With a holiday weekend coming up for many of our readers, it’s a good time to revisit tips on how to cook for a woman.

With cooking a meal for a woman, presentation is key. It’s really no different than a magic illusion or any other routine. They way your present the meal can often be more important than the food itself. There are plenty of recipes and cooking shows available to find step by step directions on how to prepare any kind of food.

But while you’re measuring out the flour and dicing the onions, don’t forget these important steps to presenting your culinary masterpiece.

First, make it appear effortless. Although you might have slaved in the kitchen all day, don’t let her know that. Pretend this is something you just whipped up off the top of your head. Can you imagine James Bond walking out of his kitchen, flustered, sweating, covered with mess as smoke billows out the door behind him? Nope. He would casually stroll out with a martini in one hand and an elegant plate in the other. Smooth. In control. Calm. That’s how she should see you in the kitchen.

Second, present your gastronomical creation in the best possible light. This is not the meal for paper plates and plastic sporks left over from your last run to KFC. Use real plates and real silverware. These don’t have to be expensive. But they should all be from the same set and they should all be clean.

Third, no matter how many times she offers, do not let her clean up or do the dishes. Save those for tomorrow. Tonight, you concentrate on her.

Remember, chefs are the new rockstars. Follow these easy steps and she’ll think you deserve your own primetime show.