Cooking for someone for the first time is a lovely and inevitable part of dating, but if you’re the host it can also be incredibly daunting! You may consider yourself as a master in the kitchen, but the added pressure of cooking for your date can cause even the most proficient michelin star chef to crumble. Not only do you have the pressure of cooking a delightfully romantic meal, you will want to look your best, your house will need to be sparkling and what on earth will you serve to drink? Not to mention creating ambience with music to suit your dates taste! Oh and does your date have any specific dietary requirements?
Let’s focus on the positives, cooking for your date is incredibly romantic and you will be able to spend plenty of time alone to get to know each other (as long as your menu isn’t too complicated!). It is also a lot cheaper than eating out especially if you have just blown your budget buying a new outfit using store credit cards for bad credit. Luckily there are many recipes and meal ideas available to ensure you impress your date rather than cause a nasty case of food poisoning! The following guide will help.
Keep the menu simple
Cooking for a date for the first time is not the occasion to try something elaborate that you haven’t cooked before. Try to choose something tasty, but simple – think a good quality steak and chips, rather than a beef wellington made from scratch! A lovely salad to accompany meat and pasta dishes will help your dish look appealing and is easy to concoct. A well cooked simple dish will be much more appreciated than an inedible, complex mess!
Choose light dishes
The whole purpose of cooking for your date is to add a little romance, not to cause a carbohydrate induced coma! Dishes that are too heavy and rich will cause your date to feel tired and lethargic, not really what you’re hoping for. Base your dishes around vegetables and fruits. A little chocolate for dessert will be appreciated, but don’t serve stodgy steamed sponge pudding and custard, save that for further down the line of dating ventures!
Prepare in advance
Do as much preparation as possible before your date arrives, this means you will spend less time in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove! Starters, if served cold can be prepared in advance as well as desserts and salad accompaniments. Chill wine in plenty of time and spend some time creating the perfect dinner table to create the right atmosphere. When your date arrives you should only need to take dishes out of the oven or fry up a steak or two. Sauces can be made in advance and be warmed up in the microwave. The more prep you do before hand the more smoothly the date will run.
If you have any disasters on the day, don’t worry. Your date is there to spend time with you and have fun, they’re not there as a food critic. If all else fails you could always buy in a ready meal, but be sure to hide the boxes!
As a final resort, just invite your date round to enjoy a takeaway.
