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  3. A1 reading
  4. Can you cook?

Can you cook?

Can you cook?

Read the article about Tom and do the exercises to practise and improve your reading skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then do the other exercises.

Preparation

Reading

Tom cooking an egg

Can you cook?

This teenager can – and his mum's very happy with him.

Tom is like any other teenager. He goes to school, does his homework, meets his friends and enjoys doing sport.

But between 5.30 and 6.30 from Monday to Friday, Tom does something different. He cooks dinner for all the family: mum, dad, younger brother Joe and older sister Emma.

I think it's important for teenagers to learn how to cook. Maths and English are important, of course, but they need other skills too to help them in today's world.

First I taught Tom how to cook easy meals like pizza or egg and chips. Then he started using recipes in my cookery books. Yesterday he made vegetable soup. It was very good! – Tom's mum

I love cooking and I think I'm really good at it. None of my friends cook. I don't know why, it isn't difficult and it's great fun! – Tom

In the past, Tom didn't help out at home and his mum wasn't very happy with him. Today, things are different and she is very happy.

Worksheets and downloads

Can you cook? - exercises391.7 KB
Can you cook? - article345.45 KB
Can you cook? - answers134.58 KB
Discussion

What can you cook?

Language level
A1 Elementary
Topics
cooking
family
hobbies and leisure
Grammar
pronouns & nouns
Average: 3.8 (61 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by db_dororo on Tue, 07/15/2025 - 09:26

I can't cook a lot of dishes but these days I am learing how to

Submitted by Jo_Az on Sat, 06/21/2025 - 16:35

i can cook eggs

Submitted by trust on Mon, 08/05/2024 - 15:02

I can cook noodle.

Submitted by Mohissoocool on Mon, 04/22/2024 - 07:42

Honestly i dont get why a guy who just cooked some sunny side up eggs gets a whole article about him. Lifes unfair man :(

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Submitted by MrBigMan66 on Tue, 03/05/2024 - 09:41

I can infact cook very, very well. My favourite dish is kobe beef with white truffle and beluga caviar. Altough it is just a small dinner on the cheaper side, I quite enjoy the taste and finess it can bring from such bland flavors. The right technique and you'll have a utterly wonderfull dish. Definetly recommend for you amateur cooks.

Submitted by Random guy online on Mon, 01/15/2024 - 11:23

no, i can't cook. I will just make sure to marry someone who can

Submitted by Булат on Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:17

I can cook different desserts!

Submitted by Talok12 on Tue, 12/12/2023 - 15:01

I can't cook

Submitted by Crystal Jeon...@''' on Wed, 06/07/2023 - 12:31

I can cook some easy food like; rice , fried rice , fried egg , fried beef , chips , malar xhan kaw , malar potato , beef curry and steak . But I think I am better at making salads , juice and snacks . You know I can make Ice Coffee really well and all my family members like it . Do you want to try it . I can say you will surely like it.

Submitted by ambitious on Sat, 04/29/2023 - 08:40

I can make breakfast, fries, tea and bake cup cake.

Submitted by Ninoska.Carla on Sun, 01/08/2023 - 01:37

I can prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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Submitted by Muhammad Hamay… on Tue, 12/06/2022 - 16:22

I can make tea and coffee.

Submitted by Adelyatam on Mon, 08/29/2022 - 19:17

I like to cook.

Submitted by ahgima099 on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 15:26

I can cook easy meals. I love enjoy cooking. Sometimes I have to cook breakfast for my family. It is so fun and I want to learn how to cook on and on.

Submitted by Gorkem2006 on Thu, 06/09/2022 - 18:53

I like to cook and I like to cook more oven dishes
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Submitted by Ebrarr on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 06:23

I cook very well.

Submitted by Livian10 on Sat, 04/30/2022 - 23:58

I love cooking, but I think I am not good at cooking. Recently, I learnt how to cook omelette.

Submitted by JamieKirumato1795 on Sat, 03/12/2022 - 03:32

Yeah, I can do it and it's very fun. Cooking's great and I love it. Every time I saw the TV show: "Master Chef", I feel hungry and want to cook. I can cook yogurt, cake, beefsteak, rice and some easy food like that Hope I can become a chef, someday. Haha.

Submitted by ExtremeBoka on Wed, 03/02/2022 - 03:19

I know how to cook eggs, omelette, rice, quesadillas, tacos, sandwiches, spaguetti, etc. I am interested in cooking and learn about mexican cuisin too :P .

Submitted by trungtnd on Fri, 01/07/2022 - 02:04

I can cook some dishes like fried noodles, fried rice... I think I cook it pretty well
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Submitted by patiair on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 00:30

I can cook and pancakes and I make batidos
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Submitted by Tato_Learner22 on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 21:51

My mom taught me how to cook too. I can cook the easiest meals like egss, rice and soup, in Mexico there are several different dishes, I have a lot to learn yet.

