Kitchen Items in Spanish: A Complete Vocabulary Guide

Key takeaways

• Spanish kitchen vocabulary has significant regional variation. The fridge is la nevera in most of Spain and parts of Latin America, el refrigerador in Mexico and Central America, and el frigorífico in formal or written Spanish across Spain. All are correct; the right one depends on where you’re speaking.
• Many cooking verbs in Spanish change their stem in conjugation: freír (to fry) becomes fríe in the third person; hervir (to boil) becomes hierve. Recipes use these conjugated forms, so recognizing them is essential for following cooking instructions in Spanish.
• La batidora and la licuadora cause persistent confusion. In Spain, la batidora is a hand mixer or stand mixer; in Latin America, la licuadora is typically a blender. Confirming which term is standard where you are avoids the wrong appliance in a recipe.
• The word el horno covers both oven and microwave contexts in everyday speech, but el microondas (microwave) is always separate. Meter al horno means to put in the oven; calentar en el microondas means to heat in the microwave.

Kitchen vocabulary is where practical Spanish and daily life intersect most directly. Whether you’re following a recipe in Spanish, shopping for cookware, describing what’s in your kitchen to a roommate, or asking where something is in a Spanish-speaking household, this is vocabulary you need in the real world rather than in a classroom.

This guide covers Spanish kitchen vocabulary across six categories: major appliances, cookware and bakeware, utensils and tools, kitchen surfaces and storage, cooking verbs, and the regional vocabulary differences between Spain and Latin America that come up most often.

The vocabulary difference between la nevera and el refrigerador, or la batidora and la licuadora, depends entirely on region. Working with a private Spanish tutor on italki, a platform that has connected over 10 million learners with qualified teachers since 2007, gives you a native speaker’s perspective on which terms are standard in the variety you’re learning.

Major appliances

Spanish	English	Notes
la nevera / el frigorífico / el refrigerador	fridge	regional variation (see below)
el congelador	freezer
el horno	oven
el microondas	microwave	invariable: el microondas (not los microondas)
el lavavajillas	dishwasher
la lavadora	washing machine	often in kitchen in Spanish homes
la cafetera	coffee maker / coffee machine
la cafetera expreso	espresso machine
la tostadora	toaster
la batidora	hand mixer / stand mixer	Spain usage
la licuadora	blender	Latin America usage
el robot de cocina	food processor
la freidora	deep fryer
la freidora de aire	air fryer
el exprimidor	juicer
el hervidor	electric kettle

Key phrases for appliances:

• Precalentar el horno a 180 grados. (Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.)
• Calentar en el microondas durante dos minutos. (Heat in the microwave for two minutes.)
• Meter la cafetera en marcha. (Turn on the coffee machine.)

Cookware and bakeware

Spanish	English
la sartén	frying pan / skillet
la olla	pot (general)
la cazuela	casserole dish / saucepan
el cazo	small saucepan
la olla a presión	pressure cooker
la olla de cocción lenta	slow cooker
el wok	wok
la parrilla	grill pan / outdoor grill
la plancha	griddle / flat grill
la bandeja de horno	baking tray / sheet pan
el molde para hornear	baking pan / cake tin
el molde de muffins	muffin tin
la fuente para horno	roasting dish / oven dish
la rejilla	wire rack
el papel de horno	baking / parchment paper
el papel de aluminio	aluminum foil

Recipe instructions using cookware:

• Calentar la sartén a fuego medio. (Heat the pan over medium heat.)
• Poner la olla al fuego. (Put the pot on the heat.)
• Untar el molde con mantequilla. (Grease the baking tin with butter.)
• Hornear durante 30 minutos. (Bake for 30 minutes.)

A Spanish teacher online can walk you through a Spanish recipe using this vocabulary, correcting pronunciation and filling in the terms that confuse you as they come up. italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including Spanish speakers from every region who can confirm which regional terms apply to the variety you’re learning.

Utensils and tools

Spanish	English
el cuchillo	knife
el cuchillo de chef	chef’s knife
la tabla de cortar	cutting board
la espátula	spatula
el cucharón	ladle
la cuchara de madera	wooden spoon
las varillas / el batidor	whisk
el pelador	vegetable peeler
el rallador	grater
el abrelatas	can opener
el sacacorchos	corkscrew
el colador	colander / strainer
el embudo	funnel
el rodillo	rolling pin
el mortero	mortar and pestle
el pincel de cocina	pastry brush
la pinza	tongs
el termómetro de cocina	kitchen thermometer
la báscula / la balanza	kitchen scale
el medidor	measuring cup
la cuchara medidora	measuring spoon

For grocery shopping vocabulary and the food vocabulary that pairs with kitchen tools, the guide to grocery shopping in Spanish covers the essential food terms and shopping phrases used across Spanish-speaking countries.

