Customer Reviews

Dinner Dates: A Cookbook for Couples Cooking Together

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cookbook is great fun for couples who enjoy working together to produce something: delicious food, in this case. I wouldn't recommend it under the following circumstances:

For couples who are currently going through a bad patch, this cookbook will probably just make things worse: it requires a lot of cooperation and a sense of humor.

For couples who are competitive with each other, you might not like the results when you get out of sync with each other on the instructions because one of you was trying to do his/her part better or faster or with more seasoning. (Not that I'm speaking from experience!)

For couples without access to a well-equipped kitchen, you will be frustrated by the equipment and ingredients that you don't have. This book doesn't require anything really exotic, but it sure is a lot easier if you have lots of different types of pots and pans, a food processor, stove, oven, microwave, and plenty of timers.

Aside from those caveats, you really can't go wrong. The instructions are spelled out in detail, so that even couples without a lot of cooking experience can create complex, exciting meals together without running into the timing pitfalls that usually plague beginning cooks.

Enjoy -- and better clean up the dishes as you go along, because you'll probably be in too romantic a mood to wash dishes by the time you're done cooking, eating, and drinking wine!

This is a great book for people who don't want to spend a bundle on a dinner date, but still want to have a special evening. The food is very tasty and the menus, including wine, are well balanced. Also, the instructions are easy enough for my kitchen-clueless boyfriend to follow. Most importantly, cooking these meals together created very low-stress, romantic evenings. Be sure to treat it like a "real" date (candles, flowers, and fun music) and you'll have a great time.

my new husband and i adore this book! i have given it as a gift to so many of our couple friends. the pages are worn and spattered with food as we fight over the book while cooking all the delicious meals together. my husband, who doesn't like to cook, loves preparing these meals with me! he loves the way it all comes together at the end, and we dont have to determine who does what, its all detailed for chef 1 and chef 2. we have had so many wonderfully romantic and fun nights together thanks to this book. my only complaint is that there's not a dinner dates 2, 3, 4 etc. we are almost done with this book and would love to buy more!

Finally, a cookbook that lets us cook together! The recipes are great, the instructions are clearly described for two people, and the meals are delicious. Cooking has never been more fun. The pork roast is fabulous. We're looking forward to preparing the Ultimate Valentines Day dinner. We also loved the "Marinating the Chef" concept.

I got this book for my boyfriend one Valentine's Day and we have enjoyed it thoroughly. Each date includes all the recipes for a complete meal, and the shopping and equipment lists at the beginning of each section are really helpful. The recipes are very easy to follow and hard to screw up, so there are plenty of opportunities to connect with your date through conversation (or otherwise!) Every time we've cooked with this book it's led to a delicious meal and a fun, romantic evening - I highly recommend it!

What a fabulous way to spend the evening together... in the kitchen... and not kill each other! Romantic and playful, the cooking is the fun part, but the food is amazing!! I wish she would write another one!

When I bought this book, my lover and I were having problems. There were so few things that we would do together. I don't give this book complete and total credit for bringing us back together but it sure did help us to work together. And create such great food, too!

This cookbook is absolutely wonderful. My husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed the evenings we have spent together cooking. My husband wasn't too keen on staying in on a Friday night, especially to cook, however, once the evening got started, we both had a blast. Now he is asking when is the next time we are going to spend our Friday night cooking! In addition, the recipes are top notch. We also enjoy the drink selections recommended. This book has been a wonderful gift to other couples!

I was delighted that the timing and food worked out so well. I typically have a tough time serving everything hot at the same time. While we were enjoying our dinner, the poached pears were simmering on the stove. Fantastic!

What a wonderful icebreaker! If there's someone you've been trying to get to know better, I can't think of a better way to take that last step than inviting them to try one of the recipies in this charming book.

Fans of 1997's Intercourses will find this an interesting companion piece: less focused on the sensuality of food than on how food becomes sensual when we share it. (For those who are interested, there's actually a term for the process of bonding over food: commensalism.) Enjoy!