Cooking to Music

This morning in preparation for Memorial Day weekend I decided to bake a cake – the nostalgic “Strawberry Poke Cake” featured in this month’s Cook’s Country magazine (it's mostly for my kids, I think -- we'll see how it turns out). One of the auxiliary benefits that comes with cooking, I find, is that it affords me the opportunity to listen to music, cranked to high volume, that I can’t normally listen to while working at home – too distracting, I find (though while at the computer I usually have WFMT on, quietly, in the background). So while mixing and pouring I bopped around to my “Pure Funk” collection (“Car Wash,” “Brick House,” etc. – yes, I’m pretty old). All this made me wonder – do other folks like to listen to music while cooking? Do you vary your selections based on what you are preparing? Do you listen to different music when you’re cooking alone than when you have help? Any other music/cooking thoughts?

Toni,

Yea verily! I love to listen to music when cooking and on all occasions that food preparations are relatively long, I do so. The choice often involves some sort of connexion between cuisine involved and nature of the music, so ethno-linguistic/cuisine pairings are especially common. What could be better than singing along with rembetiko while making mezedes or belting out Neapolitan classics with Murolo while kneading dough? My 'world' music collection in quite extensive and has grown over the past three decades in part to help fuel the cooking flames...

And yes, cranking the volume is appropriate (something I otherwise don't much do anymore)...

Good to know I'm not alone in this...

A

I'm with you guys, but just as important is music for cleaning up. The music that I like best for getting the lead out and the dishes cleaned up is XM 94 - Caliente: fast salsa/rumba music from Cuba, PR, DR, Miami, etc. Effective, but a not pretty sight in my case when I get moving.

Bill/SFNM

Antonius wrote:The choice often involves some sort of connexion between cuisine involved and nature of the music, so ethno-linguistic/cuisine pairings are especially common.

Yes, when my youngest daughter and I make our marinara sauce, I like to have Frank on in the background...seems to make for a better sauce.

I always listen to music while cooking. It varies by mood, but Sunday breakfast is usually prepared to dub/reggae. The relaxing and repetitive rhythms help me start the day. Lately, I have been listening to The Body, The Blood, The Machine by The Thermals quite a bit while preparing dinner. I find anthemic stuff works best for me when a lot of prep work is involved.

Cranking up Professor Longhair or C.C. Adcock is always good for cooking up a bucket of gumbo.

Regularly to the Clash, Sex Pistols, Wilco, Son Volt, Hendrix, it's just got to be somewhat loud and have a beat.

ToniG made the right call with da funk. I like cooking on the '1'. There's nothing like chopping onions to Parliament, Cameo, Con Funk Shun or the Ohio Players.

Give me some Gene Ammons, Dizzy, Mose Allison, King Pleasure, Post War Baby Boom ...

Kenny Burrell. Miles Davis. It keeps me focused when I have a lot of dishes going on at the same time.

once during an interview i was asked what the most important piece of equipment was in my kitchen. i'm certain they were expecting something like robot coupe or tongs. the cd player was my answer. and if marvin's on the box, turn it up. or as mentioned earlier, king pleasure probably my all time favorite singer, his version of moody's mood for love is the most listened to song in my collection. don't know him? i'd be glad to burn it for anyone interested.

i actually d j from the expo station from my laptop. i literally have a subwoofer and speakers on the metro shelving next to me. depending on time of day or how crazy it gets, it could be old r&b, followed by latin or brazilian (in the heat of the nite) and then chill out w/miles or trane. i know some chef's would frown upon that, and i understand their reasoning. but i don't agree and they are my kitchens to do as i please. think workout tape like when you're exercising. you can actually subliminally influence people by the groove. last pm we heard the sexual healing sessions (out takes), the newest al green, new bebel gilberto, a mix tape from miami, cubanisimo and the brazilian girls.

another thing i feel very strongly about is how similar in so many ways, music is to food. or for that matter, all of the arts. one reason i coined my personal term "jazzfood" which to me means "solid technique based upon tasteful improvisational skills". they come from the same place... @ least in my mind.