My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Going with Your Gut

by Hannah Hart

One day, lonely cubicle dweller and otherwise bored New York City transplant Hannah Hart decided to make a fake cooking show for a friend back home in California. She opened her laptop, pulled out some bread and cheese, and then, as one does, started drinking. The video was called "Butter Yo Sh*t" and online sensation My Drunk Kitchen was born.

My Drunk Kitchen (the book!) includes recipes, stories, color photographs, and tips and tricks to inspire your own adventures in tipsy cooking. Hannah offers cocktail recommendations, culinary advice (like, remember to turn off the oven when you go to bed), and shares never-before-seen recipes such as:


The Hartwich (Knowledge is ingenuity! Learn from the past!) Can Bake (Inventing things is hard! You don't have to start from scratch!) Latke Shotkes (Plan ahead to avoid a night of dread!) Tiny Sandwiches (Size doesn't matter! Aim to satisfy.) Saltine Nachos (It's not about resources! It's about being resourceful.)
In the end, My Drunk Kitchen may not be your go-to guide for your next dinner party . . . but it will make you laugh and drink . . . I mean think . . . about life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Humor, Food, Cooking, Memoir, Comedy

225 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Hannah Hart is a Youtuber, comedian, author, actress and somewhat of a chef. Her Youtube channel MyHarto features her weekly My Drunk Kitchen videos. She has also collaborated with a multitude of other Youtubers including her best friends Mamrie Hart and Grace Helbig. Hannah, Grace and Mamrie also co-created the movie Camp Takota where Hannah Hart plays a supporting role of Allison Henry.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first found Hannah Hart when she was at John and Hank Green's Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall. I didn't know who she was, but I wanted to find out.
I found My Drunk Kitchen and watched the archive in one long sitting. I adore her puns, her open sexuality and her zany humor. Not only do we share last names (no relation), we're both gay, we enjoy John Green and we make nerdy word jokes.
This book is like an extended YouTube video only you don't think it's gone on too long. I laughed out loud at her goofy ass descriptions and appreciated the totally staged photo shoots. There were so many great lines in this book, I had to highlight and add smileys all over it. But a couple of my faves were "Brunch is where people go to complain about problems that aren't really problems." and when cooking, remember to have adult supervision "And by 'adult' I mean someone who isn't drunk. It can be your kid sister. too. She seems pretty responsible for a sixteen-year-old. I mean, she's always reading those YA books, so she must have learned a thing or two about life."
This is not a cookbook and there are not applicable recipes. But if you want a laugh or you're a Hannah Hart fan, this is a great pick for you.
Full disclosure: I received this book as an advanced reading copy from Edelweiss.

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

How this book received an average of 4 stars is beyond me. Proof that our attention spans have are decreased with that of a flea and that glossy paged books, filled with artistically taken photographs and a handful of sentences printed on an angle is considered a good read. This book is filled with inspirational quotes that are not all that profound or interesting.

I have no problem drinking a glass of wine or a scotch while preparing meals for family or friends, but drunk Hannah's only philosophy of cooking is to not stress about cooking. Craving nachos but don't have the ingredients? No problemo, simply grab a handful of crackers, toss on some cheese, or canned soup or mayo, or whatever you have, have two shots (or three or four) of Tequila while doing so and call it a day. Your guests will just LOVE you for it! Sorry Hannah, I'd rather order out.

The attempt at humor was both cliché and boring.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

In all fairness to the author, I would have to preface by saying I didn't GET this book, more than I did not like this book. As I understand she has a show on Youtube which I think would be funny to watch once or twice. But I thought this would be a cookbook of sorts. Instead it's about drinking while eating potato chips and waiting for your frozen lasagna to cook in the microwave. It's a book about being drunk and trying to manage your life, health, sex life...I found it weird, snarky and irritating. While I think it might be hilarious to watch a drunk woman staggering around her kitchen trying to make a PBJ, it just wasn't my kind of book.

[Kim G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am too old for this shit.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of John Green, I had heard of Hannah Hart, but never went to Youtube to find out anything about her. I don't spend a lot of time on Youtube, and I didn't really know what her channel was about. But when I saw this available on Edelweiss, I really was excited to check it out. Plus I do love a good cookbook.

