Two Cooks In The Kitchen Is Not Too Many

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

One of the biggest restaurant holidays of the year is of course Valentine’s Day. Millions of couples go through the same annual ritual— a box of chocolate candy, a bouquet of flowers, and a meal out. And while that ritual is a fine way to honor your loved one, sometimes it is nice to switch things up a bit.

Rather than fight the crowds, why not do something different for your sweetie and take advantage of the “Valentine’s,” spending the evening together cooking at home? In my opinion, there is no better way to celebrate this day of love than sharing a lovingly prepared meal together.

Now you might say to me, the problem is, my partner doesn’t cook. And this is true in many, many cases. With almost every couple I know, one or the other partner is a more dominant cook, taking a much greater interest in the day-to-day meal and shopping responsibilities. But I am here to tell you that even the most emphatically self-professed of non-cooks can be coaxed into the kitchen.

When I first started dating my husband, we went out for many nice meals. But I will never forget the first time I decided to cook in his apartment kitchen. He lived in a typical New York studio apartment; the kitchen was not so much a room, as a hallway on the way to the bathroom. The stove was half the size of a normal one and the dorm-sized refrigerator full of condiments. The counter space consisted of a four-inch section, which I extended by laying my cutting board across the sink. The one and only meal I cooked there was sautéed soft shell crabs and despite (or perhaps enhanced by) the challenging circumstances, they came out pretty good. But I always chalked the boyfriend’s non-cooking up to the fact that he didn’t want to deal with his pitiful kitchen.

Cut to a few years later, my now fiancé and I are living together. At some point or another we touched upon the reason he never cooked a meal for me – he was intimidated! How could he make a meal that would meet up to my “impossible standards?” Since I had made my career in food and could dissect a restaurant dish to no end, he had been scared to cook for me in all this time. I explained that any home cooked meal is good to me, just by virtue of the fact that it is homemade. And I really do believe any effort in the kitchen should be applauded.

From then on, if I was cooking and he was at home, I made an effort to show him how to do various kitchen tasks. He was a pretty quick student and before I knew it, he could chop garlic with the best of them. Slow cooking is a really great way to pique the non-cook's interest— for minimal effort there is a maximum reward.

Now my husband has several “signature dishes” including Chicken Parmesan and the best Nachos ever that have become part of our usual repertoire. We also have a lot of fun cooking meals together, and someday soon I am going to show him how the crockpot works.

So instead of picking up the phone to make a reservation at the hottest restaurant in town, think of the closeness you and your loved one can share by whipping up something special at home.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 small eggplant, sliced
• 1 egg
• 1 can (10.5 ounce size) pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 slices Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter