Music while Cooking? Music while Dining?

[John in Covina]

Do any of my fellow Loungers indulge in music while cooking? If I am making a big batch of food such as yesterdays red chili con carne or spaghetti sauce or a meal that takes some preparation and such I find that music seems to helps smooth out the actions and calm the disasterous spills and such.

A favorite of mine is an old CD from 1993 called "Music to Dine By" untitled tracks from the PBS series Great Chefs, such as Great Chefs of the Southwest, Chicago, etc. It's accoustic guitar music from the Charlie Byrd Trio and was great while watching those chefs prepare all that wonderful food which puts me a good cooking frame of mind. It really should be titled Music to Cook By!

When cooking Italian I also like to pop in "Hey Paisano!" Dino, Frank or a little Louis Prima for setting the mood. Christmas makes for Christmas music. Outdoors may find us doing the "Blues, Brews and Barbeques" routine.

As for Dining - I usually continue in the theme started with cooking, and move on to Ottmar Leibert's "Nuevo Flamenco" for accoustic guitar. I gave my friend a copy of the single cd Frank Sinatra's Reprise Years and that gets played often as the background music for the special dinners.

Music does so much for setting mood that cooking and dining benefit often from some good background tunes. That it's part of what makes a special occassion for me, how about you?

 

[High Pockets]

Music, drink and cooking,.....every time!

There's nothing quite like preparing a great Italian meal while sipping a nice imported Chianti and listening to Louis Prima, Perry Como, Lou Monte, or Dean Martin.
:eusa_clap Luna Mezza Mare:eusa_clap


Irish dinner prep requires several Irish ales while listening to the likes of anything ranging from Liam Clancy to the Pogues!

 

[guellimus]

If I'm grilling out, especially a steak or burgers, I'll crank up some good rock n' roll, like Foreigner, Doobie Brothers, Charlie Daniels, etc.

If it's something a little nicer or for a date, like salmon, I'll put on some of Frank, Dean & Sammy.

 

[kamikat]

To be honest, my cooking and dinning music is usually KMFDM or Rammstein. I'm a stay-at-home mom, therefore cooking is part of my job. While I am very good at it, I hate to do it. I need heart thumping, adrenaline pumping music in order to cook. As for playing it while dinning, well, it's my and my husband's preferred style of music, so it's generally playing all the time. My kids love it, too, have since they were little.

 

[Spitfire]

Music while I am cooking - Are you nuts? i want to be able to hear the tomatoes scream while I thow' em in to the frying pan.lol

It's quite another thing while dining. Some nice classic music to set the mood. Iatlian opera maybe. Or jazz...Dave Brubeck, Ben Webster, Colemann Hawkins, Sonny Rollins. Those cats never fails.

 

[randooch]

I recommend Pandora.com

Depending upon what you're cooking, your mood calls for a plethora of musical styles, which is what Pandora is great for. My latest favorite is the Hawaiian music mix they provide; unbelievable slack-key guitar numbers!

 

[JennyLou]

I believe music makes most things better, especially cooking. When I cook I like to put on my apron and usually set my ipod on jazz or ocassionally ska and reggae. I especially like swing songs I can sing along with.

 

[goldendawn7]

Ottmar Liebert is what I play in the summer when Im grilling or making Paella. The Verve Remix albums are great to cook (and live) with. I highly recommend anyone and everyone acquire the 4 cd set with companion cds. Mushroom Jazz is another good compilation to cook to. When dining out, I think jazz/acid lounge is a little played out. When I eat at Babbo in NYC, they are always playing an eclectic mix of rock and blues. Ill never forget the last time I ate there, drunk on the sommeliers wine pairings, several course meal, and Led Zepplin's 'Kashmir' seeming to build in intensity in perfect tandem with my state of inebriation.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

I tend to make Breakfast to Dave Rose's "The Stripper".

[YOUTUBE]<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mXv8WW3Wjvw&hl=en&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mXv8WW3Wjvw&hl=en&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Also "In The Mood" is excellent to make pancakes to.

 

[rkwilker]

We often eat meals with music in the background. I find that it enhances the experience. When grilling by the pool, music is mandatory.

 

[dnjan]

Not so much with meal prep (my wife has a small TV in the kitchen and watches the news), but we have had a family tradition for years of alternating around the table with respect to who gets to choose the music that plays during dinner.
Now that both kids are off to college there doesn't seem to be as much variety ...

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Well, I have this unusual idea that my life should have come with a sound track... So, I basically feel that I need some sort of "theme" music no matter what activity I am performing. But, music definitely makes me a happier cook and the food probably tastes just a little better if there is ambient music while dining!

 

[tortswon]

Irish dinner prep requires several Irish ales while listening to the likes of anything ranging from Liam Clancy to the Pogues!

Only heaven knows what would come out of my kitchen after several Irish ales and Shane McGowan warbling in the background. I'm going to find out on the next cold, rainy Sunday! Best, Sam

 

[Wally_Hood]

Not cooking or dining, but when cleaning up the kitchen I frequently enjoy music with the mpg3 player and earplugs. Sort of a whistle while you work variation.

 

[Foofoogal]

Well, I have this unusual idea that my life should have come with a sound track... So, I basically feel that I need some sort of "theme" music no matter what activity I am performing. But, music definitely makes me a happier cook and the food probably tastes just a little better if there is ambient music while dining!
__________________

most definitely. I cannot even imagine a world without music.
I get aggravated if we go to say a Mexican restaurant and or Chinese restaurant and the appropriate music is not playing. Atmosphere is everything to a meal to me or almost.
One of the regular restaurants we used to go to till we moved was a Mexican one that had a strolling mariachi band on a certain night. Very festive and it helps you feel you get your moneys worth.
I have also gone to a new Chinese restaurant with no music at all. It didn't last 3 months and I think it was no music included.

I consistently have the 1940s music running at home or Christian or waltzes or bluegrass.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

I completely agree with the restaurant and music thought. In fact, I made such a comment about a new Italian place here - and now they always have background music there - much better!

 

[John in Covina]

Live Mariachi Music makes me want Tequila a lot.

 

[High Pockets]

Glad I saw this thread again,......got left over meatballs I fixed for Heroes yesterday, so tonight it's Dino, Chianti and Puttanesca!

 

[M. Rick]

I get aggravated if we go to say a Mexican restaurant and or Chinese restaurant and the appropriate music is not playing. Atmosphere is everything to a meal to me or almost.

Agreed. I was at a restaurant on Federal Hill in Providence, a great place which has been running since the '30s, and they were piping in some sort of insipid smooth jazz. It depressed me. The place even had a picture of Sinatra in the atrium, for god's sake! The least they could do would be to play some of his music.

 

[Lancealot]

Well, I have this unusual idea that my life should have come with a sound track... So, I basically feel that I need some sort of "theme" music no matter what activity I am performing. But, music definitely makes me a happier cook and the food probably tastes just a little better if there is ambient music while dining!

I too feel life should have a soundtrack and tend to have music playing while I'm doing everything. I tend vary the music by the company and what I happen to be cooking but more often then not I find myself with big band playing on Pandora while I'm cooking.