Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Cooking & Culinary Skills 1

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a vegetarian or vegan cooking class.

There are descriptions of eight cooking classes.

Decide which cooking class would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Clara is a student on a tight budget who wants to cook using inexpensive grocery items. She’s keen to learn the health benefits of a meat-free diet and hopes the course provides a midday meal so she doesn’t have to buy food.

2   David and Sam want to spend a weekend morning learning to bake sweet treats without using eggs or dairy. They are looking for a class where they can pack up everything they make to share with their families later.

3   Maya loves spicy food and wants to discover how to prepare traditional Indian meat-free meals. She works late, so she needs an evening class. Because she doesn’t drive, the kitchen must be located very close to public transport links.

4   Simon has never cooked before and wants to learn how to prepare very fast plant-based meals to eat after work. He has recently moved to the city and hopes the workshop is a good place to make new friends.

5   Elena is already a confident cook but wants to improve her vegan skills. She wants to learn how to make dishes look beautiful for dinner parties and requires a class that gives her a professional certificate when she finishes.

Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking Classes

A Healthy Wallets

Discover how good a meat-free diet is for your body in this informative class! We focus on cooking with low-cost vegetables and beans that won’t empty your purse. After preparing the dishes, everyone sits down together in our dining room to enjoy the delicious midday feast we’ve just cooked.

B Weekend Sweets

Join us on Saturdays at 9 a.m. to master the art of plant-based baking! You will discover how to create delicious cakes and biscuits entirely free from animal products. At the end of the session, we provide boxes so you can carry your wonderful creations back to your own house.

C Budget Evenings

Learn how to save money while eating a healthy plant-based diet. This weekday night class focuses on preparing everyday vegetables that are very cheap to buy. Although we taste our creations, we do not serve a full meal. Drivers will find plenty of free parking spaces right outside our studio.

D Asian Spices

Discover the amazing flavours of classic Indian vegetable dishes! This workshop runs on Thursdays at 7 p.m., making it perfect for busy professionals. Our studio is extremely easy to reach, situated right next to the central underground station, so you won’t need to worry about bringing your own car.

E Speedy & Social

Absolutely no experience is required for this fun, welcoming class! You will learn how to whip up tasty meat-free dinners in under twenty minutes. It is a highly sociable event designed for chatting and getting to know your classmates while you chop and stir in a relaxed group environment.

F Morning Rush

Start your Saturday early by learning how to prepare healthy vegan breakfasts and extremely fast lunches! We focus on speedy techniques for busy people. Please note that this is an advanced class, so basic kitchen skills are expected. Students must eat their food here, as containers are not allowed.

G Vegan Masterclass

Designed for those who already know their way around a kitchen, this advanced workshop teaches you how to present plant-based food like a top chef. We focus heavily on stunning visual decoration to impress your guests. Every student receives a printed official document of achievement upon successfully completing the course.

H Spicy Secrets

Immerse yourself in the rich world of Asian cooking by learning how to create delicious meat-free curries. All students receive an official qualification at the end of this afternoon session. We provide special containers for everyone to pack up and take their spicy dishes home instead of eating them in our classroom.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a baking and pastry course.

There are descriptions of eight baking courses.

Decide which baking course would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Sarah wants to bake both sweet treats and everyday loaves. She needs to learn how to use kitchen scales for perfect quantities. She also wants to box up her finished items to carry back to her own house.

2   Marco wants to focus strictly on making traditional French pastries. He needs a friendly class suitable for absolute beginners. Instead of leaving with his food, he prefers to sit and enjoy eating his baked goods with his classmates.

3   Lily wants to learn how to prepare healthy, sugar-free biscuits. She is curious and needs a teacher who explains the chemistry and science of baking. She is very busy and can only attend classes on Sunday mornings.

4   David already bakes well but wants an advanced cake decoration class. He doesn’t want to carry anything, so the school must provide all ingredients. He needs a location in the city centre, very close to the train station.

5   Elena wants to learn how to bake savoury items like cheese pies. She needs a course that gives her a printed recipe book to keep. Since she is busy at the office all day, she requires evening sessions.

Baking and Pastry Courses

A The Complete Baker

Join our exciting workshop! We teach you how to make everything from everyday sandwich rolls to delicious chocolate sponges. Baking requires great precision, so you will practice weighing every single gram of flour accurately. We provide handy containers so you can transport your delicious creations to enjoy with your family!

B Secrets of Paris

Discover the magic of baking! This welcoming workshop is designed for people who have never baked anything before. We will guide you step-by-step to create beautiful croissants and fruit tarts. Afterwards, we all sit down in our dining room to taste our wonderful treats together with a cup of coffee.

