Managing your kitchen efficiently helps you save money and minimize food waste. In this lesson, you will learn practical vocabulary for storing, preserving, and managing your groceries.
Storage and Waste
Let's start with the nouns for "storage" (تخزين) and "waste" (إهدار).
| Food storage reduces waste. | تخزين الطعام يقلل من الإهدار.takhzînu at-ta'âmi yuqallilu mina al-ihdâr |
Freezing and Thawing
To preserve your food, you will often use a "freezer" (مجمد). The transitive verb for "to freeze" is جمد, while "to thaw" is أذاب.
| First, we cook the meal, then we freeze the rest in the freezer. | أولا، نطبخ الوجبة، ثم نجمد الباقي في المجمد.awwalan, natbukhu alwajbata, thumma nujammidu albâqiya fi almujammidi. |
| She didn't use to thaw the meat before cooking it. | لم تكن تذيب اللحم قبل أن تطبخه.lam takun tudhību allahma qabla an tatbukhahu |
It is important to handle "raw" (نيء) food properly, as it can "spoil" (فسد) quickly if left out.
| No one eats raw meat, because it spoils quickly. | لا أحد يأكل اللحم النيء؛ لأنه يفسد بسرعة.lâ ahada ya'kulu al-lahma an-nee'a; li'annahu yafsudu bisur'ah. |
Sealing Food
To keep leftovers fresh, store them in a "sealed" (محكم) container. You can use the conjunction لئلا (so that not / lest) to explain the negative outcome you are trying to prevent.
| Put the rest in a sealed container so it does not spoil. | ضع الباقي في وعاء محكم لئلا يفسد.da‘i l-bâqiya fî wi‘â'in muhkamin li'allâ yafsuda. |
Expiration and Canned Goods
When keeping track of your pantry, you must frequently check the "expiration" (انتهاء) of perishables. For items with a long shelf life, you might rely on "canned" (معلب) food.
| Did you check the expiration time of the milk? | هل تأكدت من وقت انتهاء الحليب؟hal ta'akkadta min waqti intihâ'i l-halîb? |
| Canned food does not need storage in the fridge. | الطعام المعلب لا يحتاج إلى التخزين في الثلاجة.at-ta'âmu al-mu'allabu lâ yahtâju ilâ at-takhzîni fî ath-thallâjati. |
Finally, when offering a choice between two alternatives (like fresh versus canned), use the word أم (or) to link the two options.
| Do you prefer fresh or canned food? | أتفضل الطعام الطازج أم المعلب؟atufaddilu at-ta'âma at-tâzaja ami al-mu'allaba |