IELTS Speaking for Success - 🥐 Baking (S03E29) + Transcript

Episode Date: August 14, 2020

What do people usually bake in Scotland? How good is Rory at baking? What are syrniki and can you use words from your own language that can't be translated into English in the speaking part of the exam? Tune in and have a great day! - IELTS Speaking for Success PREMIUM: https://linktr.ee/sfspremium Transcript: https://successwithielts.com/s03e29 Our social media: https://linktr.ee/successwithielts © 2020 Success with IELTS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, lovely people of the world. I'm Maria. And my name is Rory, and we are the hosts of the AILT Speaking for Success podcast. The podcast that aims to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening skills along the way. We started this podcast to give you a look at how a native English speaker, an educated and experienced native speaker, would answer some of the most common IELD speaking questions. Rory, are you ready for my questions? Yeah, I'll try not to give you any half-baked answers. Wow. What a question. coincidence, because today we're going to be talking about baking.

Yes, dear listener, in AIL speaking part one, they can ask you questions about baking. Rory, do you bake? Well, up until recently, I couldn't bake at all, but I learned her to make Sierniki, which is like this Russian cheese, well, dessert, I suppose. It gives me a sense of achievement, actually, because, well, I learned how to do it myself. And it reminds me at different times. Although I suppose other than that, I'm a bit useless in the kitchen, I'm afraid. Do you like baking?

Well, like I said, yeah, I get a real kick out of it. It's nice to be able to do something, especially if you can make food for other people. But I'm very aware of the fact that I'm not very good at it. Do you know how to bake cakes? Sort of. Like I said, I'm a wee bit useless, but I have a vague idea how to do it. And it would be a fun thing to do with friends. but it's not something that I would put on a CV, for example.

Rory's a baker. Rory, have you ever made any cakes? Well, like a really long time ago in high school, probably. To be honest, my home economics teacher didn't think much of my skills then either. Have you ever baked anything recently? I don't know. I made Sierneyki about two months ago, and then since then I've been at camp and on holiday, so I haven't really had much time to bake.

Does two months ago count as recent? Yeah, quite recently. Okay. What do people usually bake in your country? I don't think, well, there are a few things that are specific to Scotland, but if we talk about what people usually make, I think, first of all, people have fun trying out different things and making different desserts.

Although if I had to pick one thing that's quite popular, I suppose it's probably sponge cakes, maybe. Although I'm not really crazy about baking, so I don't know too much about what's popular and what's not in Scotland. Sorry. What about other countries? What do people usually bake, just in general, all over the world? I suppose if we talk about, well, if we talk about Russia, for example, again, cakes are quite popular.

Although then cakes are popular everywhere in the world, and they always seem to be some kind of sponge cake. I'm guessing, I think that's what they are. But you have other things, like different pastry dishes, for example. and I think people like to make muffins and cupcakes. I think that's quite popular in America. I'm not so sure about it in the UK. But it's definitely something that comes up in a lot of American media. So that would be my guess.

Do you think you'll be baking more in the future? I'd like to try to. I suppose it's a good skill to have in general to be able to cook something or to be able to bake something. So I'd like to try it more, definitely. If I'll have enough time, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. What would you like to bake? Well, I can make sierniki, but they're a little bit burned all the time.

So I should probably learn how to perfect that first. And then moving on from there, maybe I could get into making cakes again. This is all very vague, because it's not something that is a priority for me right now. But those two things, I think, are good ideas. Rory, thank you very much for your delicious answers. Thank you. It's the Nissan Black Friday event where you can... Wait, wait.

Isn't it like a month long now? Nissan Black Fry Month? Does that work? It's the Nissan Black Fry Month event. On remaining 2025 Rogan Centra, get 0% financing. Plus, get $1,000 Nissan bonus on kicks models. This Black Friday, you've got a whole month to catch all the exclusive offers waiting for you. See your local Nissan dealer or Nissan.com for details.

Conditions apply. Let's go over all this vocabulary you've just used. So, Rory, when we talk about baking, it's the verb to bake. Yes. If I bake something, what do I do with my food? Well, you bake it, which means it's exposed to high temperatures in order to complete the recipe that you've put together. Yeah, but if I bake something, I put it in the oven, right?

