Menu suggestions for the cook-together date

cheddarchexmix · 2010-12-06T22:32:18+00:00

So I've done this a few times since the threads on Seddit about cooking together (thanks, Seddit, great advice of course).

I stick to meals that are quick to prepare. Usually a main and 1-2 sides, where the main is a one-pot dish. I get her to wash/slice veggies and similar prep while I am at another station, doing meat prep, etc. Once the stuff is on the stove, I stir etc while getting her to set up for the meal. Ideally I get the entree going before she's done with the veggies, so I can throw in the stuff she's prepping as soon as it's ready.

One other thing I've been doing is preparing a light appetizer-type food before she arrives, like bread + oil, cheese + crackers, hummus, etc, for us to munch on while we make the food.

Andy_Greatbeef · 2010-12-06T22:38:10+00:00

I've got a cook-together date this weekend. Going to make a pan-style macaroni with bacon, shallots, garlic and roasted red peppers. Quick and easy. Served with a salad with a home-made vinaigrette, candied walnuts, pears etc. Going to use the "Hey I'm sure we are both going to have onion breath after this meal, so get your kisses in while you can" >:)

intjpua · 2010-12-07T01:41:24+00:00

I'll make something I'm familiar with, so I don't need to check the recipe much, or at all. You should prepare a variety of foods, mostly fresh and homemade (so don't pull stuff out of the freezer or dump it out of a can; chop your own veggies, make your own sauces, etc.). So, keep that in mind when deciding what to cook...if your sauce takes all day to simmer, you're putting too much effort in before the girl gets there.

I like to have a bit of variety, particularly if I'm making something weird...I'm a vegetarian and I only cook vegetarian meals, so I like to make sure even someone who isn't used to vegetarian eating will find enough stuff to eat.

My last few dinner date menus:

Thai

Green bean curry with cashews
Basic vegetable stir fry with Sriracha and other sauces on hand
Brown rice
Tofu satay with peanut sauce
Salad with sesame vinaigrette

BBQ

BBQ tofu
Rice pilaf
Steamed vegetables
Salad with a raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Mediterranean

Falafel (yes, from scratch, and this is way more complex than most dishes I make on a date and should be for a girl you know you're having sex with)
Hummus
Fresh pita bread from the local mediterranean market, purchased that day (it was a super long date, and I already knew she was spending the night, so I made this a pre-cooking mission that we went on together)
Imported pickles from the market
Sliced vegetables with yogurt sauce from the market
Salad greens for making a falafel wrap along with the yogurt sauce and some of the veggies

I always keep some good chocolate and maybe some other long-lasting sweets on hand, just in case she has a sweet tooth. Ice cream in the summer, maybe a pie or something I can pop in the oven during the winter. But dessert is usually a post-sex snack while we're watching a movie or something. Popcorn or sliced fruit or whatever also works, or just a glass of wine, or nothing at all.

Some random thoughts...I like to have something that we can start munching on almost immediately. Sliced veggies and maybe dip, or sliced fruit, is perfect for this. Salad works OK, if you can make it happen quick. Since we're going to be messing around while cooking, the actual meal could take an hour or two to get finished. Don't want anyone getting grouchy due to hunger.

Avoid strong or greasy foods. Onions unless they're well-cooked, heavy garlic, oily meats, strong seafoods (oysters, for example, despite their rep for being aphrodisiac, smell strong unless they're kept super cold; I think that's gonna be a negative; a lot of fish has this problem, and a lot of people are allergic to shellfish, so it adds up to being a poor choice, probably), should be avoided. Make something reasonably light, healthy, and fresh and flavorful.

I tend to try to keep the girl occupied roughly the same amount as I am...maybe even a little more. She can wash and cut veggies, mix the salad, hand you ingredients, etc. I have a rice cooker that I use a lot...I put the rice on at the beginning which makes it a zero-effort side dish that neither of us has to think about. I try to avoid it being very separated efforts. Maybe we'll cut veggies side by side or whatever, rather than me giving her a task and then walking away.

ThrowawayPUA · 2010-12-07T01:04:33+00:00

I was cooking for a girl once (my hot ex-stripper alcoholic ex-gf) and insisted I'd do all the work. We were in the kitchen talking, and as I moved from task to task, every time I came back to something, she'd already cleaned it up. If you insist on doing all the work, she will just want to help even more.

I planned a cooking date recently (but she flaked) and I was planning on showing her how to do the most time consuming bit (julienning carrots by hand) and then having her do it while I did all the rest. I get to play Julia Child and show her a piece of difficult knife work, and she gets to try to show off how well she can do it.

throwawayrarst · 2010-12-07T01:23:51+00:00

A couple suggestions:

Don't worry about getting everything exactly right. The joy comes from making the meal together, not necessarily the final product. Actually, a fucked up dinner can be a bonding experience if you laugh it off and don't take it too seriously.
Get her to do the prep work. if you've only got one or two things on the stovetop then just tell her you'll take care of the pans, and she can take care of the chopping.
Expect everything to take longer than expected, especially with a glass of wine in your hand.

thefugue · 2010-12-07T02:00:24+00:00

Mussels. Get 'em fresh. Chop a shallot and some garlic- brown in butter in a soup pot. Pour in mussels. Throw in like a cup of decent white wine. Let it heat up until they steam- maybe 7 min with the lid on. When they open, they're done.

Easy. Tasty. Sexy.

2010-12-07T03:35:56+00:00

sushi! depending on if you have access to fresh fish, making sushi together can be awesome. if you make roll sushi, its already phallic.

_stork_ · 2010-12-07T10:06:17+00:00

i go with bolognese, because i make a bolognese that will blow your socks off, and because it can easily simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. it will only taste better. use that time to prepare a salad or a desert together.

Title	Menu suggestions for the cook-together date
Author	woowoozle
Upvotes	5
Comments	8
Date	December 6, 2010 10:03 PM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/seduction
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/seduction/comments/eh9h4/menu_suggestions_for_the_cooktogether_date/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/seduction/menu-suggestions-for-the-cook-together-date.1313512 https://theredarchive.com/post/1313512

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