There are very few things my mom and I absolutely need when we’re in the kitchen. First and foremost, we’d need the perfect recipe, second would be quality ingredients, third a glass of wine (obviously), and the fourth would be some great cooking playlists to go along with the theme of the night.
During select times of the year – Christmas and Halloween especially – we gravitate toward seasonal music that adds to the excitement of the upcoming holidays, but for every day in between, playlists that inspire and motivate us do the trick!
These playlists and albums have been curated over years and years of kitchen-use and they each have a story to tell. We hope they provide some new and unexpected listening options for you (and that you might end up loving them as much as we do!).
Before we get into our list, though, we have to mention our must-have, can’t-live-without speaker system, the Google Nest Hub Max. This is by far the best speaker we’ve ever used, hands down. My mom swears by it! The sound is amazing and it’s incredibly multi-purpose (plus, super easy if you’re not tech-savvy). It’s a home-chef’s digital right-hand-man.
If you want to find more original cooking, easy-listening playlists, feel free to follow me on Spotify: @tdonelon
Julie & Julia
After discovering that I had never seen Julie & Julia before (or even knew who Julia Child was in the first place), my mom ran to grab some popcorn after dinner so we could sit down and watch it. If you haven’t seen it before, the movie is incredibly inspiring and shows you to never give up after you get knocked down – especially in the kitchen. 10/10 movie…but easily a 20/10 soundtrack! I’m a big fan of testing new recipes while listening to this, and I have a feeling you will be too. It makes you feel like you’re right in the heart of Julia’s kitchen, which, who wouldn’t want to be there?
Something’s Gotta Give
If there ever came a point where my mom and were told we could only listen to one album for the rest of our lives…without debate, it would be this one. Something’s Gotta Give is everything you’d want a rom-com meets *i want my life to look like this* movie to be. Beachy, hilarious, and fun…the film paints the perfect picture for life by the shore (with great food curated in a picture perfect kitchen, of course). The album is french and jazzy, all at the same time. Perfect for any meal you’d be putting together, especially one that might be a bit more adventurous since this playlist is wildly motivating!
Italian Friday Nights
Created by yours truly, this playlist hits all the right notes (no pun intended) when it comes to the perfect Italian evening. It’s hard to go wrong with Italian music, especially while cooking. I can’t spoil too much, because we have some great posts coming about all things pasta/pizza creation…but when we do that, this is our must-listen. There’s something to say for a good round of Papa Loves Mambo while desperately trying to roll out that perfect ball of dough. I might sound a little sarcastic there, but I’m being honest when I say it makes even the most stressful situation in the kitchen so much more fun! (red wine is the drink of choice, of course)
Under the Tuscan Sun
If you wouldn’t consider this a foodie movie, you’d partially be right…at first. What drew us to adding this playlist into our prestigious group of cooking soundtracks was a bit of a combination of things. One, the Italian culture and that adorable little house she was fixing up, two, the landscape, and three, the scene where she is serving course after course of amazing food to the men helping her with her home. Needless to say, it’s more laid back and relaxed than the others, so if that’s what your mood of the night is calling for, you’re in luck! Just be prepared to feel tons of warm, homey feelings from this one.
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