Couples are often described as ‘a team,’ with each other through thick and thin, taking on the weird, wild world together as one. However, the reality of a relationship often never truly embraces this concept in practice, instead favoring two separate lives linked by a few common interests (and maybe a child or two).

Obviously, I’m oversimplifying things. But, if you find yourself in a situation where you’d like to be doing more fun, interesting, engaging activities with your partner, you should consider giving cooking a try.

Designing, preparing for, and pulling off a couples dinner party is one of the most rewarding experiences two people can have together. Not only that, but cooking with someone in a new relationship can prove to be an apt test for how well you work with that person under extreme stress. You’ve been warned.

So, what makes cooking the perfect couples activity?

Food Feeds the Soul

Cliche alert! Food, cuisine, and cooking are all things that speak to the origin of a place, and are closely tied to what makes a person’s history great. When you cook with someone, you’re not only passing on a bit of culinary knowledge, technique, or flavor, you are passing on a piece of your past.

Cooking with someone is fun, yes, but it can also be incredibly intimate. When you aren’t flinging garlic shells in the air or scrambling to make sure the enchiladas come out the same times as the beans are done, there are moments of connection that can have a lasting effect on the health of your relationship with your partner. You might even look back at these moments as some of your fondest memories.

Everybody has some link to food, and exploring those links can take new courtships to uncharted territory, or strengthen the bond of a long-lasting love.

Breaking Down Barriers

Cooking with someone means revealing a bit of yourself to them. It’s the perfect time to tell stories, ask questions, flirt, and get to know someone beyond the typical chit chat and depthless banter.

Regardless of how the meal turns out, the point of agreeing to the activity in the first place is not really about the food. The food is simply a conduit for conversation, and a way to break down walls people might put up that prevent someone from getting to know them on a more personal level. It helps people get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and trying new things in an attempt to pull them out of their shell.

This is the theory, anyway. I’m sure there are a few instances of frustration building up to the point of a potato exploding in the microwave, but life’s all about taking chances, right?

Cooking with your partner makes your life more rich, more exciting, and more fun. It doesn’t have to be every day, but choosing a time every week or every month to do something exciting and new in your relationship goes much further than a mindless trip to the nearest steakhouse.

Before long, you can finally claim your partnership is a team, because you’ve worked together to create so many beautiful dishes that have made so many people’s lives more enjoyable. Making food is about entertainment, personal growth, community engagement, and showing to the entire world a little piece of yourself they didn’t know was there before.

Cheers, and happy cooking!