This question can be used as of the cheesiest pick-up lines in the book, or it can be asked teasingly by a long-term partner. Essentially, it is just another way of saying, “What are you up to?”
That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t respond by making food-related puns!
How you respond to this silly question will depend on who is asking you it and how you feel about them.
If you don’t know the person you’re speaking to all that well yet, and want to continue the conversation, say something funny and encouraging.
If you are not interested, and if you find the line a little bit cringeworthy, politely make your lack of interest clear.
If you’re being asked this by someone you’ve been seeing for a long time, they are likely just trying to put a smile on your face by asking how you’re doing in a different way than they usually would. Keep the banter going by sending back a funny response.
It’s also possible that the person asking you this question is a friend, just as you might get a text saying “I love you” from a friend. If so, keep the friendly tone going and fire off a witty comeback.
31 ways to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?”
- Just our steaming hot chemistry.
- Are you asking me to make you dinner?
- You know it’s 2022, not 1950, right? 😉
- I don’t cook. My kitchen is strictly ornamental. But we can hang out in it and eat a delivery sometime.
- Not too much, just talking to this pretty cool guy that I’m sort of into. You?
- I’m just making some plans for the weekend. Do you wanna be part of them?
- That depends. Are you coming over to try it?
- I was about to ask you the same thing! Oh, no, wait, I wasn’t, because I’m not a 70-year-old man 😉
- Just responding to a disappointing opener from a person I thought would’ve come up with something better 😉 You?
- Just chilling after a busy day. No cooking involved. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I’m ordering food. What are you up to?
- Hey, I know that’s a commonly used jokey line, but it makes me kind of uncomfortable when you call me “good looking.” Maybe just use my name if you want to talk.
- Really busy. Sorry, can’t talk!
- Ooh, I don’t know how I feel about that line. Could we keep things strictly friendly between us, please?
- I think we might be on different pages about what this is. I only see us as friends.
- Hey, I don’t think it’s really appropriate for you to message me a line like that. Could we keep things professional, please?
- Sorry, I’d prefer if we kept our conversations to the professional channels.
- Hey there, I just want to make sure you know that I’m not interested in pursuing anything beyond a friendship. But my day has been good. How are you?
- Aw, look at you, breaking out the cheesy lines. Just picked up the kids. I’m thinking frozen pizzas. Any special requests?
- Haha, does that mean you’re hungry? Or are you really wondering how I am?
- Just got a cute text from my fiancé, you?
- Ooh, good timing. I’m just in the supermarket. What do you want for dinner?
- Nothing particularly interesting. Sitting at home watching friends. No cooking involved. You?
- Haha where did you hear that one? I didn’t even know people still said that.
- Oh, cringe. Who are you?
- Well, that’s an interesting one from you. You must be in a good mood to be asking me such a sappy question.
- Oooh my sweet, you’ll be glad to hear it’s something as cheesy as that question.
- Oooh girl, not too much, just cooking up some plans for our Saturday evening. What are you feeling?
- Well, since you asked, I’m getting all dolled up for our friends’ date tonight! Can’t wait to hit the town.
- Omg, I’m so bored. Nothing cooking. You?
- Oh goodness, I hope you don’t say that to anyone else but me!
- Ooh, well I just got a text from my bestie, so I’m buzzing. What are you doing now?
How to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?” if you want to keep the conversation going
There’s no shame in a cringey pick-up line early in the dating game. It challenges people to come up with great ways to respond to a pickup line. And, ultimately, the goal is to get the conversation moving and to establish a funny chat that both people enjoy returning to.
If it makes you laugh, who cares if the person you’re speaking to sends you a corny line? Most of us would prefer to be able to shoot back a sarcastic response to a cheesy opener than spend hours talking through the tiresome logistics of our day!
So, if you’re getting to know someone who sends you the text, “What’s cooking, good looking?” and it doesn’t bother you that they’ve used a silly line, give back as good as you get and try to keep the conversation as engaging as possible.
1. Just our steaming hot chemistry.
If you are confident in your connection with the person you’re speaking to, why not send a bold response. When they ask you what’s cooking, you can respond “Our steaming hot chemistry.”
Be aware though that this is quite a bold thing to say, and you shouldn’t send this response unless you know that you want to take things to the next stage with the person you’re texting!