Yes. Hmm, that's interesting because you're talking about sireniki, and I'd say it's kind of cottage cheese thing that we can have for breakfast in Russia. Do you bake them in the oven? No, you make them in a frying pan, but I think when it comes to baking, you usually use a cooker or an oven. And then you can use a frying pan for other things, but the most common thing in my experience has been an oven. That's why I said expose it to high temperatures, because there's different options. Yeah, and when we bake, so we bake, you said people bake muffins, sponge cakes, right? Yeah, it's interesting because pancakes are also something that people consider to be baked,

but you don't make pancakes in an oven. You also make them in a kind of frying pan situation. Really? You say bake pancakes? I'd say make pancakes. No, I said make pancakes, but they're considered to be a kind of baked good. Oh, wow. Gosh, it's so confused. Okay. We can also bake cookies, brownies, apple pies, banana bread. Bake banana bread. Oh, Rory, by the way, do you enjoy banana bread? I don't like banana bread at all. I could probably eat it if there was nothing else there, but no, no, no, no, no. Dealousness, Rory doesn't like bananas,

and he hates banana bread. No one's perfect. Yes. You've mentioned pastry dishes. What are they pastry dishes? There are dishes made of pastry. Again, I'm really, really bad at cooking and baking. So pastry dishes are made of a kind of dough that's flakier than the kind that you use to make cakes. You'll probably notice that my voice is kind of focused right now

because I have to think about this a lot. It's not something I've got a lot of experience with. But that's how I would describe the difference between the two. Yeah, so pastry, all these brownies, muffins, all this comfort food that we bake and we make, we can go to a bakery, right? So if Rory doesn't know how to bake, he goes to a bakery. How often do you go to a bakery?

Well, I don't really go to bakeries in Russia. I think the last time I went to one in Moscow was about three months ago. I went and said, no, no, it wasn't. It was five months ago. I went, I was going to visit somebody and they wanted a cake. And I tried to find something, but I couldn't. So that was not a very successful visit to a bakery. But back home, we've got a lot of bakeries in our hometown,

so it's actually easier to find what you want, because there's more variety. So you're not fond of these muffins, pastry products, no? Not really, no. I like Sierniki because it's got a lot of protein in it, but other than that, I'm not a big fan of the other things. What about in the IOT exam, can I actually use a Russian word, and can I say Sirniki because it's a Russian word, or should I translate it, like cottage, cheese,

thing is. Well, you could say that, I suppose. Everybody has got some limit to their vocabulary. It's actually quite a good idea because you get to say sierniki and then explain what it is. Like, just say which is a Russian cheese dessert or cheese thing. So, while the vocabulary is not very good, the fact that you used a relative clause by saying which is,

blah, blah, blah. It's actually quite good for your grammar score. So it's still not necessarily a complete disaster. Yes, absolutely. So it's much better to use some English words explaining what you mean. Or just use an English phrase, like a translated version. Rory, you said that you get a real kickout of baking, of making sirenki. I can probably get a real kick out of being successful more than the actual baking process.

So, yes, if you get a kick out of something, it's just something that makes you feel good. Could you give us an example? Yes, I get a kick out of working on the podcast. Yay, yes. Or can I say, like, kick yourself out? I've never heard that expression before. Can you say that? Yeah, for example, like, you say, oh, Maria, I'm going to have some quality time in my kitchen,

making sirenki for you, and I go, kick yourself out. No, isn't that knock yourself out? Knock yourself out. Knock yourself out. Yeah. So, yeah, if you knock yourself out, then you're, well, obviously, you're having a lot of fun doing something. Don't say kick yourself out. Kick the hell out of you.

Yeah. So we say, have a real kick out of something or knock yourself out. If you are not so fond of baking, if you don't like baking, you can say, I'm not crazy about baking. Exactly, yeah. Or I'm a bit useless, or I have a vague idea about how. if something works, but not an exact idea. So at the very least, you're using some fixed expressions. If not for the topic, then fixed expressions to describe not knowing much about the topic.

Yeah, that's a good one. I have a vague idea of baking. Of how to bake or something like that. What about dancing? Well, in my case, I can't dance, but I suppose people who are reasonably good at it have a vague idea how to do it, maybe more than a vague idea. Can I say I have a vague idea of how English grammar works? Well, I have more than a vague idea of how it's,

it works because it's my job. But yes, you can say that. Yeah. So when you talk about baking, you can say, well, I'm not a pastry chef, but I'd like to try my hand at baking. So I'd like to try out baking. I'd like to try my hand at baking. Rory, what would you like to try your hand at? Well, none that we've talked about it, I'd kind of like to try my hand at baking. But there aren't many other skills right now that I want to try my hand at. I think I'll stick to that one thing now that I've realized how bad I am at it. Yeah, you said that you would like to perfect your sireniki, right?

Yes. Yeah, to perfect as a verb? Yeah, just to make it perfect. If you perfect something, then you make it perfect. Yeah, and those sirniki, did you make them from scratch, or did you use a recipe? Well, I used a recipe, but I brought the ingredients myself. I thought making something from scratch just means that you buy the... like buy all the ingredients in their most basic form and then you put them together.

So you did have a recipe? I did, yeah. You can also mention that when you bake something, this smell of fresh baked goodies, make the house the cozy home of your dreams. Well, unless you burn it like I do and then it doesn't smell so good. Did you eat those? Of course I did. I made them and I spent money on it, so of course I ate them.

