The food is finished/made etc

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

When talking about food, which of the listed options is commonly used?

''When the cake is finished/done/ready/made/cooked.''

''When pasta is finished/done/ready/made/cooked.''

 

[GoesStation]

We bake, not "cook", a cake. The other three options of number one are possible in the right context.

Number two is ungrammatical. Can you find the error?

These phrases can only be sentences if they're responses to a question like "When can we leave?"

 

[jutfrank]

ready and done are very common because they can be used for almost everything.

cooked can obviously also be very appropriate, but it doesn't work with everything. For example, we don't 'cook' cakes, we bake them.

 

[Rachel Adams]

We bake, not "cook", a cake. The other three options of number one are possible in the right context.

Number two is ungrammatical. Can you find the error? ''When the pasta.'' I didn't use the article. Is it my mistake?

These phrases can only be sentences if they're responses to a question like "When can we leave?"

I thought ''finished'' is wrong.

 

[GoesStation]

When the pasta is finished is possible and yes, the missing article was the error I mentioned.

 

[tedmc]

I thought ''finished'' is wrong.

When the cake is finished is possible if you mean someone has finished eating it.

 

[GoesStation]

When the cake is finished is possible if you mean someone has finished eating it.

Not to me. It's all gone.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Not to me. It's all gone.

In British English ''finished''means someone has finished eating it but in American English it means it's gone?

 

[GoesStation]

In British English ''finished''means someone has finished eating it but in American English it means it's gone?

I don't know whether you can use "finished" that way in British English. What I was trying to say in #7 is that, if someone had eaten the last piece of cake, we wouldn't say "the cake is finished" in American English. We might say it was "all gone".

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, we can.

John: Can I have a piece of your birthday cake?
Pete: Sorry, no. It's all finished/It's all gone.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes, we can.

John: Can I have a piece of your birthday cake?
Pete: Sorry, no. It's all finished/It's all gone.

But do you use ''finished'' to say the cake is ready/done/baked? Or Dinner is ready/done/made?

 

[emsr2d2]

But do you use ''finished'' to say the cake is ready/done/baked, or dinner is ready/done/made?

In general, no.

 

[Rover_KE]

Most of us say that meals are ready and that baked or cooked foods are done.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Most of us say that meals are ready and that baked or cooked foods are done.

Meals as in breakfast, dinner, and supper. And foods as in pasta, soup, etc. Am I right?

For example, ''Dinner's ready''. ''The soup is done''. ''The pizza is done.'' But ''the cake is made.'' Not done.

 

[emsr2d2]

Loosely, yes.

Is the pasta done yet? = Is the pasta sufficiently cooked/boiled yet?
Is dinner ready yet? = Is everything involved in the meal ready so that the meal can be served?

 

[Rover_KE]

But ''the cake is made.'' Not done.

No.

'The cake's done.'