Preparing Food for Cooking

Marissa: How can I help? 

Juan Carlos: Um...why don’t you iron the tablecloth and set the table? 

Marissa: I already did that. I want to help with the cooking. 

Juan Carlos: Okay, you can scrub these potatoes, peel the carrots, and rinse these grapes. 

Marissa: All right, I’ll do that, but I think you’re just giving me the scut work. I want to do some real cooking. 

Juan Carlos: Well okay, I guess you could cut up this chicken and then chop these vegetables. After that, you can sauté the vegetables in this pan. 

Marissa: Great! Now, how do you sauté? I’ve never done it before. 

Juan Carlos: What?! Forget it. You can steam the vegetables instead. 

Marissa: Okay, just show me how. 

Juan Carlos: Never mind. Here, just beat these eggs and slice these onions. When you’re done, you can toss that salad. 

Marissa: But I want to whip up some gourmet dishes. When can I cook? 

Juan Carlos: That’s a good question. Ask me again when you’ve learned how!