Kitchen surfaces and storage

Spanish	English
la encimera / el mesón	countertop (Spain / Latin America)
el fregadero	sink
el grifo	faucet / tap
el armario de cocina	kitchen cabinet
el cajón	drawer
la alacena / el aparador	pantry cupboard / sideboard
la despensa	pantry / larder
el estante	shelf
el escurridor	dish rack
la campana extractora	range hood / extractor fan
el delantal	apron
el guante de horno	oven glove

Cooking verbs

These are the verbs that appear in Spanish recipes and cooking instructions. Many are stem-changing and irregular.

Verb	English	Notes
hervir	to boil	stem-changing: hierve (he/she boils)
freír	to fry	stem-changing: fríe; irregular past participle: frito
hornear / meter al horno	to bake	regular
asar	to roast / grill	regular
saltear	to sauté	regular
sofreír	to lightly fry / sweat	stem-changing
mezclar	to mix	regular
batir	to beat / whisk	regular
picar	to chop / dice	regular
trocear	to cut into pieces	regular
pelar	to peel	regular
rallar	to grate	regular
colar / escurrir	to strain / drain	colar is stem-changing
sazonar / condimentar	to season	regular
derretir	to melt	stem-changing: derrite
calentar	to heat	stem-changing: calienta
enfriar	to cool	regular
cocer	to cook / boil	stem-changing: cuece
marinar	to marinate	regular
dorar	to brown / golden	regular
remover / revolver	to stir	revolver is irregular
tapar / cubrir	to cover	cubrir has irregular past: cubierto
añadir / agregar	to add	añadir: regular; agregar: regular
verter	to pour	stem-changing: vierte

Regional vocabulary differences

Item	Spain	Mexico	Argentina	Other Latin America
Fridge	nevera / frigorífico	refrigerador	heladera	nevera / refrigeradora
Blender	batidora (for mixing) / licuadora	licuadora	licuadora	licuadora
Countertop	encimera	meseta / mesón	mesada	mesón / encimera
Straw	pajita	popote	sorbete	pitillo / pajilla
Juicer	exprimidor	exprimidor / juguera	exprimidor	exprimidor
Microwave	microondas	microondas	microondas	microondas
Dishwasher	lavavajillas	lavavajillas / lavaplatos	lavaplatos	lavaplatos
Pot	olla	olla	olla / cacerola	olla

The most consistent regional difference is the fridge: la nevera (Spain, Caribbean, parts of South America), el refrigerador (Mexico, Central America), and la heladera (Argentina). All Spanish speakers understand all three terms.

Making kitchen vocabulary stick

Book a trial lesson today and spend the session talking through a recipe in Spanish, describing what’s in your kitchen, or asking your teacher to explain the terms you’re unsure about in context.

With 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, italki has Spanish speakers from every region who can confirm which regional terms apply and fill in the gaps that a vocabulary list can’t answer.

FAQ

What is the difference between la olla and la cazuela?

La olla is the general word for a pot, typically tall and used for boiling, making soups, or cooking pasta. La cazuela is usually wider and shallower, suited for braising, stews, or oven-to-table cooking. The terms overlap in everyday use, but recipes will specify the type when the shape matters.

Is la batidora always a hand mixer?

In Spain, la batidora refers to a hand blender (also called la batidora de mano or el minipimer) and a stand mixer (la batidora de pie). The context usually makes it clear which is meant. In Latin America, la batidora can refer to any mixer, but la licuadora is specifically a blender (jug blender). When in doubt, add the type: batidora de mano (hand blender), batidora de pie (stand mixer).

What is la plancha?

La plancha is a flat, smooth grill surface, used for cooking meat, fish, and vegetables with little or no oil. It is extremely common in Spanish cooking. A la plancha is a cooking technique (grilled on a flat griddle) that appears constantly on Spanish restaurant menus and in recipes.

How do I say “to bake” in Spanish?

Hornear is the standard verb for baking. Meter al horno (to put in the oven) is also used, especially in informal instructions. Cocer al horno (to cook in the oven) appears in some recipes. All three are correct; hornear is the most common in modern written recipes.