Why You Won't Find an MP3 Player in My Kitchen

In our home we have all sorts of ways to listen to music, and although most folks opt for a MP3 player in the kitchen due to its small size, I stay as far away as possible. I stick exclusively to records and not because I'm some indie hipster snob.

Most of us will agree that music in the kitchen is a necessity. It helps us put a little extra love into things and it's far more entertaining to roll out sheets of pasta to a little Ke$ha (don't judge). But when it comes to cooking, you also always have to expect the unexpected. No matter how seasoned of a cook you are, there is always some small disaster waiting to happen. It's all too easy for something to boil over, drip, or have flour flung in every nook and cranny. Even the cleanest cooks know that a certain level of chaos is to be expected. MP3 players are expensive, the music which they contain is pricey, and no one wants to have a hiccup with their trusty tunes.

In my kitchen we listen exclusively to records because they're easy to handle. I can flip a record with wet hands, i can do dishes and skip a track without worry, and the process of choosing something to listen to when it comes to vinyl is different than it is with digital devices. You're picking an album, plus a side of which to listen to as you look for inspiration. It's all too easy to turn on your iPod to the same thing you always do, but with records that interaction is slightly different and I have a hunch that it helps make me a better cook, turning out better food.

What do you listen to in your kitchen? Share your musical setup in the comments below!

(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (19)

This is funny! We exclusively listen to vinyl in our listening room/home theater area. I wouldn't dare store my beloved vinyl anywhere near the kitchen I lovingly destroy with food and messes. I actually listen to my iPod connected to an old tabletop stereo we keep in our kitchen when I'm cooking. We store it on a small adjustable height table on wheels, so when we don't want to look at it, we put it in a closet, and when we do want it, we can easily move it anywhere. All of my music on my iPod is safely backed up on my computer/iCloud, so I have no worry about losing my music. I'd have to replace my iPod, but I luckily have an iPhone that can suffice...doesn't hold as much music at one time, but I *think* I'll be able to get by if it happens. :) For vinyl, I just can't imagine doing anything else while listening. To me, there is a lot more going on to pay attention to, and as a musician, I'd get distracted by vinyl while cooking. I can picture myself losing count of cups of flour very easily... :)

We have all of our music and photos on a computer in the corner of our kitchen. I am a huge fan of adventuring through iTunes extensive radio station collection when bored with my own music (and can always find appropriate dinner music from the international stations). The screen saver flips constantly through our photos, so we get the added bonus of a constant slide show.

I don't have to handle vinyl or anything else.

I have an under-cabinet mounted iPod dock with a retractable drawer, that was specifically designed for kitchen use. The buttons are "waterproof" as is the remote - which even has a magnet on the back so you can store it on your fridge. An old iPod mini -that no longer works off the battery- lives in the unit permanently. I have hours of music without handling anything and the unit even has a timer function.

How much was this wondrous piece of technology? $16 on closeout, online! Less than the cost of a charging dock!

ha... Ke$ha.... She's is a staple on all of our playlists (says two adult professionals) ...so no judging from us!

"MP3 players are expensive, the music which they contain is pricey, and no one wants to have a hiccup with their trusty tunes."

Really? You can buy a cheap MP3 player for kitchen use only that holds hundreds of tracks for about $10. The music lives on your computer as well as the MP3 player, so there's no reason to worry about losing that.

You proclaim yourself as not being a hipster which has become hipster'd as of late, therefore, you are a hipster.

Yeah, I really don't get this at all. MP3 players are cheap these days, and everything's backed up on my computer. My records would be a whole lot harder to replace.

I love vinyl but unless someone else is in the house ready to flip the record or lift the needle I prefer to avoid it during cooking. I find that I get so immersed in the cooking process that I never find my way back over to the record player and I end up cooking in silence...with the needle skimming over and over the center of the record. Then I get told how it's wasteful (wears out the needle quicker, wastes electricity, etc.) to let the record go like that.

So instead, I tune to the radio, stream something, or play something from my old iPod. I think part of my enjoyment with records is the attention it requires and I like how it focuses my attention on the experience of listening to music. For me, cooking and vinyl don’t mix for that reason.

I just listen to *a certain internet radio station* on my phone. I tend to do that with most of my household chores. I can put it in my pocket and have music wherever!

Just admit you prefer the old school ways, K?

You can load your own cds on your mp3 and back those up. So your music is not "lost" should a kitchen mishap happen. Can't say the same for your vintage vinyl.

Many speakers come with a remote control so you never have to touch the player and even if you do you're not touching moving parts, likely just a touch screen so its not as precious as you may think.

So sorry, I do think you are a indie hipster snob, but I also don't think there's anything wrong with that. Own it!!

I have over 65 gigs of music. The vinyl equivalent wouldn't fit in my house, let alone my kitchen.

The thought of flipping a record with even remotely damp hands is laughable!
But I find the memo repeat button on my Technics very handy.

i don't keep my vinyl in the kitchen but my house is so small and the speakers so loud that listening to records whilst cooking is the go-to method. Plus, the extra steps of physically picking out an album and putting it on helps me set the stage for my cooking. And certainly when enjoying dinner, there is a romance to putting on a record that picking out a playlist just lacks.

"I stick exclusively to records and not because I'm some indie hipster snob."
That's exactly what an indie hipster snob would say!
(joking, joking)

I'm with @airexurb. I'm usually a Pandora person when I'm cooking.

I think it really depends on what you're doing. I'd say that vinyl player has a very classy and romantic feel. So say you're cooking dinner with your significant other, I think the vinyl player would suit that situation. If you were cooking for the family, or something where you're trying to mass produce something, an mp3 player would be better. Flipping through vinyls I think has its own experience than scrolling through a list of albums on a screen.

MP3 players are cheap, don't need to be flipped or changed frequently, can't be jostled or scratched and it's a lot easier to "skip a track" with them. Sounds like you are really a "indie hipster snob", but in denial.

I collect records and would rather cut my right thumb off than handle some of them with wet/soiled hands!!! Usually you have to flip or change a record every 15 mins or so... a bit inconvenient when trying to cook. Also, I have some rare records that are worth serious $ and would be much more devastated if something happened to those opposed to a mp3 player.

for me, i stick with the mp3s in the kitchen.

@J-chord -- that's funny! I feel exactly the same way about vinyl/romantic cooking! Glad to know I'm not alone.