The food channel phenomenon has completely redefined how we experiment in the kitchen, effectively replacing the dusty old cookbook on the shelf. These videos are a feast for the senses, showcasing beautiful ingredients and expert technique. But truly compelling food content requires more than just stunning visuals. It also needs great sound.

A stunning, perfectly prepared dish demands a soundtrack that enhances the experience without distracting viewers or, worse, leading to demonetization due to copyright claims. We’ll show you exactly how to plate up the perfect background music to complement your culinary creations and, crucially, discuss the simplest way to legally secure your tracks.

Finding the perfect musical flavour profile

The music you choose should attempt to mirror the culinary action on screen. Think of the music accompaniment as another layer of flavour.

The first thing to consider is the tempo. If your video features fast-paced segments like chopping, whisking, sizzling, or time-lapse montages, choose upbeat and lively tracks. Funk, Intelligent Dance Music or uptempo Jazz can work well. This can help to build energy and excitement, reflecting the flurry of activity. Conversely, for slower, more reflective moments like introductions, careful plating, or the final tasting shot, opt for calming, mellow music, like soft acoustic Instrumentals or Lofi Hip Hop. This adds a layer of sophistication and focus, allowing the viewer to absorb the finished product.

Second, maintain a consistent vibe. Avoid jumping jarringly between genres. If your channel features a specific theme such as cozy, home-style recipes, try to find a musical style or genre that aligns with that ethos. For a channel like that you might want to focus on warm acoustic folk or country instruments. If you’re documenting high-end molecular gastronomy, elegant orchestral or ambient lounge tracks would be more appropriate. Having a consistency to your music helps build your brand’s identity and gives your content continuity.

Instrumental cooking

As a rule of thumb, you should choose instrumental music for the vast majority of your cooking video. Music with lyrics competes and distracts from your voiceover, recipe instructions, or the invaluable ASMR quality of the food cooking itself (the sizzle, the crunch, the gentle stirring). Genres like Lofi, Chillhop, and Lounge Jazz are specifically designed to exist harmoniously in the background, setting a vibe without demanding attention. By eliminating vocals during the core cooking process, you ensure the viewer’s focus remains squarely on your content.

There is, however, one key exception to this rule: the bookends of your video. Vocal tracks can provide an added emotional edge for the opening and closing. For your title sequence, a cosy vocal track can instantly add warmth and charm. Similarly, a short slice of vocal music can enhance the reveal moment when your finished food creation is being shown off, much like the way professional TV chefs (such as Jamie Oliver) often use vocal tracks in their montages.

Add some regional flair

One way you can truly elevate your video is by considering adding a subtle nod to the food’s regional origins through your music choices.

Once you’ve established your instrumental foundation, you can truly elevate your video by adding a subtle nod to the food’s regional origins through your music choices. The goal is to acknowledge the dish’s origin using instrumental style and texture. For example, a traditional eastern-inspired scale can add authenticity to Asian cuisine, or a vibrant Latin guitar track can beautifully complement Mexican dishes. You might simply select a track featuring an instrument associated with that region. A touch of banjo for Cajun cooking, or an accordion cue for French cuisine. The key is subtlety. Used effectively, this thoughtful inclusion adds an extra layer of context; used poorly, it can risk appearing clichéd or patronising. Keep it minimal to provide context without becoming a distraction.

Music sourcing options: Royalty-free music for peace of mind

Here’s the essential ingredient you can’t overlook: legality. Creators often mistakenly use popular, copyrighted music, which can result in immediate demonetization, complete muting of the video’s audio or worse still, a copyright strike. This unwelcome outcome kills your monetisation potential and ruins the viewer experience you worked so hard to create.

The only way to guarantee safety and professional quality is to use a high-quality, royalty-free music library. This is where Routenote Licensing comes in. We offer the most competitively priced subscriptions on the market, starting at just $4.99 per month. A small price to pay if you value the tasty content you are creating. This grants you full legal permission to use any track in our vast library. This key benefit means you can use unlimited music across all your cooking videos with no fear of copyright issues or demonetization. You get complete peace of mind and full creative freedom.

So, as we have seen, by selecting the perfect soundtrack, you can transform a good cooking video into a truly professional, engaging piece of content. And with so much food based content online, it’s vital that you use all the implements in your cutlery drawer to make yours stand out.

---

Stop worrying about copyright risks and remain focused on your recipes! Explore our delicious smorgasbord of sounds at Routenote Licensing and find the perfect, affordable soundtrack for your food channel.