

A hidden ingredient that makes a dish special

አንድን ምግብ ልዩ የሚያደርገው የተደበቀ ግብአት

In Practice

"Cinnamon is my secret ingredient for the stew."

"What is the secret ingredient in this sauce?"

Fluent Tip

Common in family recipes.

Hearty meal

/ሀርቲ ሚል/

የሚያጠግብ ምግብ

A large, satisfying, and healthy meal

ትልቅ፡ አርኪ እና ጤናማ ምግብ

In Practice

"We enjoyed a hearty meal after work."

"The soup is a hearty meal on its own."

Fluent Tip

Describing filling food.

Fresh from the oven

/ፍሬሽ ፍሮም ዘ ኦቨን/

ትኩስ (ከምድጃ እንደወጣ)

Just finished baking

መጋገር ገና ያለቀለት

In Practice

"The bread is fresh from the oven."

"I love cookies when they are fresh from the oven."

Fluent Tip

Bakery marketing.

Bursting with flavor

/በርስቲንግ ዊዝ ፍሌቨር/

ጣዕሙ የሞላበት

Having a very strong and pleasant taste

በጣም ጠንካራ እና ደስ የሚል ጣዕም ያለው

In Practice

"This fruit salad is bursting with flavor."

"The sauce is bursting with flavor thanks to the herbs."

Fluent Tip

Descriptive food writing.

Finger-licking good

/ፊንገር ሊኪንግ ጉድ/

ጣትን የሚያስቆረጥም

Extremely delicious

በጣም የሚጣፍጥ

In Practice

"That fried chicken was finger-licking good."

"The ribs were finger-licking good."

Fluent Tip

Describing tasty, messy food.

Cooking with gas

/ኩኪንግ ዊዝ ጋስ/

በጥሩ ሁኔታ እየሄደ ያለ

Making very good progress

በጣም ጥሩ እድገት እያደረገ ያለ

In Practice

"Now that we have help, we're really cooking with gas."

"The team is finally cooking with gas on this project."

Fluent Tip

Metaphorical progress.

Just like Grandma used to make

/ጀስት ላይክ ግራንድማ ዩዝድ ቱ ሜክ/

ልክ እንደ አያቴ አሰራር

Food that tastes traditional and home-made

እንደ ባህላዊ እና የቤት ስራ የሚጣፍጥ ምግብ

In Practice

"This apple pie is just like Grandma used to make."

"I want a meal that is just like Grandma used to make."

Fluent Tip

Nostalgic food talk.

The heart of the home

/ዘ ሀርት ኦፍ ዘ ሆም/

የቤት እምብርት (ኩሽና)

The kitchen, as the most important room in a house

ኩሽና፡ በአንድ ቤት ውስጥ በጣም አስፈላጊው ክፍል

In Practice

"They say the kitchen is the heart of the home."

"We spend all our time in the kitchen; it's the heart of the home."

Fluent Tip

Describing domestic life.