Submitted by Fenic on Mon, 10/11/2021 - 04:33

I can cook Myanmar foods.
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Submitted by Elsa on Fri, 09/03/2021 - 15:55

Sometimes I do cooking and all my family members like my recipe. I can make Burmese traditional food and can cook Burmese curry. And I can also make bread. I'm good at making bread shapes. I usually make rose bread and it's really easy to make. Sometimes I make shell bread and cornbread.
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Submitted by fanny on Tue, 07/27/2021 - 18:00

Well, I can cook anything, because it´s too easy to make meals. Even though, I´m not really good to make cakes or brownies, cause previously I was cook that and it isn´t delicious, the cake and brownies dough did sticky.
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Submitted by FlowerQueen on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 13:44

I like baking more than cooking. I can cook spaghetti with sauce and pizza, I think. I am not a good cooker, I don’t cook often.

Submitted by NAS on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 10:53

I can cook many kinds of food, like kabsa, pizza, pasta, noodles and soup..etc.

Submitted by CarlaV on Mon, 01/18/2021 - 14:51

I love cook. but i mainly cook cakes or desserts. I have cook cake,pies, brownies. I can also cook pizza,meatballs,breaded steak and other food
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Submitted by Kostantinus on Fri, 01/08/2021 - 07:08

I can cook many different dishes. Pasta, fried and boiled eggs, any kind of salad, outmeal, any king of soup, sandwiches, puncakes, bread, pie, porrige and so on.

Submitted by nimdini on Tue, 12/15/2020 - 14:38

I can cook rice, dhal, chick pea curry and pineapple black curry. (These are Sri Lankan traditional curries.)

Submitted by Luna on Mon, 08/24/2020 - 13:54

I can cook seafood soup, kimbap, salad, noodle, omelet, fry rice, fry egg, chip, sausage pasta

Submitted by Fer9TS13 on Wed, 07/29/2020 - 22:49

I know how to cook basic food, and sometimes I watch how they make meals so I have an idea of how it is done and then I do it,
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Submitted by IANPAUL on Fri, 07/03/2020 - 18:20

I do not know how to cook.

Submitted by khawla1999 on Fri, 06/05/2020 - 15:22

I can cook a Mulukhiyah ( it is an Arabic cuisine )

Submitted by pau_pau on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 00:34

the most basic, a cereal with milk or breaded chicken breast

Submitted by wewe on Wed, 05/06/2020 - 19:33

I can cook some basic food, I would like to learn to cook more things

Submitted by Elife on Fri, 01/24/2020 - 21:42

I can cook our traditional food. But I think, I can cook anything with a recipe.

Submitted by Makam on Thu, 01/23/2020 - 15:15

I can cook anything with a good recipe.

Submitted by Abdo4444 on Tue, 11/19/2019 - 18:56

I like cooking.

Submitted by truongkimngan on Sun, 11/17/2019 - 08:57

I think we should learn how to cook and help our parents. Cooking is fun, in the past I didn't know how to cook, even rice didn't cook. But one day my mother told me to went to the kitchen and watched her cooked , I was surprised, it was really easy to looked at but when it was really hard, I decided to learned my mother how to cooked and other ways to cooked on the internet and now, almost everything I cook is fine, just fine, there are dishes that are not very good and I hope in the future I will cook better to help my mother and my mother do not have to worry when I go out in addition to independent living.

Submitted by phonguyen on Tue, 10/22/2019 - 14:11

I think cooking is not too difficult and today . It's very important for teenagers . I cook but I will try in the futher.

Submitted by windynguyen on Fri, 09/27/2019 - 03:57

I love cooking too. When i was young, i dreamed of becoming a chef, but my parent didn't support me. Now i still cook at home because of my passion hjhj

Submitted by Nini on Tue, 09/24/2019 - 10:22

Yes. I can cook fried rice , boiled bind weed ,raw fish and vegetables, fried eggs , fried fish ..I thank my mother, because she learned me how to cook.

Submitted by Robothynot123 on Thu, 09/19/2019 - 03:11

I can cook rice, noodles, eggs.
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Submitted by empty on Sun, 06/23/2019 - 13:29

I love cooking !

Submitted by Mills on Sun, 04/07/2019 - 02:56

I think it is not too difficult and very importent for teenage today, The earlier they learn to cooking, the better it is for their future.

Submitted by Tossa on Mon, 02/04/2019 - 00:46

My mom always said me "Yo must learn to cook", so since I started being a teenager she taught me somethings, now I can cook basic recipes like rice, chips, meats, eggs, soups, some desserts. I am grateful with her.
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