Relationships: From spark to simmer – How to cook together on a first date

When you try cooking together on a first date, there’s always something to keep things sizzling even when conversation slows. Photo: 123rf

First dates can be nerve- wracking – awkward silences across the table at a restaurant, frantic stabs at subjects as your conversation sputters during a walk, pained smiles as your date immediately runs the table in a “friendly” game of pool.

But there’s a fun activity that helps you get better acquainted easily and won’t leave you at a loss for words: Preparing a meal in tandem.