Prepping dinner for that someone special… decided to put on a CD… pulled George Winston’s Autumn. Tell you what: a lot of passion went into that risotto.

Another one: Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert. Add some Nutella crepes for dessert and … Dah-um.

When I’m behind schedule, trying to do 50-11 things at once: Queen or Joan Armatrading.

Experimental, weeknight meals: Toni Childs. Her lyrics are complete and utter nonsense; yet, it allows me to be creative and throw in a bit of this or that. Heck! If she can sell millions of albums with this sh*t, I can cook a damned good meal!

What's your cooking “mood” music?

Bach and Vivaldi. Sometimes Verdi.

Louis Jordan.

I put together a medley of music from Iron Chef (the Japanese version). Most of it comes from the Backdraft soundtrack.

When I'm cooking Mexican--Lila Downs. If you haven't heard her, she's amazing. She's this generation's Yma Sumac, in terms of her vocal range--only Lila Downs is the real deal.

As a general rule, techno/dance music. I'm embarrassed to think that my next-door neighbors in Maryland might have seen me, uh, baking to Fatboy Slim. Other favorites are The Mavericks and David Gray.

Are you serious?

Me? "Shakin' All Over" from Live At Leeds, or something equally loud.

Fatboy Slim is, um, baking in Heaven.

Speaking of which, get me some live Dead a sharp knife and a cheap bottle of wine -- and get out of the way. I don't like folks talking when I'm gettin' my tunes on.

Are you on Food Network's payroll or something?

I cook best when the forces of randomness decide the music; there's a videos channel called International Music Feed that plays everything from English new rave to Japanese rap (and believe me, you can't get much more random than Japanese rap.) It works very well as singing wallpaper, and occasionally amuses the cats.

"My Generation" or "Heaven and Hell" on that CD work just as well.

I find that if I listen to music I enjoy, I get too distracted to execute superior (or sometimes even satisfactory ) meal preparation. Other than Christmas music while baking Christmas cookies, I tend not to have music on while I cook. If I want some kind of background noise, I put the tv on, but nothing I really want to pay attention to.

It's all about John Coltrane if I'm feeling civilized.

Usually, I go for something that I can sing along to like Early Pulp, New Order (namely Technique or Substance) or some MBV.

My massive collection of dance records, bootlegs and mixes also comes in handy while prepping for dinner parties, etc. I just like to throw something on, and GO! Faves include LTJ Bukem, Andy Weatherall's Nuphonic compilation or any of my FabricLive mixes.

Yes.

The smooth jazz stylings of Kenny G.

Do you emphasize the seasonal ingredients?

Not so much music as the dulcet sounds of Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus DVD, especially if I'm prepping and don't want the kids near the big knife. Otherwise, mellow stuff like Jack Johnson or Cephas & Wiggins.

Put me in the dance music camp...some Sasha and Digweed goes nicely or LTJ Bukem (nice one demandalicious!)

[goddamnit, where is the "puking rivers of festering blood" emoticon when you need it?]

Miles Davis/In a Silent Way, Billy Bragg and Wilco/Mermaid Avenue or anything by Calexico. When I get too into what's playing though, something breaks or burns. (:

Same here, also add Nick Warren and Satoshi Tomie

Memphis soul. The Stax catalogue.

I find that listening to Steve Cropper play guitar serves as an important reminder that less is sometimes (often? usually? always?) more, helpful to me when contemplating spice additions...

ditto, say, the horn charts on anything Otis ever did.

For grilling, it’s Willie Nelson. Italian food demands Pavarotti’s Tosca. When my wife is cooking country, it’s Emmylou Harris. If I’m roasting a duck without legs, “Hail to the Chief” is always in order.

Usually, I go for something that I can sing along to like Early Pulp, New Order (namely Technique or Substance) or some MBV.

I agree that MBV is good for creative concentration--I used to listen to them when I did high school art projects. Afghan Whigs and Tindersticks somehow get me into a cooking mood.

Oops, I meant to quote that first part, not present it as my own words. Not very technically skilled...

Nighthawks at the Diner-Tom Waits.

My lunatic chef/owner boss used to love to jam to Allmans & Jethro Tull.

Common exchange in the kitchen, mid-Saturday slammin' service:
Lou: "Hey! Do you know who Ian Anderson is?!?!"
Me: "Yeah, he's in Jethro Tull."
Lou: "No baby! He is Jethro Tull!"

I listen to any decent rock... but Bruce (check my screen name) is of course da best!

This

Ohhhhh, nice! If you're in to dance music at all, the VVO Remix Trilogy on Karmarouge is is f***ing sick.
My favorite is #2 with remixes from Villalobos and Luciano. YUM.

After Christmas, I hope to be listening to nothing but The Brit Box, while I cook/curl my hair/breathe/etc.

I like Earth, Wind, and Fire (in particular, Love's Holiday); D'Angelo; the Rolling Stones; and, Bruce (especially The Rising). Yep.

I've got it on pre-order although anything too shoe-gazey doesn't get me motivated. Most recently was chicken stock with Exile on Main Street, and I did a little baking in heaven with Fatboy Slim.

Sometimes music doesn't cut it for me, especially when I'm doing something repetitive that I don't have to concentrate on. I actually prefer listening to news and arts programming on NPR and CBC (thank you, Sirius satellite).

If I need something truly in the background, then I'll go with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, or Pat Metheny (special shout out to Legant for putting on Keith Jarrett's "Köln Concerts" - Jarrett and Chick Corea changed my musical tastes forever when I was 12).

And for some bizarre reason, when I BBQ, it has to be indie rock (the Weakerthans, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Wilco, etc).

I have XM in my kitchen, so it's usually the indie rock channels on all the time, but Thanksgiving was the Led Zeppelin channel (seriously, it's the only thing the station plays)

If the kids are cooking with me, it's usually The Dandy Warhols or Sufjan Stevens.

What - no metal fans? How can you possibly de-bone a chicken and NOT listen to Dissection, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse or Bloodbath? I mean, the instructions are right there in the lyrics!

I hadn't realized this before reading this thread, so I'm a little ashamed, but I do put on food to match what I'm cooking. All my comfort food gets Jimi Hendrix (either Ultimate Experience or Jimi Blues), ethnic gets M.I.A, and baking always requires Sepultura. I can not cream butter by hand without it.

I took apart a pork shoulder to some Darkest Hour yesterday. Very satisfying.

Buena Vista Social Club, Bossa Nova, or preferably something in the foreign-language genre. But no instrumental. Must be able to sing along.

I can't go that heavy because it annoys my wife and daughter, but Sevendust, SOAD, Downset, Ultraspank, Fugazi or old Soundgarden can usually get my knives flying!

B-52s: excellent for working pasta. Tori Amos, not so much.

Bang, bang, bang on the door, baby.

My new kitchen (I move in 12/27) has an open kitchen so I'm looking forward to being able to listen to music while I cook.

My speakers are in the main room and my kitchen is decidedly not-open. Solution? Turn up the music really loud. It still gets drowned out if the dishwasher or washer/dryer are running, but it works most of the time.

Monday was Mountain Goats day while I made pastrami.

There's nothing better than Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite for Christmas party prep. The Rat Pack Christmas Album is a close second.