Cooking Dinner for your Date – Tips and Advice
One of the most intimate things you can do with your date (without the removal of clothes that is) is to cook dinner for them. You don’t have to be a professional cook or chef to pull this off either, just follow the tips and advice below and you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to show your partner how much you care about them by creating a romantic dinner for two in your own home.
- Remember that this is first and foremost a date. It’s not a job interview to be a member of the catering staff at a fancy restaurant! Unless you’re very comfortable in the kitchen, keep your menu choice simple. Avoid anything that’s going to be sensitive on cooking time as your date shouldn’t be kept to military precision timing!
- Check if your date has any allergies or culinary dislikes before you finally decide on your chosen menu. If they have an aversion to seafood or a nut allergy for example, it may mean that you need to change your proposed menu to accommodate this. If you find out once you’ve made the meal it could spoil an otherwise romantic evening. So make sure you do your homework and serve food that you know will be appreciated.
- If you’re unsure whether to do a 3-course meal or a 2-course meal, make it a 2-course meal but have a tray of cheese and crackers with some sliced fresh fruit ready to serve with the coffee after the meal.
- Write down everything you need to do with the meal – from a list of ingredients and kitchen equipment, to the steps you’ll take when preparing the meal. You should also consider where you and your date will eat, and add anything you will require (such as a centerpiece), and things you need to do associated with serving the meal (polishing glassware for example) to your preparation list. Calculate how long each step on your list will take you to complete – overestimate if you’re not sure!
- Buy as much of the things you need the day before your date, leaving only any produce that must be bought fresh on the day – but make sure that you remember to leave a note to yourself somewhere prominent highlighting any items you still need to get. You should also prepare as much of the food in advance as you can. Many dishes can be half-prepared if not entirely prepared ready for cooking the night before and then stored in the refrigerator overnight.
- Make sure that your clothes for the date are ready the night before, and that you know how you will wear your hair. Once you start cooking on the evening of your date, you’ll be less stressed if you know you just need a few moments to jump into your date clothes before your date arrives.
- If you’re running behind schedule, find something for your date to do to help with the meal when they arrive, this could be something as simple as setting the tableware on the table, or more intimate such as asking them to help you with the food preparation. Most people in this situation will enjoy the experience.
- Relax! If you’ve organized and prepared everything right, then trust your ability in the kitchen to carry off the meal you’ve planned. And if it doesn’t turn out exactly right, so what! You’ll at least have shown your date that you care enough about them to at least try and make the date something a little more special!