2. Are you asking me to make you dinner?
If you want to keep the tone of your conversation light-hearted and humorous, why not ask whether the person you’re talking to is asking you to make them dinner.
Not only will this force them to respond quickly, it will also raise the possibility that the two of you might enjoy a meal together soon.
If you play your cards right, the person you’re texting will find a way to turn your response into a dinner invitation.
3. You know it’s 2022, not 1950, right? 😉
If you are interested in keeping the conversation going, but still want to point out that the line that was just used on you is a little bit retro, why not jokingly ask the person you’re texting to confirm that they know what year it is.
The implication is that it is a little silly to be asking someone “What’s cooking, good looking?” in 2022, when the line originally derives from a working husband asking a housewife what she is making him for dinner.
Adding a winky face to the end of your text makes clear, however, that you are not actually offended; you’re just giving them a hard time to keep the banter going!
Otherwise, if your partner doesn’t get that you’re kidding, you may find them trying to figure out how to respond to their girlfriend over text.
4. I don’t cook. My kitchen is strictly ornamental. But we can hang out in it and eat a delivery sometime.
Another approach to responding to “What’s cooking, good looking?” is to interpret it very literally.
Instead of answering how you’re doing, you can essentially pretend to misunderstand what was meant.
If you aren’t a natural-born chef, tell the person you’re talking to that you don’t cook and invite them to join you for a take-out.
5. Not too much, just talking to this pretty cool guy that I’m sort of into. You?
Alternatively, you could take a completely different approach and ignore the literal meaning of the question. Instead, just answer what is being asked.
You can jokingly respond that you are speaking to someone you’re interested in. This is a cute way of telling the person you’re speaking to that you like them without having to spell it out.
Asking, “You?” leaves the door open for them to say they are also speaking to someone they are into.
6. I’m just making some plans for the weekend. Do you wanna be part of them?
When you are in the early stages of getting to know someone romantically, the best thing you can do is make plans to see each other in person, so that you can really get a measure on your compatibility.
If you’re talking to someone you like early on and they ask you what you’re up to, see if you can use this question as an opportunity to ask them if they want to get together.
7. That depends. Are you coming over to try it?
Another cute way to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?” that takes a literal interpretation, is “That depends. Are you coming over to try it?”
This suggests that if the person you’re speaking to comes over, you will cook them something they like.
If you’ve been getting along well with the person you’re talking to for a while, this is a great way to take a cheesy pick-up line and turn it in to a date.
8. I was about to ask you the same thing! Oh, no, wait, I wasn’t, because I’m not a 70-year-old man 😉
If you want to rib the person you’re speaking to a little because they have used an old-fashioned pick-up line, you could jokingly call them out for using such an outdated phrase.
Pretending you were about to say the same thing and then joking that you didn’t because you aren’t in your 70s gets this point across effectively.
9. Just responding to a disappointing opener from a person I thought would’ve come up with something better 😉 You?
Another way to poke fun at someone for choosing to flirt by using language from the mid-20th century, is to answer their question by saying you’re responding to a disappointing opener.
If you’re on the same page humor-wise, they will come back at you with something funny and you can get a banter-filled back-and-forth going.
10. Just chilling after a busy day. No cooking involved. Ain’t nobody got time for that, I’m ordering food. What are you up to?
If you want to keep the conversation going but want to tone down the sappiness, you can answer both the literal question and the figurative one. Tell the person you’re texting that you aren’t up to much and also let them know whether you are or aren’t cooking.
You can inflect some humor into the chat by saying you don’t have time to cook and are ordering food. Presumably, the person you’re speaking to will ask you what you’re ordering or will even see if they can get in on your order.
How to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?” if you are not interested
Unfortunately, there are few things more awkward than being asked “What’s cooking, good looking?” by someone you’re not interested in.
Not only might this make you feel uncomfortable, but you also find yourself confronted with having to compose an appropriate response.
So, how do take a firm stance without offending the person you’re speaking to? The most important thing is to be clear about the fact that you would rather they kept the tone of the conversation to a strictly friendship or professional level, and that you don’t see them as a romantic option.
Here are a few ways you could go about doing this.
11. Hey, I know that’s a commonly used jokey line, but it makes me kind of uncomfortable when you call me “good looking.” Maybe just use my name if you want to talk.
