Out in the swim known as the Web, I came across a book, Will Cook For Sex: a Guy’s Guide to Cooking by Rocky Fino. Part cookbook, part essay, and really funny, the man crystallized in a few words a mantra Be Better Guys has been preaching for years. Women are quite kind and giving to a guy who can whip up a meal and that knows his way around the kitchen. Honestly, knowing how to cook a few dishes might get you farther than 10 hours a week in the gym or $200 spent on some hot, new cologne. What makes me think so? I’ve seen it in action, fellas. Let me tell you a little tale. . . .

I was dating this woman whom we’ll call Claire – actually we were still in the courting stages, which means we’d been out a few times, had a Fourth of July’s worth of sparks, but we hadn’t gotten naked yet. She called me up somewhat unexpectedly one night; she was depressed after a phone call with her family and wanted to hear a friendly voice. I told her I was cooking a chicken and tomato sauce dish and she should come over and have some. “It’ll make you feel better.” Next thing out of her mouth was “You can cook?” “Come over and find out” I responded.

Claire came by and I served up the chicken over rice with a glass of red wine. Really, it couldn’t have been simpler: brown the chicken with onions, garlic, and celery, add crushed tomatoes, simmer for 30 mins. She took a mouthful and gave me a wry smile. “Mmmm, comfort food. This reminds me of home.” (She was Italian from Rome via Central New York) We ate, talked, and as they say, the rest was history. And yes, there was nudity involved.

A guy who can cook has an immediate advantage. Almost no one will turn down a home-cooked meal, and he will always get the “A” for effort. It shows a bit of dexterity, some creativity, and self-reliance. It’s like always having home-court advantage: you get to dictate the pace of the evening and set the tone. All of these things are sexy to women. No one wants a Mama’s Boy who can’t handle his business. But you do want women to think that you’re sexy. Rocky hit the nail on the head with that book, I’m telling you. In an intimate setting or for a dinner party, women see a guy who can cook and the odds in his favor go up exponentially.

But I hear you whining, “But I’m no gourmet, I didn’t go to culinary school.” Being a gourmet requires skill, but cooking only requires reading and some patience. My dad says if you can read you can do anything. There are literally dozens of cookbooks out there, but you only need one or two. Once you get a few dishes you like, you’ll see you they translate into other meals. Check out our Cooking In section for a few recipes with guys who don’t cook in mind. Expand the repertoire and the worst case scenario is that you’ll never go hungry again. Best case is you can wind up with a special, regular dinner guest, and there may be nudity involved.