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Today, we find out what some of New York’s hottest chefs listen to while they cook. And, New York Times food writer Jeff Gordinier and chef Jesse Schenker of the West Village restaurant Recette explain the role that music plays in menus, dining areas, and even hiring. Plus, we ask you for your kitchen and dining room soundtracks.

This week, Soundcheck explores how music inspires today's hottest chefs. Listen to the irrepressible June LeBell as she chats with the grand dame of French cooking in America, Julia Child. Ms. Child does not like music at parties (preferring to let conversation flow), but she does like to cook to music --on LP, confessing that she still does not have "a CD thing" yet.

If you're the sort of person who thinks nothing of a midnight turn on the dance floor, you can handle mixing up a simple dough or cracking a couple of eggs while the moon sets sail across the sky. Then, when morning comes, flip on the oven or stovetop, and sip your coffee smugly while breakfast essentially makes itself.

Once upon a time, tacos were a Mexican snack. Now they're an all-American institution. Gustavo Arellano leads us across Southern California in search of the roots of the American taco.

Farmer Perry Hack of Two Guys From Woodbridge talks about growing and using watercress. Try ABC Kitchen's recipe for Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Sweet and Spicy Sauce, which is garnished with red watercress.

Fast-food items in the U.S. are much saltier than the same items in Europe, according to new research. France and the United Kingdom had the least salty food overall.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and stay away from the Studio 4 hot seat. My guest this week on Last Chance Foods, Jacques Gautier, clearly loves standing over a hot stove in August. He's super-relaxed during his lightning round of questions. So much so, he finishes the Stir Fry in under 60 seconds.

Chef Jacques Gautier of the restaurant Palo Santo talks about growing and using green garlic, a young, aromatic incarnation of regular garlic. Try his recipe for chimichuri sauce. 

Garbage is a natural extension of our consumption of food. There's waste throughout the process and not just at the end. 

And yet, I was still surprised when I came upon a web site about making a garbage truck cupcake topper.

Soon Brooklyn residents will be able to look up to see the source of their locally-grown organic vegetables. The Manhattan-based Bright Farms is building a 100,000-square foot greenhouse on the roof of a massive warehouse in Sunset Park.

Quinoa has become an incredibly popular food in recent years, with prices for the whole grain tripling in the last five years. On today’s Underreported, Time writer Jean Friedman-Rudovksy talks about how the exploding market for quinoa has also created problems, including land disputes in Bolivia and environmental issues.

Some Orthodox rabbis say that if you're keeping to the spiritual interpretation of what is kosher, you've got to get the bugs out of your vegetables.

A study of schools throughout the city of Chicago has found that detention and suspension rates increase towards the end of each month and sharply decrease at the beginning of the next. The main culprit, they believe, may be the students' diets. The study links the behavior with spending patterns associated to the national food-stamp program, SNAP. Lisa Gennetian, managing director of the behavioral economics research think tank Ideas42, thinks it's time for a change.

Small dairy farmers and ex-cons don't make natural allies. But a non-profit group, Milk Not Jails, is hoping they can forge a new urban-rural relationship in New York state based on food rather than incarceration.

Peter Meehan, the editor of Lucky Peach and co-author of the Momofuku cookbook, says Tokyo's cuisine is unknowable, compared to New York City's.  I think I know why.

Back in 2009, Jon Reiner was feeling as healthy as he ever had. Jon has Crohn's disease--an autoimmune condition that affects his gastrointestinal system--but it had been in remission for a year. He was eating like a horse and felt terrific. But then one afternoon, a strange and ferocious pain ...

There are a number of happenings in the Tri-State area that mark the Titanic centennial. Among our favorites: meals recreating White Star Line menus, plays based on ship survivor testimonials and artifact exhibitions. Here's a shortlist of goings-on.

Cochineal is a red dye made from a crushed insect native to Latin America. Some vegetarians are distressed that Starbucks uses the dye in some of its pink-colored food and beverages.

Food writer Peter Meehan discusses monosodium glutamate's relation to umami and explains the origins of the term "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." Also, try a recipe for David Chang's natural glutamate–laden Bacon Dashi with Potatoes and Clams.

Artisanal pickling is the source of serious articles on the economy and easy punchlines. Veteran pickle maker Rick Field of Rick's Picks talks about why the practice has taken off in recent years. Also, see what all the fuss is about by trying his Pickled Rhubarb recipe.