The context for this question is from a conversation text. (みんなの日本語中級I第４課）The speaker is leaving a voice message:
……今日ね、急な仕事が入っちゃって、遅くなりそうなの。晩ご飯、先に食べといて。じゃね。
といて here is just short for ておいて, but what exactly does ておく mean in 食べといて? Does it in some sense imply preparing for something? What (nuanced) difference does it make if the speaker said 「先に食べて」instead of 「先に食べといて」?
