Picture yourself on a first date. You’ve invited a cute girl to your apartment for dinner. You’re wearing your best shirt, set up candles around the place and put on the sweetest tunes from The Weekend. But then…she sits down at the table and the date falls apart when you place a plate of baked beans on toast in front of her. The record screeches to a halt, the lights go on, the door slams behind her and you’re left wondering where it all went wrong. The solution? Cook her the meal of her life.

Scientific research conducted by home appliances brand Sunbeam, has concluded that women find men irresistibly sexy when watching them cook a meal. Scientists attached neurotransmitters to 20 women, who were told to watch their respective male partners perform a range of household tasks, such as making coffee, baking a cake or building a table. The study found that the women were more aroused when watching their man work with blenders and baking trays, rather than power drills and saws.

We’ve all heard the age-old proverb that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but companies such as Blue Apron are turning the saying on its head and giving men a chance to impress women. These food order businesses work by allowing someone to purchase a meal online, but instead of collecting the meal at your door like a takeaway pizza, you’ll receive the exact ingredients and instructions on how to actually cook the meal yourself.

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These kinds of activities can be fun to do with your current girlfriend as well, as it builds a sense of teamwork – plus, as the study shows, it will likely drive her wild. If your newfound cooking craze really takes off and you’d like your kitchen full of the latest gadgets, perhaps you can subtly hint at her purchasing salt and pepper robot shakers, baseball bat rolling pins and a bomb-shaped kitchen timer, that can be found here.

Furthermore, if cookbooks aren’t exactly your thing, then make use of the internet and watch some celebrity chefs work their magic. Though some may find him a touch irritating, Jamie Oliver’s channel on YouTube provides tutorials for some amazingly easy recipes, such as scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes or cooking the perfect steak (see video below).

With that in mind, re-invite that girl, put on your best shirt, light the candles and turn on the music all over again – but this time, cook a delicious meal right in front of her and you may find that the stove won’t be the only thing heating up in the room.