This lesson suits advance learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Different phrases to use when talking about cooking or sharing recipes:
- This recipe is very versatile.
- Here's a little tip. I like to mix it up by tossing in almonds.
- Maybe a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for an extra bit of texture?
- We can make a few different batches to see which combo we like best.
- The cinnamon complements the sweetness of the apple pie perfectly.
Colloquial expressions:
If something is as easy as pie, it means it's very easy to do.
We can also say something is a piece of cake when we think it's very easy to do.
To cook up a storm means to cook a lot of lovely food with skill and passion, usually to share.
Vocabulary: If something is mouthwatering, it looks, sounds or smells so good that it makes you hungry so that your mouth waters, just thinking about it.
If something is versatile, it means you can easily make changes to it. For example, a versatile recipe is one that you can change easily by adding different ingredients.
To mix it up means to change things to make them more interesting.
Texture it is how something feels.
To put a creative twist on something is to make new and exciting changes to something. For example, Allan and Claire are putting an exciting twist on the recipe for Anzac biscuits.
To toss something in is an informal way to say to add something. For example, to change a recipe you can toss in some almonds and cranberries.
To add a sprinkle of something means to add a little bit.
A combo is a shortened and informal way of saying a combination.
A batch is a group of something made at the same time.
To make something in batches means to make something in a series of separate groups for example, bakers bake loaves in batches, that is, one group after another.
To complement something means to go well with it. For example, when one ingredient complements another, it means they taste good together and make the dish taste better.
Cultural information:
Anzac biscuits have a special place in Australian history. They were originally made during World War I for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers. The original recipe was designed to create biscuits that would last the long journey to reach the troops.
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How to bake Anzac biscuits at home
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
Hi, I'm Josipa. A few weeks ago, my mum came to visit me from Croatia. Since she arrived, actually from the moment she unpacked her suitcase, she also unpacked all her kitchen secrets, and we've been cooking together nonstop.
The best part of our time together? Well, as we slice, dice, and mix our way through the dishes of my childhood, we talk a lot.
And, I think my cooking has also improved. With my mum by my side, learning her cooking secrets has become as easy as pie.
When we say something is as easy as pie, it means it's very easy to do. This seems like a funny expression because a lot of people don’t find making a pie very easy – but it is for people like my mum.
And the phrases we are going to practice in this episode will make talking about cooking as easy as pie, or we can also say, a piece of cake. Yep, you guessed it! When we say something is a piece of cake, we also mean it's very easy to do.
Look at that, we haven't even started, and we already have two phrases to say that something is easy to do.
It's as easy as pie, and it's a piece of cake. And the thing I like the most about these phrases is that we can use them to talk about anything, not just cooking.
But for now, let's go into our imaginary kitchen, where Allan and Claire are cooking up a storm.
"A storm?" you might wonder. Yes, English can be quite playful when it comes to cooking phrases!
The phrase 'cooking up a storm' is a fun way to say that someone is cooking a lot of food. It's like they're putting so much energy into their cooking that it could make a storm!
Let’s hear them,
Claire
I love how versatile Anzac biscuits are!
Allan
Here's a little tip: I like to mix it up by tossing in almonds and cranberries.
Claire
Ooh, I love that idea! And maybe a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for an extra bit of texture?
Allan
Sounds delicious! We can make a few different batches to see which combo we like best.
Claire
Definitely! Let's also try one with dark chocolate chips. they’ll give a nice, rich flavour that will complement the cranberries perfectly.
Mmmm...just talking about these biscuits is mouthwatering.
If something is mouthwatering, it looks, sounds or smells so good that it makes you hungry so that your mouth waters, just thinking about it, or in this case, just talking about it.
Well, it turns out that Allan and Claire are putting a creative twist on Anzac biscuits, that is, they are making new and wonderful changes to the recipe, because Claire said,
I love how versatile Anzac biscuits are!
Anzac biscuits have a special place in Australian history. They were originally made during World War I for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers.
The original recipe was designed to create biscuits that would last the long journey to reach the soldiers.
Claire said that Anzac biscuits are versatile. If a dish or recipe is versatile, it means you can make changes to it—like using different ingredients—and it will still turn out good.
Allan has some advice that he thinks Claire will find useful, so he said,
Here's a little tip: I like to mix it up by tossing in almonds and cranberries.
Here's a little tip. You can say this any time when you want to share some advice that you think someone will find helpful. My tip for learning English is to keep listening to this episode!
Let’s hear Allan’s advice once again,
I like to mix it up by tossing in almonds and cranberries.
To ‘mix it up' means to change things to make them more interesting.
To ‘toss in something’ means to add something to a mix. So, we heard that Allan likes to make Anzac biscuits more interesting by tossing in some almonds and cranberries.
Claire said,
Ooh, I love that idea! And maybe a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for an extra bit of texture?
When we talk about food, the texture is how it feels when you eat it. For example, adding pumpkin seeds or nuts to a cake can make it crunchy, so that it is not only soft but also feels a little bit hard.
And if you sprinkle something into your food, you add small amounts of something lightly over your dish.
Allan also said,
We can make a few different batches to see which combo we like best.
A batch is a group of something, in this case biscuits, made at the same time.
So to make something in batches means to make it in a series of separate groups, one after the other.
Allan is suggesting that each batch should use a slightly different recipe so that they can see what combo works best.
Do you know what Allan means by combo? That’s just a short word for combination.
Claire
Definitely! Let's also try one with dark chocolate chips. They'll give a nice, rich flavour that will complement the cranberries perfectly.
They'll give a nice, rich flavour that will complement the cranberries.
Notice how Claire makes a prediction about how the chocolate chips will improve the flavour of the biscuits.
She says they’ll give a nice flavour, and she’s pretty sure that they will complement the flavour of the cranberries.
When one ingredient complements another, it means that it goes well with it and so they taste good together and make the dish taste better. For example, I could say that the cinnamon complements the sweetness of the apple pie perfectly.
But we can use the word complement when talking about other things, not just cooking.
Let’s say you painted your living room, you could say, “The new colour in the living room complements the furniture really well.” Or I could say that Allan’s calm nature complements Claire’s energetic personality; so, they make a great team.
A big thank you to our educational consultant, Professor Lynda Yates, and our guest Ramy Aly.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
