Freezer Fries and Reheated Nachos: 20 Boring Dishes You Won't Impress Your Date With
Freezer Fries and Reheated Nachos: 20 Boring Dishes You Won't Impress Your Date With
Leave the Lazy Meals for Solo Nights
First impressions matter, and what you serve someone says a lot about the effort you're willing to put in: serve up some plain white toast or microwaved popcorn, and your date might just up and go. Even if you're not the best cook, it's the thought that counts, and certain food choices will definitely send the wrong message before the conversation even gets going. If you don't want to disappoint your date, make sure to never make these 20 boring, low-effort dishes.
1. Freezer French Fries
Pulling a bag of frozen fries out of the freezer and tossing them in the oven is about as low-effort as it gets, and your date will definitely notice. They tend to come out soggy in the middle and a little sad-looking, or really chewy and oily, which isn't the vibe you want when you're trying to impress. If you or your date are craving fries, at least make a trip to somewhere that does them well.
2. Reheated Nachos
Nachos are already a casual dish, but reheated ones take it to a whole new level of uninspired. The chips go chewy, the cheese congeals, and the whole thing loses whatever appeal it had the first time around. This is the kind of meal that's fine for you, alone, at midnight, but not something to put in front of someone you're trying to impress.
3. Plain Instant Ramen
There's nothing wrong with instant ramen, but serving it to a date straight out of the styrofoam bowl signals that you put in zero thought. Unless you're both college students and accustomed to cheap meals, there are plenty of ways to elevate your noodles to make it seem like you actually tried. Add a soft-boiled egg or some fresh scallions, or enhance the broth, and you'll have something much better tasting in no time.
4. Microwaved Hot Dogs
Hot dogs already occupy a fairly humble place in the food world, and microwaving them makes the situation worse. The texture turns rubbery and the skin tends to split in an unappealing way. Even if your date is easygoing about food, this one is hard to dress up (literally).
5. Cereal for Dinner
Pouring a bowl of cereal and calling it a meal is a perfectly valid choice when you're by yourself, but it's not a dinner option for two, and definitely not for a date night. A date night, even a casual one, deserves at least a little more consideration than just serving up a bowl of Froot Loops or Frosted Flakes.
6. Sad Desk Salad
A salad made from a pre-bagged mix, a few cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of bottled dressing is the culinary equivalent of the bare minimum. It's not that salads can't be impressive, but this version looks like something you'd throw together in three minutes during lunch at work. Your date deserves something that actually looks like you put some care into it.
7. Dry White Toast
Toast as a standalone meal, without so much as butter or a topping worth mentioning, is a hard sell at the best of times. Serving it to someone you're trying to impress? Ooh boy. You'll be lucky if your date doesn't walk out right then. Even a simple avocado or a decent spread turns plain toast into something far more presentable, so put some elbow grease in.
8. Canned Soup Straight from the Can
Heating up a can of soup and dumping it straight into a bowl might not sound that bad, but it does make it obvious that you're not putting in any effort. The flavors are often one-dimensional (often more salty than anything), and the presentation tends to fall flat. If soup is what you're feeling, a homemade version or even a good-quality store-bought carton makes a much, much better impression.
9. Microwaved Popcorn
Popcorn is a great snack, but making it the main event of a date-night meal is not a great choice. It's salty, one-note, and leaves both of you hungry an hour later. You can still serve it up on the side, but save it for the movie portion of the evening, not at the center of the dinner table.
10. Frozen Pizza Straight from the Box
A frozen pizza thrown in the oven with no additions or upgrades is one of the best ways to show your date that you're not trying very hard. It's not that pizza is a bad date food (far from it), but a frozen one with no effort put into it tells your date you didn't think the occasion called for much. You might not think it'll do much, but a little fresh basil or some quality toppings added beforehand go a long way.
11. Sad Stir-Fry with Frozen Vegetables
A stir-fry made entirely from a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, cooked in a pan with nothing but soy sauce, tends to taste as uninspired as it sounds. The vegetables release a lot of water as they cook, making everything watery and limp. Fresh produce and a proper sauce make all the difference if you want this dish to actually come out tasting good.
12. Plain Boiled Pasta with Jarred Sauce
Pasta has real potential as a date-night meal, but boiling some noodles and pouring cold jarred marinara over them doesn't tap into any of it. The sauce usually tastes flat without being heated through properly and seasoned to taste. If you want to impress your date, taking 10 extra minutes to build some flavor into the sauce changes the entire dish.
13. Gas Station Sushi
If you're picking up sushi on the way home, the gas station is not the right stop. The fish quality is questionable, the rice tends to be dry and over-compressed, and the rolls usually look like they've had a rough journey. A proper sushi spot, even a casual one, is worth the minor detour.
14. Tuna Straight from the Can
Tuna can be turned into a solid meal, but serving it straight from the can is... a choice. Even if you put it on a plate, it still feels like a sad, low-effort meal. The smell can also take over the room faster than you might expect, which doesn’t help the date atmosphere.
15. Leftover Takeout
Reheating yesterday's takeout and presenting it as tonight's plan isn't exactly the best move, especially if your date doesn't know how long that stuff has been sitting at the back of your fridge. Reheated takeout also often loses its texture, meaning some dishes really don't survive after the first day. Being upfront with your date is always better, but fresher options are better still.
16. Rice with Soy Sauce... and Nothing Else
A bowl of rice with soy sauce can hit the spot when you want something fast, but it’s too plain to stand alone on a date. The flavor is salty and simple, with no real contrast or substance. To level it up, add some vegetables, eggs, scallions, or protein, and it can become something worth serving.
17. Chips and Dip as Dinner
Chips and dip are a solid snack, but they don't hold up as a full meal, and especially not on a date. It's the kind of food that signals that you put any real thought into the evening. If you want a casual, low-key night, pair it with something more substantial, like homemade burgers.
18. Soggy Microwaved Vegetables
Steaming vegetables in the microwave has its place, but it requires some attention to avoid ending up with a mushy, colorless pile on the plate. Over-microwaved broccoli or green beans lose their texture and aren't particularly pleasant to eat. Roasting them in the oven for a few extra minutes, on the other hand, adds flavor and keeps them looking a lot more appetizing.
19. Burnt Scrambled Eggs
Eggs can absolutely work as a date-night breakfast-for-dinner situation, but overcooked, burnt, rubbery scrambled eggs are a different story. Overseasoning will also do nothing except make the whole thing even worse, so don't even try. To do scrambled eggs well, all it takes is low heat, a little butter, and taking them off the stove just before they're fully set.
20. Takeout You're Making Them Pay For
Ordering takeout can be a perfectly good date-night move, especially when you choose something you both like and make it feel intentional. But if you're the one inviting someone over, and expect them to cover their own portion of the meal (or worse, make them pay the entire bill), you can be sure you're never seeing them again.
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