C Healthy Bakes

We focus on creating delicious snacks without adding any sweet syrups or artificial sugars. We meet every Sunday morning at ten o’clock. Instead of complicated science, our teachers focus entirely on fun, practical mixing. You will even get a free container to carry your healthy biscuits home afterwards.

D The Professional Touch

If you already know the basics, join our professional styling class! You will master complex icing techniques to make your desserts look spectacular. Our central studio is just a two-minute walk from the main railway platforms. Don’t worry about shopping; we supply all the necessary butter, flour, and professional tools.

E Kitchen Chemistry

Curious about how dough rises? Our weekend classes explore the fascinating biology and physics behind oven temperatures and yeast. We specialize in baking nutritious, diet-friendly cookies that contain zero artificial sweeteners. Sessions run exclusively on the final day of the weekend before lunch, making it perfect for your busy schedule.

F Evening Eats

This relaxing course is perfect for busy workers. We run late classes starting at 7 PM, where you will learn to bake wonderful meat and cheese tarts. You won’t receive any printed materials, so you must bring a notebook to write down the instructions. We provide all the cooking equipment!

G Salty Secrets

Skip the sweet stuff and master the art of salty pastries, including delicious vegetable quiches and meat slices. Perfect for professionals, our studio opens its doors at 6:30 PM for after-work baking. Every student receives a beautifully bound manual containing all our secret instructions to take away and keep forever.

H Creative Kitchen

We offer a very relaxed approach to cooking. We throw away the kitchen scales and teach you to guess the right amounts of flour and butter by feeling the dough! You will bake wonderful fruit sponges and crusty loaves, and we supply lovely bags to transport your food back home.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a student cookbook.

There are descriptions of eight cookbooks.

Decide which cookbook would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Max is a beginner who only has a microwave in his room. He has very little money to spend on ingredients and needs dishes he can prepare in less than half an hour before his evening classes.

2   Sophie loves eating meat but is on a strict student budget. She wants a book with lots of photographs to help her. She doesn’t mind taking a long time to cook on weekends.

3   Liam wants to make healthy vegetarian food using just one pan because he hates washing up. He is always in a hurry and must be able to finish cooking his dinner in twenty minutes.

4   Jin wants to bake sweet desserts for her friends. She is lucky to have a fully equipped kitchen in her house. Because she works part-time, she strictly needs recipes that cost very little to make.

5   Chloe is looking for hot, spicy noodle dishes that she can cook on a simple camping stove. She has plenty of money for nice ingredients but only has a short fifteen-minute break for lunch.

Student Cookbooks

A Dorm Room Chef

No cooker? No problem! This brilliant guide shows you exactly how to use your microwave to make tasty dinners. Every meal takes twenty minutes or less to heat up. Furthermore, the shopping lists are designed for empty wallets, ensuring you save your cash while eating perfectly well every night.

B Speedy Suppers

If you want to save your pennies and still eat great food, this is for you. All our dishes are ready in a flash, usually taking under twenty-five minutes. However, you will need a proper cooker with an oven and multiple pots to complete these fantastic daily recipes.

C Student Carnivore

If you enjoy chicken, beef, and pork, this collection is ideal. It is packed with colourful, step-by-step images so you can see exactly what to do. The meals require hours of slow cooking, but they use the cheapest cuts available, keeping your weekly supermarket bills incredibly low.

D Green & Quick

Discover how to create fantastic plant-based dinners without creating a mountain of dirty plates! Everything here is prepared using a single frying pan or pot. Best of all, you won’t be standing around waiting; you can serve these delicious, meat-free meals in a quarter of an hour or less.

E Luxury Bowls

Treat yourself to something special with these amazing noodle and rice dishes. Everything is cooked on a single electric ring, and it only takes ten minutes to prepare! However, be warned that the rare spices and premium seafood required will definitely cost you a lot of money at the store.

F Sweet Pennies

Love cakes and biscuits but hate spending a fortune? This recipe book focuses entirely on sugary treats that require very few coins to buy the ingredients. You must have access to a traditional oven and baking trays, so it is best for those living in properly furnished homes.

G Fire & Spice

For those who love chili and premium ingredients, this book delivers amazing hot noodle dishes. You don’t need a fancy kitchen; a basic portable gas ring is enough. Because the luxury ingredients cook quickly, you will be eating your fantastic premium lunch in just ten to twelve minutes!

H No-Bake Treats

You certainly don’t need an oven for these fantastic sugary creations! Just mix the ingredients in a bowl and put them in the fridge. The beautiful full-page photographs will inspire you, although the expensive chocolate and imported fruits needed will certainly demand a very large weekly shopping budget.

Exercises:   123456