gettin’ jiggy with it … music in the kitchen

Just before Christmas, I stopped by a favorite restaurant to visit friends and drop off some Christmas cookies.  I was immediately struck by the buzz of a busy restaurant kitchen, a few hours before service.  It’s a buzz that I love, am in awe of and miss sometimes.  CCR (that would be Credence Clearwater Revival, Mom) was blaring in the background while the chef was efficiently breaking down a pig, humming.  The sous chefs were working through their prep lists, keeping an eye on three things at once while singing along.  The energy was high, the vibe was comfortable and easy, laughter was frequent and it was a great place to be.  I miss working in a restaurant kitchen sometimes; that energy and camaraderie while getting ready for service.  As I drove away, I realized I was humming “Run Through the Jungle” and started thinking about how music can really help to set a mood.  Then I looked down at the massive pig leg, aka fresh ham, in the passenger seat and laughed out loud.  But that’s another story for another time.

It’s funny how music can set the tone and overall feeling in room.  It can change your mood instantly.  There are all kinds of studies out there that prove this, but I’m too lazy to look up what I already know.  I can be in the foulest of foul moods but if I throw some P-funk on the iPod, everything immediately changes; I start to smile and before I know it, I’m doing the ‘ol shuffle-butt across the floor.  Yes, I dance in my kitchen.  Frequently.  There’s a lot of good energy going into my baking.

kitchen frenzy

I later had a funny discussion with some friends about what we listen to when we cook or bake.  So what do I bake to?  Well, it has everything to do with what I’m making.  Having just surfaced from a major cookie baking bender, I mentioned this peculiarity.  A friend recommended heavy metal but I had to disagree.  The beat is all wrong for cookie baking.  Head banging throws off my rhythm and hence my baking mojo gets out of whack.  For me it’s all about the beat.  Booty shakin’ is key on this one and I just don’t see metal as something you shake the booty to.  That said, classic rap/hip-hop or soul/funk is where it’s at and more than delivers when I’m knee-deep in butter, sugar, flour and facing a time crunch.  Gotta keep it movin’!

With my laptop in the kitchen the options are limitless:  iTunes, a slew of podcasts, Pandora Radio.  Literally tens upon tens of thousands of choices to tailor to my project of the day.  So what goes with what?  Generally, in my world, it goes a little something like this…

I'm...the...king...of...rock........

Mass production/cookie baking = rap/hip-hop.  Booty shakin’ commence!  Once in a while I find myself in the midst of a large intense baking project and the key is to keep it moving along steadily.  I need music that keeps me going and one of my favorites is classic rap/hip-hop like Run DMC.  I set my laptop up in a corner of the kitchen, open up Pandora and type in something like “My Adidas.”  Hours and hours of music that makes me laugh and keeps those cookies moving.  LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre or a little Biggie Smalls can keep me going for days.  A friend turned me on to Jaydiohead not long ago and I listened to it over and over this holiday season.  (Not familiar?  It’s a hoot- JayZ & Radiohead.)  When that gets old, I dial into some soul/funk and really work it… Parliament, Gap Band, James Brown and the like.  Oh yeeeeaaaahhh.  This puts me in a great mood like nothing else.

oh, love and happiness

 

Canning and hot summer projects = smooth soul.  The kitchen is hot, the pot is bubbling away with fruity lava and I need some cool smooth tunes.  Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, a touch of Luther.  I sing along at the top of my lungs, dance about in my sticky apron, wave my canning tongs in the air while listening for the telltale pings of the sealing jars. Oh my poor neighbors.

... don't go on me ...

Making/kneading bread = classic grunge perhaps some metal. I tell you nothing is better to knead bread to than some Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden or even some good old Metallica.  Yes, this is where that metal rage works.  You can really beat out some frustrations with a good dough and some nice hard-driving tunes.  And it has to be LOUD.  Ear splitting loud is great for gluten development I’m told.

...keep your big mouth shut ...

 

Cake decorating = female empowerment kind of tunes. I am woman, hear me roar.  Oh and watch me decorate this cake too.  I don’t know why but when I have to sit with a steady hand and clear focus, I need a woman’s voice.  Aretha is always good.  Early Liz Phair I’ll take.  Annie Lenox absolutely.  Billie Holiday, Joplin, Mary J and Beyonce.  The genre or even the decade doesn’t always matter so much as the voice.  I can get lost in those voices.  When you’re trying to pipe row upon row of perfectly matching curlicue things, getting lost is a good thing.

Smarty McSmarty Pants

 

When I’m feeling stupid = NPR podcasts. I listen to a lot of NPR  and other podcasts. There are some fascinating things buried in the iTunes archives.  Someday this treasure trove of useless information I’ve collected is going to come in handy.  I just know it.  When I’m in the mood for food related stuff, I catch up on “Splendid Table“, KCRW’s “Good Food” and sometimes “The Restaurant Guys” though their sound quality drives me batty and the promotional spots are terrible.  Seriously guys, upgrade.  NPR’s “Fresh Air“, “This American Life” and “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” are always enlightening and entertaining and I like to think that someday, I’ll have Carl Castle’s voice on my own home answering machine.  Someday.  When I really feel like geeking out, I can blow throw a whole string of “Stuff You Should Know” and “Stuff Mom Never Told You” in an afternoon.  You can learn A LOT from these folks.  Where else would I learn such terribly useful information like how castles work, Tourette’s, ninjas, diversity in ballet, voodoo, Bhutan’s gross national happiness, the Obama healthcare plan (in 4 parts!), female superheroes, ticks and why women carry handbags? Good stuff!  (These are my go-to’s for long drives as well.)  And let’s not forget there’s always “Car Talk” where more than once I’ve correctly guessed what is wrong with a caller’s car (yet routinely run out of washer fluid in my own vehicle) and “Sound Opinions” where I scribble notes about bands I should listen to (but never do.)  If it’s a Saturday morning, I’ll actually turn the radio to the local NPR station and listen to my string live – Car Talk, Wait Wait, Sound Opinions then This American Life – all in a row.  Four hours of fun!

And when that’s not enough?  Well I go over to my friend Amanda’s, who has hundreds of thousands of music tracks and we have what we call “Dance Party USA”.  We pick a genre, say 70’s funk, 80’s rock or classic rap, and start going through the lists.  We sing as loud as we can, always amazed that we each know the words, laugh hysterically and dance around like jackasses.  It’s great great fun and I usually leave exhausted, sore, in dire need of a nap but clutching a new CD in my grubby little fingers to play in my own kitchen.

So what do you listen to when you cook or bake?  Let me know – I’m rather intrigued by this subject.

STRESS BAKING THERAPY FACTOR:  ENORMOUS!!! Do you even realize how great it is to crank some tunes while you’re cooking?  Fantastic!  Want to increase the good feelings?  Sing and sing it loud and proud.  Need a little more good cheer?  Dance.  Dance like a jackass.  Dance like no one is watching.  Master the spatula spin, conquer the twirling pan flip.  Guaranteed to decrease your stress ratio, lower your blood pressure and get you more friends.  Well, I don’t really know that but I’m sure it’s true.