Beth Fish Reads: Weekend Cooking: My Drunk Kitchen with Hannah Hart

13 September 2014

Weekend Cooking: My Drunk Kitchen with Hannah Hart

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Do you know Hannah Hart? Even if you don't know her name, the chances are good that you've heard about her My Drunk Kitchen YouTube videos, which started out as way for Hart to connect with a few friends and ended up being watched by a gazillion followers.

After about three years of videos, Hart's recipes, tips, and philosophy have been collected into book form. My Drunk Kitchen is full of good fun, adult humor, recipes of a sort, and lots of drinks.

Here's a warning, though: If you're looking for an actual cookbook with step-by-step instructions, timing, and oven temperatures, you might be a wee bit disappointed. On the other hand, if you put your pretensions aside, pour yourself a great big drink, look in your cupboards, and get crazily creative, you'll end up with a smile, even if you haven't managed to make dinner.

Hart's quirky sense of humor and playful outlook are evident throughout the book. And the designers have done her text and Robin Roemer's photos justice by using bright colors, slanted text, eye-catching fonts, and cute graphics.

Frankly, I don't know what else to say. You'll like Hannah Hart's humor or you won't. I don't love every episode, but I admire her generally upbeat attitude. The book was fun to read and would make a great gift for Hart's fans. The most important thing to remember is that My Drunk Kitchen is comedy, not a usable cookbook.

Here's a sample video, which gives you an idea of what Hannah Hart is all about. This episode appears in the book as the chapter titled "Things in a Blanket." Note that this video is not for family viewing. (Check out Thursdays: My Drunk Kitchen for all 95 videos.)

14 comments:

jama, 9/13/14, 7:15 AM: Okay, where have I been? Didn't know about Hannah Hart! What fun. She's a natural in front of the camera. :)
Sarah (Sarah's Book Shelves), 9/13/14, 7:27 AM: I've never heard of her before, but I need to check her out! She seems to cook in the same style I do..i.e. little measurement, cooking times, etc. My friends get so annoyed with me when they ask me for recipes and I don't have amounts or cooking times beyond (just watch it).
bermudaonion, 9/13/14, 8:37 AM: I think she's cute but I don't think I'd want a whole book of her.
(Diane) bookchickdi, 9/13/14, 9:28 AM: It's a little early in the morning for Hannah for me. LOL.
Jackie McGuinness, 9/13/14, 10:09 AM: I don't feel so bad as I have never heard of her either!
Katherine P, 9/13/14, 10:42 AM: My library just put this book up on it's digital site and I was wondering about it. I liked the video you shared so I think I'd enjoy the book though I may wait to get it in actual book form as ebooks of cookbooks drive me crazy! Great review and thanks for sharing!
Sheila (Bookjourney), 9/13/14, 10:47 AM: I have wanted to read this one since I first heard of it - it looks so fun!
Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity, 9/13/14, 3:18 PM: Oh dear. This is the most entertaining thing I've seen all day. Except hearing that unfortunate f-bomb with Elle on my lap. Oops! Not sure I could watch multiple of these but it was a fun experience--maybe more fun when I was in college.

But this made me laugh out loud: "pour yourself a great big drink, look in your cupboards, and get crazily creative, you'll end up with a smile, even if you haven't managed to make dinner." So basically you've had a great big drink and some fun. Who needs to eat dinner when you've had that?
Carole, 9/13/14, 4:11 PM: Thanks - I didn't know about her. Have now ordered the book from the library. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
jilllora, 9/13/14, 8:05 PM: So maybe if I drank more I'd have more fun in the kitchen? With my luck, I'd just end up starting a kitchen fire...
Couscous & Consciousness, 9/14/14, 1:15 AM: I have never heard of Hannah Hart before, but having just watched that video, I can see how the cook book could be kinda fun.
Anonymous, 9/14/14, 3:26 AM: She is so funny. So glad you left a YouTube. I could never have imagined making croissants could be so much fun.
I now have a photo up of samosas. Forgot to put it last time.
Laurie C, 9/15/14, 8:14 AM: We got this in at the library and spent a while trying to figure out what section to put it in, because it definitely didn't seem to fit in with the cookbooks!
Daryl, 9/15/14, 10:52 AM: funny … but is she really tipsy or is it an act?