When it comes to date night, there’s always such a struggle to come up with a restaurant idea that hasn’t been played out. Some restaurants are overcrowded and expensive, while others have poor service and mediocre food. Truly, we are spoiled by the notion that we can complain about these things – the fact that we can afford to have others cook our meals for us in the first place is something that, until relatively recently, was reserved just for the super wealthy.

However, even with the availability of restaurants to cater to our every need, they’re doing us a huge disservice when it comes to impressing our dates. Sure, someone else preparing the food allows you to focus on the conversation – but if the food isn’t as good as you had hoped, this puts a dark cloud over the entire date, diminishing any benefits that come from the communication we have been allowed. Is it really worth it?

There are a number of reasons why home-cooked meals beat out the restaurant counterparts, and knowing how to cook even a few simple dishes can impress your date without end. (As long as they’re prepared well!) Here are some of the reasons KitschMix encourages our readers to learn to cook, and cook well – for better date nights from here on out.

It’s cheaper.

With a little bit of planning, you can easily buy the ingredients for a gourmet meal for about the same price as a date at Denny’s. This is because, in restaurant dining, you’re not just paying for the food – you’re paying for its preparation, your server, the overhead at the restaurant… All the things that are included into your rent or mortgage payments if you cook at home. You can save a great deal of money if you learn to cook some of the dishes that you would order when eating out.

It’s impressive.

Nowadays, most people don’t bother learning how to cook, because you can buy pre-made food, whether from a restaurant or even from your local deli. Don’t get me wrong, these pre-made foods are great when you’re in a pinch for time – but they’re often mass-produced, and learning to make them at home will usually yield better results, since you’re focused on one or two servings, rather than hundreds or thousands.

It’s a useful skill.

Who wants to be the person who has to have their food cooked for them? I certainly don’t. Being able to cook for yourself is incredibly helpful if you’re broke, or on your own, or really any time.
You and your partner can cook together and have extra fun. I personally enjoy baking with partners – if you guys make a cake together, it can be a lot of fun – even if the cake never actually makes it to the oven. It’s a bonding activity in itself and you can even learn new things together.

You won’t have to go anywhere to have a good meal.

Many nicer restaurants have strict dress codes – whereas your dining room at home doesn’t. You can eat filet mignon in your pajamas, and no one will care. (Or, even better, you can eat gourmet meals in your underwear or in the nude – then the after-dinner fun doesn’t have to wait as long!)

There are, of course, a million other reasons why learning to cook is vital, but the main point here is that you should have a few recipes under your belt, even if you aren’t planning to entertain. It used to be the standard that parents would teach their children how to cook a few signature dishes, and I’m really not sure why it has faded into the wayside.

Even if you only learn one or two meals, this can go a long way towards your future happiness. If you know how to cook two things, and your partner knows how to cook two things, and you work on learning a few more things together – before too much longer, you may never have to go out to eat again!

(As a small disclaimer, I’m not saying you shouldn’t go out to eat. Keep the service industry alive. Just don’t rely on it for every date!)