In the Iron Chef ESL activity (based on the TV show of the same name), students create a dish/meal from five random ingredients.
2+
20-40 mins
Setup
You will need to give the students random food ingredients. If you have an Internet connection, use our Random Word Generator. Otherwise, prepare them on slips of paper beforehand and put them in a hat/bag/box.
Students can do this activity individually or in pairs.
Activity
- Give each student/pair five random ingredients.
- The students have to create a dish or meal using all of their ingredients. They can also add other ingredients if they wish.
- They write down the recipe, using the target language.
- Students/pairs take turns sharing their recipe with the class.
- At the end the class votes for their favourite dish/meal.
Target Language
The Iron Chef ESL activity is a great way to practise food vocabulary and cooking verbs. You could also direct students to use sequence adverbs in their recipes. Plus, because it involves giving instructions, another possible target language is imperatives.
This activity is suitable for beginner and low intermediate level. For an activity to practise similar topics with higher level students, try Celebrity Chefs.
Got a picture or video of this activity in action? How about snapping one next time you use it? We'd love to showcase your submissions- find out more here.
