Why a Date Night Cooking Class is a Good Idea

Are you tired of the same old dinner and movie date night routine? Do you want to spice things up in the kitchen and in your relationship? Well, look no further, because a date night cooking class is the answer!

Cooking classes aren’t just for aspiring chefs or culinary enthusiasts. They are the perfect way for couples to bond, have fun, and create something delicious together. Plus, you get to eat your masterpiece at the end, which is a win-win situation if you ask me.

Taking a cooking class for date night is a great way to break out of your comfort zone. Whether you have just met, or you have been companions for an age or two, you will be trying new things and learning new skills together. 

What better way to test for compatibility on a first date than seeing how each other does in the kitchen? If you are in different locations, try signing up for a live, instructor-led virtual cooking class. You can “pin” the other person’s camera feed to your screen with most video conferencing apps and send each other private messages to up the “spark”. 

(Tip: The meeting host gets a transcript of the chat in most video conferencing apps, so if your chats are going to get spicy, I recommend you use a different chat app instead of sending private messages to each other in the class Zoom. You’re welcome!) 

When on that first date, you can learn alot about someone just by observing them in the kitchen. While the instructor is giving directions, you both get a few welcome breaks from the first-date awkwardness that inevitably bubbles to the surface like a mid-sentence burp. When your date sticks their tongue out while chopping, does it endear or irk you? Do they laugh good naturedly when mistakes are made or get irritated? Will their talking with their mouths full and then smacking their lips after they swallow want you to share toothbrushes or have you wishing you had swiped left?

For couples who have been together a bit, who knows, you might discover a hidden talent for cooking or find a new favorite recipe to add to your date night rotation. If one of you is a better cook than the other, taking a cooking class together is a chance to switch roles and see how the other half lives. As it ends up, we found that I’m a much better baker than I am a cook. I don’t do half bad when it comes to following recipes

Our first date night cooking class was actually a pie baking class. We dug our hands into traditional New England pie recipes and techniques. We learned how to make:

• Apple Pie with Crumble Topping
• Pecan Pie with a Pecan Crust
• Canadian Butter Tarts
• Pumpkin Pie (from a pumpkin, not a can)

Pumpkin pie was never my favorite. I thought I didn’t like the pumpkin part of it, but, as I learned in class, I love fresh pumpkin. It was canned pumpkin I didn’t like. It always tasted off to me.

I love that this recipe learned during a date night cooking class became part of my repertoire. Now, every year, I source out sugar pumpkins when they’re available, storing them someplace cool and dry until the Tuesday before the holiday, when I begin the pumpkin-steaming process I learned in class all those years ago. This pie is so popular on both sides of our family that no one has to ask me to bring it over for the holiday anymore. They just know I will. (More on sugar pumpkins from Spruce Eats.)

Let’s be real, the best part about going to a cooking class for date night is the opportunity to make a mess and, if you’re taking an in-person cooking class, you usually don’t have to do the dishes. Embrace the flour-covered countertops and spilled ingredients. It’s all part of the fun and will make for some great memories (and Gram-worthy photos).

What I like about taking classes together is how we team up, help and encourage each other. Cooking requires planning, coordination, and collaboration. You’ll have to communicate with your partner to ensure everything is cooked and prepared correctly. You might discover a new level of respect for your partner’s ability to chop vegetables, master a tricky recipe step, or know exactly what to do with an ingredient. 

When I’m like, “What. In. The. Heck. Is. That?” as Keith is saying, “I’ve been wanting to try celeriac”, I gain even more respect for him and the talent and skills he has in the kitchen. (Just what is celeriac? Marlinda explains.)

And let us not forget about the delicious food. Cooking classes often focus on specific cuisines or dishes, which means you’ll get to indulge in a meal that you may not have tried before. Plus, you get to use the recipe again and recreate it for future date nights, get-togethers with friends, or, as is frequently our case, holidays.

Taking cooking classes gives us the opportunity to meet new and interesting people. When we took the class at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, we each made 6 HUGE croissant and 6 pan au chocolat. That is 24 pastries for 2 people. I like a good croissant as much as the next person, but we weren’t going to be able to eat them all. We made instant friends when we gave ½ of our baked-goods haul to our hotel front desk staff. We had chatted with them a little bit when checking in, but now that we shared food with them, we made some friends. 

If you’re wondering about it, the other half of our haul from class starred in our hotel bed picnics for the 3 days that followed, once we purchased meats, cheeses and mustards from Galeries Lafayette Gourmet. 

When we took a Macaron class in Boston, Massachusetts, we shared a work table with another couple. Pretty soon, it became clear that our table was pretty efficient. We were done mixing our batter before the other tables and had moved on to piping. The spirit of competition overtook the 4 of us and we cheered each other on as we took turns practicing piping the batter onto the cookie pan, congratulating and high fiving when the last one of us put down the piping bag and we noticed we had, again, beat the rest of the slowpoke class. 

Don’t discount taking a cooking class for a couple’s date night. Not only will you have a blast, but you’ll learn new skills, make memories, and enjoy a delicious meal together. And who knows, you might make some friends, find a recipe you’ll turn to forever and possibly discover a new love for cooking (or for each other).