Conversation Topics / Cooking
Cooking Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Cooking to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (A1–A2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 11 Aug 2026
Part 1
Cooking at Home
Focus: talking about simple cooking habits, favorite foods, people, meals, and everyday kitchen choices
In one minute, think of two foods, two kitchen things, two cooking actions, and one meal.
PREFERENCE
What food do you like to cook? Sentence starter: I like to cook ...
ROUTINE
How often do you cook? Sentence starter: I cook ...
PEOPLE
Who do you usually cook with? Sentence starter: I usually cook with ...
ROUTINE
What do you cook for breakfast? Sentence starter: For breakfast, I cook ...
DESCRIBE
What food is easy for you to cook? Sentence starter: ... is easy for me to cook.
LIST
What do you need to cook your favorite meal? Sentence starter: I need ...
PREFERENCE
What do you like to put in a sandwich? Sentence starter: I like to put ...
ROUTINE
What do you drink with your meals? Sentence starter: I usually drink ...
PEOPLE
What do you like to cook for your family or friends? Sentence starter: I like to cook ... for ...
PLAN
What food do you want to learn to cook? Sentence starter: I want to learn to cook ...
Part 2
Meals and Simple Kitchen Habits
Focus: talking about daily meals, common foods, kitchen tools, shopping, and simple cooking plans
Choose one word from each group: Person: mother, father, friend, cook; Action: cut, mix, cook, eat; Place: kitchen, home, restaurant, outside; Feeling: hungry, happy, tired, excited. Use the words to make one or two simple sentences.
ROUTINE
What food do you usually eat for lunch? Sentence starter: For lunch, I usually eat ...
PREFERENCE
What food do you make when you are tired? Sentence starter: When I am tired, I make ...
ROUTINE
What fruit or vegetable do you use a lot? Sentence starter: I often use ...
DESCRIBE
What can you cook with eggs? Sentence starter: I can cook ...
PLACE
Where do you buy food for cooking? Sentence starter: I buy food at ...
PEOPLE
Who cooks most in your home? Sentence starter: ... cooks most in my home.
DESCRIBE
What kitchen tool do you use a lot? Sentence starter: I use a ... a lot.
ROUTINE
What food do you cook on weekends? Sentence starter: On weekends, I cook ...
PREFERENCE
What food do you not like to cook? Sentence starter: I do not like to cook ...
PLAN
What new meal do you want to try? Sentence starter: I want to try ...