The Best (and Worst) Foods for a Date
The 2024 cuffing season is here—you have plenty of time to convince someone to be your cold-weather cuddle, your holiday party date, or perhaps your forever partner. Food can help. After a few dates at a restaurant or bar, you may decide that they deserve to come over to your house for dinner. This is a big step and I would like to help you not screw it up. Here’s my best date night meal prep tip this cuff season.
What not to cook for a date
I don’t usually like to be negative, but knowing our boundaries will help us stay focused on the playground.
Avoid soup. Look, I love soup, so if I was going to break a rule, it would be this. However, the soup is really difficult to eat gracefully. You need to hunch over the bowl, drip, sip, and if we are talking about noodles, then splash. All of this can lead to stains on clothes, and your partner is probably wearing his best outfit. This is not cute food. Save it until you put on handcuffs.
Lots of seeds. By chance specifically? Not if you’ve ever eaten a bagel on a date before. Then it’s a traumatic memory. Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, tiny grains—that’s you, quinoa—they like to get stuck right in the middle of your two front teeth. If a recipe calls for a spoonful of sesame seeds, perhaps opt for a little sesame oil instead. This may be the moment to make a romantic comedy, but it may not be the one you’re looking for.
Be careful with the fiber. Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are nutritious and filling foods. However, it is these cruciferous vegetables (and others) that are to blame for bloating and gas. I don’t need to explain why farting has no place on a date.
Allergens, spices and dietary restrictions. Again, more of a reminder. Just ask, and if they have restrictions, do yourself a favor and write them down so you don’t have to second-guess yourself while cooking.
About garlic. This would be the second rule I could potentially break, but by popular demand from my friends, no garlic. As a compromise, I would suggest a little garlic powder instead of fresh for flavor.
Tips for cooking dinner on a date
Now that we’ve gotten some of the biggest offenders out of the way, let’s think about what types of cooking and eating will fuel the conversation rather than ruin the atmosphere.
Appliance for cooking. Take advantage of all the benefits of a slow cooker , slow cooker, or air fryer to reduce your workload. This allows you to serve hot food without having to apply fresh makeup to your face or style your hair perfectly over a steaming pan. Plus, these appliances will prevent stovetop splatters or oily splatters from ruining your clothes. Perhaps the biggest benefit of using the device is that it is designed to be set and forget, or at best, with minimal running costs. You can quickly check, shake or stir and go. This gives you the opportunity to pour the wine and continue the exciting conversation.
On a light tariff. Another request that I somewhat agree with is to serve salad at dinner and generally avoid heavy meals. If I went to someone’s house and they served me a salad for dinner, I would reconsider everything and put the nearest Taco Bell on my map. However, I’m not a regular eater and I completely understand the logic behind having a light meal for dinner. This is your call and maybe read the number. If your partner usually eats light, I think an interesting salad and some extra elements on the side would be a great option. If you notice that your partner has a healthier eating style or enjoys rich foods, then I don’t think a pasta dish or a reasonable portion of steak will put him into a food coma by 8pm.
Make it special. I’m not saying you have to buy a porter, but your date should feel like this dinner is some kind of event. Even if you can’t splurge on ingredients, you can pay attention to detail and presentation. Serve a whole roasted chicken, add some sides, or just use pretty dinnerware . Don’t forget to set the table with butter holder and flake salt.
Like all advice, these are just recommendations, but there are exceptions.
Great dinner for a date
Here are some solid options for your next date night.
Spaghetti with lemon . Fresh flavors, easy access to ingredients, and a little juiciness make this pasta dish an easy way to impress someone. Once the pasta is cooked, this recipe comes together in no time, so there’s no need to prepare ahead.
The strongest salad. You already know my eating habits, so I recommend changing up the salad ratio for date nights. Instead of leafy greens with a little chicken and cheese floating around, bulk up the chicken, add some quartered new potatoes, and don’t shy away from the olives.
Lobster in deep fryer. Treat your date to a real lobster tail meal. You also won’t have to worry about fussing over a huge pot of boiling water or hearing a sea creature ‘scream’. Simply separate the tails, add butter and air fry the tails for less than 10 minutes. Easy wealth achieved.
Dry buttermilk chicken. Buttermilk makes an excellent marinade. In this recipe, you can use powdered buttermilk to make a concentrated marinade from the chicken juices, resulting in tender meat and beautifully browned skin.
Reliable Instant Pot risotto. Take full advantage of your Instant Pot’s autonomy. After the initial frying, the rice and liquids flow in and the lid is closed. For the next 50 minutes or so it’s just you and your date.