Cooking for your date is one of the most romantic things anyone can do. Not only is it a great gesture, but it can also give you the chance to showcase your culinary skills and set the mood for a memorable date. You can recreate your favorite dishes at home, and add creative spins to some of the popular staples. In this article, we will dive into setting up the foundation for a delicious homemade meal to make your date special. Here are some of our favorite tips guaranteed to work every time.
Picking out your wine – This is perhaps the greatest perk of preparing a meal for your date. You go for a solid red, a really great champagne or err on the side of something more sophisticated like a classic cocktail. Furthermore, with great wine at hand, you might not even have to prepare anything complex and pick a selection of cheeses or finger foods instead.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
With dates comes all types of jitters, you want to impress your date and make the date as successful as possible. With all the nervousness that may come with cooking for your date, it is easy to overdo the process. However, keeping things simple is the best way to go. Create a simple but memorable dish using quality ingredients and you should be fine.
Step by step
A good meal should have several stages of flavor. You can have appetizers, the main course, and dessert. Cooking for your date should set the tone for an adventure of different carefully structured to create an optimum experience. Set up your menu to have different parts and stages and don’t be afraid to talk about the food. Keep the conversation going and use your smaller meals to add a timeline to your date.
Assess your skills
For many people, cooking for a date may seem like a make-or-break moment. This is why you should take a mental inventory of the things you’re good at doing versus the parts that could certainly benefit from improvements. A great dinner or lunch is more than just expensive ingredients tossed together. Cooking is an art, one which anyone can master as long as you are deliberate about it.
Getting everything ready
Don’t be one of those people who get the wine at the last minute. You should have everything you need at least a few days beforehand as this keeps things organized and allows you to make any changes should your inspiration guide you on a different path. Prepare your ingredients beforehand, for instance, meats will always benefit from a good marinade for a few hours or days before it hits the pan.
Have fun and chill out
Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun. You’re not auditioning for Master Chef and (hopefully) Gordon Ramsay is not your date. Relax and enjoy the process. A good bottle of wine, good ingredients and a plan are pretty much all you need to enjoy yourself and show your date a good time. Set the mood, put on a good track and let the rest of the date unravel naturally.
Conclusion
A nice home-cooked meal wins over the restaurant where thoughtful planning and good execution work together. Cooking for your date gives you a sense of achievement since most people just pick the easy way out by going out or ordering in. Remember as soon as the food hits the table you already have points so enjoy yourself and bon appetit.