Thought-provoking essay on eGullet about the best music to cook by, followed by spirited discussion, and a nod to this bizarre YouTube concoction. Reminded me and Tamara cranking the Zep recently, then pouring ourselves glasses of Lillet, and getting down to work.

But this was under the gaze of a video camera, so then, for syncing reasons, we had to do the whole thing again without sound. If you’ve never mimed rocking out to a classic guitar riff, I can tell you it’s a little awkward. I guess I just need to practice.

Putting on the music in the kitchen is Step One in getting into the mindset I like better than any other: getting ready for a Huge Party. I honestly like the getting-ready part much better than the party itself. Everything’s relatively calm, you can concentrate on one task and let your mind wander to later possibilities…

And you’ve usually got the place to yourself, or relatively, so you can blast (and sing along to) whatever music you like, which isn’t always the case at the party itself. That’s when all the loud guitar and rowdy lyrics and heartbreaking country twang comes out–you can get the party started right then and there, without having to go through the obligatory mellow-background-for-the-first-hour phase. Gang of Four, for instance, Loretta Lynn at volume loud enough to obscure my own terrible voice, Brian Eno…

One of the huge selling points of working at Prune was the top-volume David Bowie; one of the massive drawbacks of working at Dish was the mind-numbing top-40 radio (how many times can a body hear “It’s Your Birthday”?).

And then I hate it when I’m almost done cooking and I realize I never took the time to put on music–such a waste. Random play can produce pleasant surprises, but starting with a musical plan guarantees much better results.

Peter’s got “Freaks Come Out at Night” on right now, and dinner’s just done. Gotta rock and run…

UPDATE: Hey, the essay author is right: The Pretenders’ “Tattooed Love Boys” is a great song to cook to fast!