You could not be any more straightforward than this if you tried. By acknowledging that you know where the line comes from, you’re making sure the person you’re speaking to doesn’t come back at you with an explanation for why they said what they did.
Then, by saying it makes you uncomfortable to be called, “good looking,” and that you would prefer if they referred to you by your name, you’re drawing a clear line in that sand that illustrates how you would like to be treated and spoken to.
12. Really busy. Sorry, can’t talk!
The simplest way to get out of a conversation you don’t want to have is simply to say that you are too busy to have it.
There’s no shame in a little white lie if someone is making you feel uncomfortable.
13. Ooh, I don’t know how I feel about that line. Could we keep things strictly friendly between us, please?
If someone uses a cheesy pick-up line on you that you don’t appreciate, you can just say you don’t know how you feel about the question they’ve just asked you.
Follow this up by asking them to keep the nature of your relationship to a strictly friendship basis.
14. I think we might be on different pages about what this is. I only see us as friends.
A classic way to confront a situation in which there are mismatched feelings is to let the person you’re speaking to know that you think you are on different pages.
Making it clear that you only see them as a friend clarifies the nature of your relationship in no uncertain terms and makes any future line-crossings unacceptable.
15. Hey, I don’t think it’s really appropriate for you to message me a line like that. Could we keep things professional, please?
One of the only thing worse than someone you aren’t into messaging you something flirtatious, is when that person is someone you have to have regular contact with in a professional context.
In these cases, the best thing to do is simply to ask them to keep it professional. If it becomes a recurring problem, feel free to take it up with the appropriate person at your place of work.
In the same way as it is awkward to respond to “I love you” when you don’t feel the same, it is uncomfortable to have to fend off advances from someone you are not at all interested in.
16. Sorry, I’d prefer if we kept our conversations to the professional channels.
Sometimes, people manage to source your personal contact information––whether it is a social media profile or your phone number––without you having given it to them. This can often happen with work colleagues.
If someone you know from a professional context sends you a flirty pick-up line like “What’s cooking, good looking?”, simply let them know you’d like to keep communication to work channels.
17. Hey there, I just want to make sure you know that I’m not interested in pursuing anything beyond a friendship. But my day has been good. How are you?
When someone you aren’t interested in messages you a funny line like “What’s cooking, good looking?”, it can be tricky to tell whether they are just saying it to be humorous or whether they are flirting.
Platonic friends might often send each other this as a silly opener. So, what do you do if someone you don’t see as anything more than a friend texts you this line?
Well, the easiest way around the problem of having to figure out exactly how they meant this is just to lay your cards on the table and be clear about where you stand.
If you don’t want anything beyond a friendship, say this. Be concise and to the point. Then, say that your day has been good and ask them how they are.
How to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?” from a long-term partner
Another situation in which someone might use the line, “What’s cooking, good looking?” in a humorous way is if they are your long-term companion.
Instead of just a basic, “How was your day?” they might be trying to get you to laugh by asking you a far sillier version of this question.
The best way to respond in this situation is to keep the humorous tone of the conversation going and to do your best to meet their good mood.
Also be aware however, that if you are the one doing the cooking, your partner probably wants to know what’s on the menu for tonight.
18. Aw, look at you, breaking out the cheesy lines. Just picked up the kids. I’m thinking frozen pizzas. Any special requests?
If you know that your partner probably interprets the question they’re asking you literally, ask them whether they have any special food requests.
Tell them what you’re up to and what you’re thinking regarding dinner plans. You can also acknowledge their funny line to make sure they don’t feel like you aren’t paying attention.
19. Haha, does that mean you’re hungry? Or are you really wondering how I am?
You may be unsure whether your significant other is asking what they’re asking literally or in a more figurative sense.
If this is the case, you can just ask them what it is that they want to know for you. Do they want to know whether you’re down to make dinner, or are they asking you how your day has been?
Who knows, they may even just have picked up on the fact that you haven’t been in a great mood and taken it upon themselves to figure out things to say over text when their girlfriend is sad.
20. Just got a cute text from my fiancé, you?
If you want to take this opportunity to have a sweet moment with your partner, answer the question as though they are simply asking you what you’re doing. Then tell them you just received a cute text and ask them what they’re up to.
21. Ooh, good timing. I’m just in the supermarket. What do you want for dinner?
When you know someone well enough, you know what times of the day their mind becomes consumed by thoughts of food.
