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Talking about cooking is a great way of improving your Portuguese language skills. While you’ll obviously learn Portuguese words and phrases related to the kitchen, you’ll also start picking up how to structure simple sentences and begin the process of absorbing Portuguese grammar so that you can start to think in Portuguese.
If cooking is a favorite hobby of yours, book a tutoring session focused on the subject, as this is a great way to develop your skills. For some basic vocabulary to start with, here are 30 Portuguese words you’ll hear in the kitchen.
Kitchen Nouns
Twenty simple Portuguese words describing kitchen objects.
Kitchen
Cozinha
Saucepan
Panela
Frying pan
Frigideira
Spatula
Espatula
Spoon
Colher
Sieve
Peneira
Colander
Escorredor de macarrão
Baking tray
Assadeira
Bowl
Tigela
Chopping board/cutting board
Tábua de cortar
Knife
Faca
Ladle
Concha
Whisk
Batedor
Blender
Liquidificador
Scale
Balança
Tongs
Pinças
Oven
Forno
Microwave
Micro-ondas
Toaster
Torradeira
Stove
Fogão
Kitchen Verbs
Ten Portuguese words describing actions related to cooking.
To stir
Mexer
To whisk
Bater
To fold
Misturar delicadamente
There is no single word in Portuguese for the important task of folding, a crucial stage of many dessert recipes. The translation above means “to mix delicately,” but there are various ways of describing the task.
To chop
Picar
To fry
Fritar
To boil
Ferver
To bake
Assar
To steam
Cozinhar no vapor
To roast
Assar
To serve
Servir
As with all Portuguese verbs, in addition to learning the infinitive forms, it’ll be helpful to learn some conjugations. In particular, the present tense is useful when giving instructions, for example, frite os ovos, por favor (fry the eggs, please). Adjective forms can also be useful, such as ovos fritos (fried eggs).
Practice With Your TutorThe Portuguese words in this post give you a starting point. However, turning them into sentences and learning how to respond to questions and instructions is something that’s best done with another person—especially if that person’s an expert tutor with native-level Portuguese. To really develop your skills, you need to practice in a tutoring session. The more you practice, the sooner you’ll be talking about food and cooking with total confidence.