Cooking for your lady is one of the most selfless, sweetest gestures. Since women have traditionally spent so much time cooking for everyone, it’s a great way to show her that you appreciate her by letting her sit back and relax while you take care of dinner. But you want something out of the deal too, right? Using aphrodisiacs in your cooking isn’t something she’ll really notice, but it’s something you can make work to your advantage. Well, you can get the best of both worlds: her appreciation for dinner and the gratitude she’ll want to show you later in the bedroom. Try making dishes with some of these aphrodisiacs for a great time.

Oysters

There’s a lot to be said about this suggestively-shaped seafood. There are tons of aphrodisiacs out there to help male potency and alluding to the shape of male sex organs, but oysters lean towards the ladies. In addition to how erotic slowly slurping the tender insides of oysters can be, they’re also filled with iron. Iron is a great mineral to boost your energy so you can stay awake pleasing each other late into the night.

Peppers

Please avoid any jokes about “spicing things up.” If the woman you’re with enjoys spicy foods, don’t skimp on the peppers. The racing heart, sweating and blood rush that you feel after you eat something really spicy has been likened to a sexual response, so she’ll be hot and bothered and ready to show you how grateful she is for that Mexican or Asian dinner all night. Use cayenne or chili peppers in your dish to reap the benefits.

Avocado

With a sensual pear shape and a fresh, rich flavor, avocados are being used in more and more dishes these days. Additionally, they’re great aphrodisiacs, so if you get the opportunity to cook for her, throw some in. High levels of Vitamin E can help your romance get a spark because it promotes a sense of vigor and an energy level more commonly found in younger people. In short, it’ll give the both of you an energy boost, so make her some guacamole or slice some avocado in her salad.

Honey

Honey comes from bees, which are a natural symbol for pollination and procreation. For that reason alone, using honey in the dish you make for her (or even as a taste additive for her tea) will be a bit of an aphrodisiac. It contains boron as well, which regulates the production of sex hormones, so she’ll be in the mood in no time.

Chai Tea

If she doesn’t want coffee with her dinner, brew her cup of chai tea instead. Every blend of chai tends to have cloves, cinnamon and ginger: three spices that work to get blood flowing all over the body. On top of that, but many chai tea blends also have a high amount of caffeine, so there’s an energy-boosting factor there as well.

Whipped Cream

There’s absolutely nothing in the makeup of this sweet topping that will help boost the levels of any chemical in your body, or make your brain think any different way towards sex. It’s worth a mention though, purely because licking it off each other’s fingers or lips is such an erotic activity that any desert you make for her should have whipped cream on top.