Yum, yum, yum. Yes, he spent. money, all the stuff, he burnt it all, and then he ate it. Yes. Okay, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Oh, God. All right, Rory, you've used the second conditional, remember? If I had to pick, that would be a sponge cake, yeah, you said? Yes, but that's only because that's one of the few ones I actually know the name of. I'm not very good when it comes to terminology about baking. Yeah, deal with senor, if the examiner asks you to make a choice, like, what do people usually in your country or what's the most delicious pastry, I don't know. You can say, if I had to pick

or if I had to choose, I'd go for a sponge cake. That's a nice, the second conditional here, a nice structure. You've also used present perfect. Like, I made SIRNiki since then, I've never baked anything else, right? Yes. Could you give us another example with the present perfect than since? I haven't been in my apartment to bake. anything since last month. Hmm. Yeah, but you usually bake for yourself or for other people? Only myself right now.

Like I say, I've got to get this recipe perfected before I inflict it on other people. We've talked about Searniki a lot, so deal with, you can, if you have no idea what's going on, this Searnik, it's a traditional Russian food. So could you Google it? We sometimes call it Tvoroshnik. So like cottage cheese, again, this is like a Russian prologennyki. is like a Russian product. Do you have like Tworok in Scotland?

We have cottage cheese, but we don't have Tvorog. Actually, apparently this is a very serious problem for Russians who live outside of Russia because Tvoreg is not really sold anywhere apart from sort of in Russia and countries around Russia. We have cottage cheese, but I think you'd have to drain it because it's very wet, whereas Tvoreg tends to be a lot drier. Yeah, we have difficulties with translation here in this episode. Rory, we made a joke at the beginning of the episode with half-baked answers.

What did you mean? Well, it's not about baking. It's about just giving answers to questions. A half-baked answer isn't really something that you've thought through before you've said it. So as it comes out, it doesn't sound very clear or very sure. And the other thing is, it's not very believable for the other person involved. So make sure that when you're answering things that you don't give half-baked answers. Yeah, you bake them properly. Rory, what about another meaning of to bake, to be baked,

if I tell you, oh, last weekend I was baked. I am not talking about this. It's all from us for today. Thank you very much for listening. We hope that you try your hand at baking delicious muffins and spend some quality time in your kitchen. Bye. Bye. Oh my God. Ontario, the weight is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget online casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right to your fingertips. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting.

Signing up is fast and simple. And in just a few clicks, you can have access to our exclusive library of the best slots and top-tier table games. Make the most of your downtime with unbeatable promotions and jackpots that can turn any mundane moment into a golden opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino.

Gambling problem call connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Rumi, do you bake? Well, up until recently, I couldn't bake at all, but I learned how to make Sierniki, which is like this Russian cheese, well, dessert, I suppose.

It gives me a sense of achievement, actually, because, well, I learned how to do it myself. And it reminds me at different times. Although, I suppose other than that, I'm a bit useless in the kitchen, I'm afraid. Do you like baking? Well, like I said, yeah, I get a real kick out of it. it's nice to be able to do something, especially if you can make food for other people. But I'm very aware of the fact that I'm not very good at it. Do you know how to bake cakes?

Sort of. Like I said, I'm a wee bit useless, but I have a vague idea how to do it. And it would be a fun thing to do with friends, but it's not something that I would put on a CV, for example. Rory's a baker. Rory, have you ever made any cakes? Well, like a really long time ago in high school probably. To be honest, my home economics teacher didn't think much of my skills then either. Have you ever baked anything recently?

I don't know. I made Sierniki about two months ago and then since then I've been at camp and on holiday, so I haven't really had much time to bake. Does two months ago count as recent? Yeah, quite recently. Okay. What do people usually bake in your country? I don't think, well, there are a few things that are specific to Scotland, but if we talk about what people usually make, I think, first of all, people have fun trying out different things and making different desserts.

Although if I had to pick one thing that's quite popular, I suppose it's probably sponge cakes, maybe. Although I'm not really crazy about baking, so I don't know too much about what's popular and what's not in Scotland. Sorry. What about other countries? What do people usually bake, just in general, all over the world? I suppose if we talk about, well, if we talk about Russia, for example, again, cakes are quite popular. Although then cakes are popular everywhere in the world, and they always seem to be some kind of sponge cake. I'm guessing, I think that's what they are. But you have other things like different pastry dishes, for example, and I think people like to make muffins and cupcakes. I think that's quite popular in America.

I'm not so sure about it in the UK. but it's definitely something that comes up in a lot of American media. So that would be my guess. Do you think you'll be baking more in the future? I'd like to try to. I suppose it's a good skill to have in general to be able to cook something or to be able to bake something. So I'd like to try it more, definitely.

If I'll have enough time, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. What would you like to bake? Well, I can make sierniqui, but they're a little bit. bit burned all the time. So I should probably learn how to perfect that first. And then moving on from there, maybe I could get into making cakes again. This is all very vague because it's not something that is a priority for me right now. But those two things, I think, are good ideas.