ESL Podcast 975 - Making Food from Scratch
from scratch - starting with basic ingredients, not using any prepackaged or pre-prepared foods
Why would you make pancakes from scratch when it's so much easier to make them from this mix?
to pull out all the stops - to do something in a big, elaborate way; to do something fully and take it to an extreme; to do something in the best way one can
When they redecorated their living room, they pulled out all the stops, with new furniture, flooring, paint, windows, curtains, and light fixtures.
pantry - a small room next to a kitchen used to store food that does not have to be refrigerated (kept cold)
The pantry has a lot of jams and jellies from the berries we picked last summer.
canned food - food that is already prepared and sold in sealed tin cans that preserve it for many years
It's a good idea to have canned food in case of an earthquake or a similar emergency, but make sure you have a can opener, too.
jar - a glass bottle with a round opening and a lid that screws onto it
Could you pick up a jar of peanut butter at the store?
premixed - with the ingredients already measure and stirred together
The flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder are already premixed, so you just have to add an egg and some milk and then pour everything into a baking pan.
up to - ready and prepared to do something; having the energy, skills, knowledge, and commitment needed to do something
Are you sure you're up to watching the neighbors' three-year-old sons? They are a lot of work.
ingredient - a food used in combination with other foods to cook or bake something else to eat
This ice cream has just four ingredients: cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
fresh - recently picked or recently prepared; not stored for a long period of time
Fresh beef has a reddish color. It shouldn't be brown like that.
recipe - instructions for cooking or baking something
The recipe calls for two tablespoons of lemon juice, but I don't have any. Do you think I can use lime juice instead?
closely - with a lot of attention to detail; carefully
Listen closely, because he's only going to explain it once.
herbs and spices - small parts of plants, often dried, that have a lot of flavor in small quantities.
Oregano, basil, and rosemary are common herbs and spices in Italian cooking.
to multitask - to do multiple things at the same time
The receptionist will need to answer phone calls, greet customers, distribute the mail, and do data entry, so we'll need to hire someone who can multitask well.
a juggling act - a complex performance that requires handling many things at the same time, paying attention to everything at once
Hannah's life is a juggling act. She's a full-time employee, a community volunteer, a part-time student, and a mother!
to pull this off - to be able to do something that is difficult or challenging
We have to find a new place to live in just four days. Do you really think we'll be able to pull this off?
challenge - an invitation or dare to do something that will be difficult, especially when it represents an opportunity to compete against other people or to show that one is better at doing something than others are
Running a marathon will be a huge challenge, but Henrique is determined and training very hard for it.
backup plan - a plan B; an alternative; what one will do if one's first plan does not work
Kevin hopes his band will become an international success, but he's getting a degree in engineering as a backup plan.
raw food movement - interest or effort to promote the eating of foods that are not cooked
People involved in the raw food movement argue that our bodies can get more nutrients out of uncooked foods, but some doctors disagree.