For your first mini-lesson, here’s the Danish verb for the word cook: lave mad!
Our lists of cooking verbs in Danish are going to prove very useful whether you consider yourself a chef or not. It can be essential to know cooking verbs so that when you’re dining out, some of them can help describe how you’d like your food prepared or cooked. Also, if you’re invited to a friend’s house, you can keep the conversation going by asking how they prepare their meals. Maybe you could even jump in and help too!
We’re going to begin by looking at the most common cooking verbs in their various verb tenses so you can communicate appropriately.
Cooking Verbs In Danish – Present Tense
Below you’ll find the most common words used for cooking in Danish, which you’ll typically find in any cookbook. These cooking verbs’ vocabulary is presented in the present tense form. After this, we’ll look in the next section at how to speak in the continuous tense, which makes it easier to talk about what you or someone else is doing in the kitchen.
English | Danish Translation | Pronunciation |
to bake | at bage | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at bage[/Speechword] |
to blend | at blende | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at blende[/Speechword] |
to boil | at koge | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at koge[/Speechword] |
to burn | at brænde | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at brænde[/Speechword] |
to chill | at hænge ud | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at hænge ud[/Speechword] |
to ferment | at gære | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at gære[/Speechword] |
to fold | at folde | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at folde[/Speechword] |
to fry | at stege | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at stege[/Speechword] |
to grill | at grille | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at grille[/Speechword] |
to mix | at blande | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at blande[/Speechword] |
to peel | at skrælle | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at skrælle[/Speechword] |
to poach | at pochere | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at pochere[/Speechword] |
to prepare | at forberede | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at forberede[/Speechword] |
to press | at trykke | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at trykke[/Speechword] |
to roast | at stege | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at stege[/Speechword] |
to scald | at skolde | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at skolde[/Speechword] |
to steam | at dampe | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at dampe[/Speechword] |
to stew | at grydere | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at grydere[/Speechword] |
to stir | At røre | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]At røre[/Speechword] |
to tenderize | at mørne | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at mørne[/Speechword] |
to trim | at trimme | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at trimme[/Speechword] |
to wash | at vaske | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at vaske[/Speechword] |
to whisk | at piske | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]at piske[/Speechword] |
Danish Cooking Terms – Continuous Tense

Here, the Danish cooking verbs are presented in the continuous tense form. You can use this vocabulary to discuss cooking happening in the present, future, or past. Next, we’ll look at how to speak about cooking in the past tense.
English | Danish Translation | Pronunciation |
Baking | Bagning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Bagning[/Speechword] |
Blending | Blanding | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Blanding[/Speechword] |
Boiling | Kogende | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Kogende[/Speechword] |
Burning | Brændende | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Brændende[/Speechword] |
Chilling | Afkøling | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Afkøling[/Speechword] |
Fermenting | Fermentering | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Fermentering[/Speechword] |
Folding | Folde | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Folde[/Speechword] |
Frying | Stegning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Stegning[/Speechword] |
Grilling | Grillning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Grillning[/Speechword] |
Mixing | Blanding | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Blanding[/Speechword] |
Peeling | Afskalning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Afskalning[/Speechword] |
Poaching | Krybskytte | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Krybskytte[/Speechword] |
Preparing | Forbereder | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Forbereder[/Speechword] |
Pressing | Presser | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Presser[/Speechword] |
Roasting | Stegning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Stegning[/Speechword] |
Sataying | Sataying | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Sataying[/Speechword] |
Scalding | Skoldning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Skoldning[/Speechword] |
Steaming | Dampende | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Dampende[/Speechword] |
Stewing | Stegning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Stegning[/Speechword] |
Stirring | Omrøring | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Omrøring[/Speechword] |
Tenderizing | Mørende | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Mørende[/Speechword] |
Trimming | Trimning | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Trimning[/Speechword] |
Washing | Vask | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Vask[/Speechword] |
Whisking | Pisk | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Pisk[/Speechword] |
Danish Cooking Verbs – Past Tense

This Danish cooking vocabulary is presented in the past tense form. These words are useful to answer or explain how food has been prepared.
English | Danish Translation | Pronunciation |
Baked | Bagt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Bagt[/Speechword] |
Blended | Blandet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Blandet[/Speechword] |
Boiled | Kogt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Kogt[/Speechword] |
Burned | Brændt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Brændt[/Speechword] |
Chilled | Afkølet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Afkølet[/Speechword] |
Fermented | Fermenteret | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Fermenteret[/Speechword] |
Folded | Foldet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Foldet[/Speechword] |
Fried | Stegt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Stegt[/Speechword] |
Grilled | Grillet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Grillet[/Speechword] |
Mixed | Blandet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Blandet[/Speechword] |
Peeled | Skrællet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Skrællet[/Speechword] |
Poached | Pocheret | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Pocheret[/Speechword] |
Prepared | Forberedt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Forberedt[/Speechword] |
Pressed | Presset | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Presset[/Speechword] |
Roasted | Ristede | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Ristede[/Speechword] |
Scalded | Skoldet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Skoldet[/Speechword] |
Steamed | Dampet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Dampet[/Speechword] |
Stewed | Stuvet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Stuvet[/Speechword] |
Stirred | Omrørt | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Omrørt[/Speechword] |
Tenderized | Mørnet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Mørnet[/Speechword] |
Trimmed | Trimmet | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Trimmet[/Speechword] |
Washed | Vasket | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Vasket[/Speechword] |
Whisked | Pisket | [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]Pisket[/Speechword] |
Danish Cuisine
Danish food is full of fresh ingredients and cooked with love. The most sought-after dish is the national dish Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesovs. It’s fried pork belly (yum) served with potatoes and a parsley sauce.
The Danes are also famous for their pastries or Wienerbrød, which they aren’t afraid to eat for breakfast.
Some other famous Danish food dishes typically include various types of vegetables and are served with bread and beer. To learn more about famous Danish recipes, have a look at our article, all about delicious Danish foods to try.
Danish Cooking Methods

Danish cooking has historically involved a lot of preservation techniques to keep food fresh. That’s why you’ll see lots of pickled vegetables on the menu and as side dishes to many foods.
The Danes also like to cook fish and absolutely love their desserts and pieces of bread. You’ll find lots of pastries and hearty warm food on offer.
Here are some common cooking techniques that are used in preparing Danish foods:
- pickling (syltning [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]syltning[/Speechword])
- smoking (rygning [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]rygning[/Speechword])
- frying (stegning [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]stegning[/Speechword])
- poaching (krybskytteri [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]krybskytteri[/Speechword])
- steaming (dampende [Speechword voice=”Danish Male” isinline]dampende[/Speechword])
Danish Eating Customs
Every country has its own customs, and Denmark is no different. If invited to someone’s home for a meal, always be on time and bring a small host gift. Be sure to remove your shoes before entering the home. Allow the host to show you their home and then offer any help before and after the meal. Before eating, always wait to be told where to sit and expect a rather formal affair. Some interesting etiquette is to:
- at meals, always show your hands at all times by resting your wrists on the edge of the table
- try everything on offer
- do not start eating until the host invites you to eat
- maintain eye contact with any person offering a toast
- when finished eating, place the knife and fork together on the right side of your plate with the fork prongs facing up
- finish everything on your plate
Learn More Danish With Ling

We hope this helps you with cooking Danish food or at least helps to understand what you’re doing if you’re cooking breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Denmark. Of course, this is just one lesson in a world of many to help you learn the Danish language.
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