Food, Glorious Food: Cooking Verbs - do you know the difference between bake & roast?

So, do you know the difference between roasting and baking?

It actually hasn't got a straightforward answer. Traditionally speaking, we use roasting for meats such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, etc. and baking for foods such as potatoes, cakes, and fish.

In the old days, fatty meat is cooked on a spit over an open fire, while the drier stuff can be baked in a bread oven, hence the usage of these different terms.

It could also be related to the origins of the words. If you look at the origin of many English words, you'll find that food associated with poor people have their origins in Old English, while those associated with the rich originated from French (the upper class spoke French). Likewise, roast comes from the French word, rostir but bake comes from the Old English word, bacan.

So, while the rich ate beef, the poor ate bread and potatoes. And, did the poor eat fish? Well, that's for you to find out, and post your findings in the comments section below!

Now, listen to Weird Al Yankovic's parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It, and try to fill in the missing gaps. Then, do some, if not all, of the various activities (including crossword, word search, labelling game, and quiz) which follow.

"Eat It"

How come you're always such a fussy young man
Don't want no Captain Crunch, don't want no Raisin Bran
Well, don't you know that other kids are starving in Japan
So eat it, just eat it

Don't want to argue, I don't want to debate
Don't want to hear about what kind of ____ you hate
You won't get no dessert 'till you clean off your plate
So eat it

Don't you tell me you're full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Get yourself an ____ and ____ it
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn't matter if it's ____ or ____
Just eat it, eat it, just eat it, eat it
Just eat it, eat it, just eat it, eat it, ooh

Your table manners are a cryin' shame
You're playin' with your ____, this ain't some kind of game
Now, if you starve to death, you'll just have yourself to blame
So eat it, just eat it

You better listen, better do what you're told
You haven't even touched your ____ casserole
You better chow down or it's gonna get cold
So eat it

I don't care if you're full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Open up your mouth and feed it
Have some more ____, have some more spam
It doesn't matter if it's ____ or canned
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Don't you make me repeat it
Have a banana, have a whole bunch
It doesn't matter what you had for ____
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it

Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
If it's gettin' cold, reheat it
Have a big ____, have a light ____
If you don't like it, you can't send it back
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Get yourself an ____ and ____ it (oh lord)
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn't matter if it's ____ or ____
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it

Click on the image below to start the labelling game.

Cooking Verbs Crossword

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Cooking Verbs Word Search

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Nathan Grimm from Guide to Culinary Schools told me about an article his site has just published: 101 Best Cooking Videos. So, if you want to try some new recipes or learn some new tricks, check it out!

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't uploaded the keys. That has now been rectified. The keys are available in both Slideshare and Scribd.