If your partner texts in the late afternoon asking you what you’re doing––and especially if they do this while also referencing cooking––there’s a good chance they want to know whether you have made a plan for dinner yet.
If you happen to be in the process of planning the meal, why not tell them what you’re doing and include them in the process!
Science shows that making decisions a couple brings people closer, so use their funny line as an opportunity to make real relationship progress.
22. Nothing particularly interesting. Sitting at home watching TV. No cooking involved. You?
If you aren’t up to much and aren’t doing anything related to food, just answer the question as though it were a simple, “What’s up?”
Tell your partner you aren’t doing anything interesting and, to be funny and acknowledge their joke, let them know you aren’t doing any cooking. Then, to keep the conversation going, ask they how they are.
23. Haha where did you hear that one? I didn’t even know people still said that.
If you and your partner are good at poking fun at one another, you can call out their use of this particularly cheesy line.
By saying you didn’t even know people said still said, “What’s cooking, good looking?”, you make a funny point about their use an old-fashioned phrase.
24. Oh, cringe. Who are you?
If you are not here for anything overly sentimental or soppy, you could just respond with a quick text that makes it abundantly clear what you think of your partner’s opener.
Saying it made you cringe and then asking who they are gets across the point that they might want to opt for a more down-to-earth version of “How are you?” next time around.
25. Well, that’s an interesting one from you. You must be in a good mood to be asking me such a sappy question.
If your partner is typically more of a somber kind of person and yet they are suddenly breaking out lines like, “What’s cooking, good looking?”, it’s safe to assume they’re probably having a pretty good day.
A good response in this case is to tell them you assume they must be in a good mood to be asking you something so corny.
26. Oooh my sweet, you’ll be glad to hear it’s something as cheesy as that question.
If you actually happen to be cooking something that contains a lot of cheese when your partner messages you this question, why not use it as an opportunity to make a joke of your own?
You can tell your partner that what you’re cooking is as cheesy as the line they just fed you. Now that’s a mouthwatering text to receive!
They’ll also appreciate the lovely tone of your message, and will have to think about ways to respond when someone calls you sweet.
How to respond to “What’s cooking, good looking?” from a friend
Because the line, “What’s cooking, good looking?” is so obviously cheesy, it is often one that friends use on each other as part of a joke.
It is certainly among the most useless collection of pick-up lines out there.
However, if you weren’t originally familiar with the line, you might be confused about what your friend is saying and unsure about how to respond.
Here are a few ways you could go about it.
27. Oooh girl, not too much, just cooking up some plans for our Saturday evening. What are you feeling?
If a good friend texts you asking, “What’s cooking, good looking?” they are probably wondering what you’re up to and wanting to make plans to meet up.
Respond with a funny “Oooh girl,” (or of course, a male equivalent phrase) and tell them you’re cooking up some plans for what to do the next time you hang out.
28. Well, since you asked, I’m getting all dolled up for our friends’ date tonight! Can’t wait to hit the town.
Your friend might ask you, “What’s cooking, good looking?” in advance of plans that you have for that night.
If they do, let them know you’re getting ready and that you’re looking forward to going out.
29. Omg, I’m so bored. Nothing cooking. You?
If you have no plans at all and are just sitting at home trying to decide what to do, you might be relieved to see a text from your friend asking what you’re up to.
Presumably, once you’re responded that you have “nothing cooking,” they’ll suggest getting together to do something.
30. Oh goodness, I hope you don’t say that to anyone else but me!
If you want to make fun of your friend for their use of this corny question, you can say that you hope they don’t say this line to other people!
If you two have a similar sense of humor, they’ll appreciate the gentle ribbing and give back as good as they got.
31. Ooh, well I just got a text from my bestie, so I’m buzzing. What are you doing now?
This is a cute way to respond to any text from a good friend asking you how you’re doing or what you’re up to.
It is also a good way to introduce the possibility of making plans.
If your best friend (or a good friend!) texts you, “What’s cooking, good looking?”, you can tell them you just got a text from a dear friend and are happy about it. Then ask them what they’re doing as a way to lead into making plans to get together.
Hey, it’s me, Steven. Dating and relationships have always fascinated me. On Dategosu, you will find my best tips to make sure your next date is a great success!