我喜欢煮菜。Wǒ xǐhuān zhǔcài. I like to cook. Vocabulary for Cooking in Chinese

In this post we’ll look at vocabulary and expressions related to cooking in Chinese. First, we’ll start with some expressions you can use to say that you’re hungry or thirsty. Then we’ll move on to Chinese vocabulary for meals. After that we’ll turn to vocabulary for cooking supplies and instruments. Finally, we’ll wrap up with specific vocabulary for different ways of cooking different in Chinese.

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我饿了！Wǒ è le! I’m hungry!

Let’s start with things you might want to say before you have something to eat or drink.

我饿了！
Wǒ è le!
I’m hungry.
我饿死了！
Wǒ è sǐ le!
I’m starving!
我渴了！
Wǒ kě le!
I’m thirsty.
我渴死了！
Wǒ kě sǐ le!
I’m dying of thirst!
我想吃东西。
Wǒ xiǎng chī dōngxī.
I want something to eat.
我想喝东西。
Wǒ xiǎng hē dōngxī.
I want something to drink.
我想吃点心。
Wǒ xiǎng chī diǎnxīn.
I feel like a snack.

晚餐好了！Wǎncān hǎo le! Dinner is ready!

The meals in Chinese are 早餐zǎocān (breakfast), 午餐 wǔcān (lunch), and 晚餐 wǎncān (dinner). A snack is 点心 diǎnxīn.

早餐吃什么？
Zǎocān chī shénme?
What’s for breakfast?
午餐吃什么？
Wǔcān chī shénme?
What’s for lunch?
晚餐吃什么？
Wǎncān chī shénme?
What’s for dinner?
点心吃什么？
Diǎnxīn chī shénme?
What’s for dessert?
我吃早餐吃得早。
Wǒ chī zǎocān chī de zǎo.
I eat breakfast early.
我和同事吃午餐。
Wǒ hé tóngshì chī wǔcān.
I eat lunch with colleagues.
我和家人吃晚餐。
Wǒ hé jiārén chī wǎncān.
I eat dinner with my family.

砧板和搅拌碗 zhēnbǎn hé jiǎobàn wǎn Cutting boards and Mixing Bowls

When you think of vocabulary for talking about cooking in Chinese, you probably think about these:一块砧板 yīkuài zhēnbǎn a cutting board, 一套刀具 yī tào dāojù a set of knives, 一个搅拌碗 yīgè jiǎobàn wǎn a mixing bowl, 一把木勺 yī bǎ mù sháo a wooden spoon, 一个勺子 yīgè sháozi a ladle, 一台食材料理机 yī tái shícáiliàolǐ jī a food processor, 一台电动搅拌机 yī tái diàndòng jiǎobànjī an electric mixer, 一个炒锅 yīgè chǎo guō a wok, 一张烤盘纸 yī zhāng kǎo pán zhǐ a baking sheet, 一个烤盘 yīgè kǎo pán a baking pan, 一个煎锅 yīgè jiān guō a frying pan, 一个汤锅 yīgè tāngguō a pot.

我在砧板上切菜。
Wǒ zài zhēnbǎn shàng qiē cài.
I cut vegetables on a cutting board.
料理台上没有空间。
Liàolǐ tái shàng méiyǒu kòng jiān.
There’s no space on the counter.
你有一套锋利的刀具吗？
Nǐ yǒuyī tào fēnglì de dāojù ma?
Do you have a set of sharp knives?
我在搅拌碗里混合材料。
Wǒ zài jiǎobàn wǎn lǐ hùnhé cái liào.
I mix ingredients in a mixing bowl.
我用木勺搅拌汤。
Wǒ yòng mù sháo jiǎobàn tāng.
I stir soup with a wooden spoon.
我用勺子盛汤。
Wǒ yòng sháozi chéng tāng.
I use a ladle to serve soup.
食材料理机又快又方便。
Shícái liàolǐ jī yòu kuài yòu fāngbiàn.
Food processors are fast and convenient.
你经常使用电动搅拌机吗？
Nǐ jīngcháng shǐyòng diàndòng jiǎobànjī ma?
Do you use the electric mixer often?
饼干在烤盘上。
Bǐnggān zài kǎo pán shàng.
The cookies are on the baking sheet.
我在烤盘里烤鱼。
Wǒ zài kǎo pán lǐ kǎo yú.
I cook fish in a baking pan.
我经常用炒锅。
Wǒ jīngcháng yòng chǎo guō.
I use the wok very often.
我在煎锅里煎蛋。
Wǒ zài jiān guō lǐ jiān dàn.
I cook eggs in a frying pan.
你有一个大汤锅来煮汤吗？
Nǐ yǒu yīgè dà tāngguō lái zhǔ tāng ma?
Do you have a large pot for the soup?

厨房电器 Chúfáng diànqì Kitchen Appliances

To continue our vocabulary for cooking in Chinese, let’s turn to some cooking appliances and kitchen gadets. Even if you don’t have a lot of gadgets in your kitchen, your probably got most of these: 一台冰箱 yī tái bīngxiāng a refrigerator, 一台炉子 yī tái lúzǐ a stove/cooker, 一台烤箱 yī tái kǎoxiāng an oven, 一台微波炉 yī tái wéibōlú a microwave oven, 一台烤面包机 yī tái kǎo miànbāojī a toaster, 一个水槽 yīgè shuǐcáo a sink, 一台洗碗机 yī tái xǐ wǎn jī a dishwasher.

If you like to take cooking to the next level, you may have: 一台饭锅 yī tái fàn guō a rice maker, 一台咖啡机 yī tái kāfēi jī a coffee maker, 一个电热水壶yīgè diànrè shuǐhú an electric kettle, 一台慢炖锅 yī tái màn dùn guō a slow cooker, 一台气炸锅 yī tái qì zhá guō an air fryer, 一台面包机 yī táimiànbāo jī a bread machine, 一台冰淇淋机 yī tái bīngqílín jī an ice-cream maker, 一台油炸锅 yī tái yóu zhá guō a deep fryer.

我在炉子上煮汤。
Wǒ zài lúzǐ shàng zhǔ tāng.
I cook soup on the stove.
我在烤箱里烤蛋糕和面包。
Wǒ zài kǎoxiāng lǐ kǎo dàngāo huò miànbāo.
I bake cakes and bread in the oven.
我在微波炉里加热剩菜。
Wǒ zài wéibōlú lǐ jiārè shèng cài.
I reheat left-overs in the microwave.
我在烤面包机里烤吐司。
Wǒ zài kǎo miànbāo jī lǐ kǎo tǔ sī.
I make toast in the toaster.
我总是用饭锅。我从不在炉子上煮米饭。
Wǒ zǒng shì yòngfàn guō. Wǒ cóng bùzài lúzǐ shàng zhǔ mǐfàn.
I always use a rice maker. I never cook rice on the stove.
我用电热水壶烧水。
Wǒ yòng diànrè shuǐhú shāo shuǐ.
I boil water in the electric kettle.
你经常用你的慢炖锅吗？
Nǐ jīngcháng yòng nǐ de màn dùn guō ma?
Do you use your slow cooker often?
气炸锅不使用很多油。
Qì zhá guō bù shǐyòng hěnduō yóu.
Air fryers don’t use a lot of oil.
我用面包机做面包。
Wǒ yòng miànbāo jī zuò miàn bāo.
I make bread in the bread maker.
油炸锅使用很多油。
Yóu zhá guō shǐyòng hěnduō yóu.
Deep fryers use a lot of oil.