Why Cocinar Is More Than "To Cook"
Cocinar is the everyday verb for cooking, and it is regular. It gives you the practical chunks of the kitchen (heat, oven, grill) and a couple of colorful ones about plans and bad cooks.
Learn the six chunks below and you can talk about food, follow recipes and tease a friend who cannot cook.
Pattern 1: Cocinar para… — "To cook for…"
Use para for who you cook for. ¿Quién cocina? asks who is on cooking duty. For eating out instead, see [Comer] Chunks.
- Me encanta cocinar para mi familia. — I love cooking for my family.
- ¿Quién cocina hoy? — Who's cooking today?
- Cocino casi todos los días. — I cook almost every day.
Chunk to learn:
Cocinar para + [persona] / ¿Quién cocina?
Pattern 2: Cocinar a fuego lento — "To cook on low heat"
Fuego is the heat level on the stove. You will see lento (low), medio (medium) and fuerte (high) in almost every recipe. For putting things on the heat, see [Poner] Chunks.
- Cocina la salsa a fuego lento. — Cook the sauce on low heat.
- Déjalo cocinar a fuego lento veinte minutos. — Let it simmer for twenty minutes.
- Cocínalo a fuego medio. — Cook it on medium heat.
Chunk to learn:
Cocinar a fuego lento / medio / fuerte
Pattern 3: Cocinar al horno / a la plancha — "To bake / to grill"
Spanish names the method with al or a la: al horno (baked), a la plancha (on the griddle), al vapor (steamed). For taking food out, see [Sacar] Chunks.
- Cocina el pollo al horno. — Bake the chicken.
- Cocino el pescado a la plancha. — I grill the fish on the griddle.
- Prefiero las verduras al vapor. — I prefer steamed vegetables.
Chunk to learn:
Cocinar + [al horno / a la plancha / al vapor]
Pattern 4: Cocinar bien / de maravilla — "To cook well"
Use an adverb right after the verb to say how well someone cooks. De maravilla is a warm compliment and fatal is a blunt (and funny) criticism. For doing things well, see [Hacer] Chunks.
- Mi madre cocina de maravilla. — My mom cooks wonderfully.
- Ella cocina muy bien. — She cooks very well.
- Yo cocino fatal. — I cook terribly.
Chunk to learn:
Cocinar + [bien / de maravilla / fatal]
Pattern 5: Se está cocinando algo — "Something is brewing"
Spanish borrows the kitchen image for plans and rumors: something is "cooking" behind the scenes. It is informal and works for work, politics or gossip. For what is happening, see [Pasar] Chunks.
- Se está cocinando algo grande en la oficina. — Something big is brewing at the office.
- ¿Qué se cocina por aquí? — What's going on around here?
- Algo se está cocinando entre ellos. — Something is brewing between them.
Chunk to learn:
Se está cocinando algo / ¿Qué se cocina?
Pattern 6: No saber ni freír un huevo — "To be a hopeless cook"
A fixed idiom: the person cannot even fry an egg. Use it to tease, with affection. For knowing how, see Saber vs. Conocer Chunks.
- No sabe ni freír un huevo. — He can't even fry an egg.
- Mi hermano no sabe ni freír un huevo. — My brother is a hopeless cook.
- Aprendí a cocinar desde cero. — I learned to cook from scratch.
Chunk to learn:
No saber ni freír un huevo / Aprender a cocinar
Cocinar vs. Cocer vs. Hacer
Cocinar is the general verb for preparing food with heat. Cocer means to cook in boiling water: cocer pasta, cocer huevos. In everyday speech, hacer is also common: hacer la comida, hacer una tortilla. When in doubt, cocinar is the natural choice for any kitchen task.
Start with ¿quién cocina hoy? and a fuego lento. You will use both the first time you cook with Spanish speakers.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.