I'm disappointed. Not in the recipes, mind you. While they're intensely unconventional (and most aren't, in fact, real recipes), I actually did see a few that made me pause and think, "Ooh. That sounds good. And tasty." It may be the sleep deprivation I've been dealing with, though.

I feel about this book what I feel about most Youtube channels. One video may be insanely hilarious and delightful, but sitting and watching the entire channel all the way through is going to make your eyes glaze over. The idea of watching back-to-back Jenna Marbles videos makes me want death by paper cuts, and I frigging love some of her stuff.

This is the paper (or ebook, as it were) version of a Youtube channel. Not to be taken in one sitting. The further I got in, I stopped giggling out loud. I started rolling my eyes. If it wasn't a real recipe, I didn't want to be bothered reading the ingredients list (even though there were really awesome jokes still being mixed in).

The motivational bits were fun, and funny, and occasionally actually motivational and touching. But again, as with every cocktail listed in the book, moderation is needed.

I do think I would still like to own this book, and I would store it on my cookbook shelf. But I don't recommend picking it up and just reading it as a regular book. Don't chow, just nibble.

[Sarah Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definitely had Hannah's voice that she has for My Drunk Kitchen, which made it really enjoyable for me. It started out more closely to a cook book, but slowly went to self-help and autobiographical advice. I found it to be a very funny and engaging read. I actually ended up reading it in one sitting. Overall, I think that if you like My Drunk Kitchen you will like this book. The same humor and understanding that Hannah has in her videos can be found in this book. If you haven't seen any of the videos, this book could lead you to wanting to read those next. Either way it is an engaging and fun read that deals with tough issues with many puns and encouragement.
FCC Notice: I received an e-galley from Edelwiess of this book

[Maggie Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so proud of Hannah for publishing this book, since she is my number one favourite YouTuber and just a generally amazing person. I really liked the book, but I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped. I wish it was more focused on one idea. Each recipe is supposed to have a life lesson, and I wish she had spent more time connecting the recipes to the lesson, because that's really where I thought the book shone and had a really unique perspective. The sections where she just wrote without recipes stood out as much better than the other sections. Some of the lessons were very rushed and didn't make much sense. Still, it was a good read and I'm very happy that this book exists.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much exactly what I expected: extremely silly, full of puns and references to sex and eating (and drinking, duh), and some frankly disgusting sounding recipes (Also: some fucking genius recipes. Pizza cake? Come on! That's GENIUS.) But she also opens up a little and talks about some real stuff and some scary stuff. But that part is also funny, so don't worry.

Mostly, I kind of want to cook everything in the book and blog about it extensively, just to see if some of these recipes actually work. Will probably have to wait until I get my copy. (This time around, I was reading the library's, which is due back tomorrow.)

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to fill a space for non-fiction about food/drink. This was a difficult space for me to fill at all and I can only hope there's something out there better for someone else to pick up. I'm befuddled by the high ratings. Reading this book is like being the sole sober person at a party of drunks. The drunks are amusing at first, but within five minutes, they are just annoying and all you want to do is go home. None of the recipes are edible. I'm obviously not the intended audience, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this in my early 20s either.

[Heather Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah's a big damn deal these days but she has managed to stay so grounded and true to herself despite her astronomical rise to fame. This book made me laugh out loud a lot and think thinky thoughts. I loved every page of it. I think you should pay your dollars for it because Hannah Hart works her ass off. None of what she's accomplished has come easy. And she's one of the good ones and I think we should all be supporting artists who are the good ones.

[Dana Gisser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my only problem with this book is that I really wanted the tiramisu without calling someplace (or going down to Presti's, which should be the place anyone in Cleveland goes for desserts). The book was great for laughs, and actually a few ideas of food despite the fact it's really a joke-cookbook. I don't actually watch Hannah Harts youtube, and honestly I grabbed the book because John Green had written the forward, but I think I may check out her youtube too!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After going viral and big in the world of YouTube, youtuber Hannah Hart is best known for her "My Drunk Kitchen" videos (which are hilarious!). Her book is full of recipes that turn Into life stories and become a mess of happiness and laughter. You also get get advice in everyday situations. This book will make you laugh and smile so read it!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is everything I hoped it would be, a short, funny pun filled joyride with one of my favorite YouTubers. Kind of kooky, totally genuine and endearing just like Hannah :)

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a word? Quirky.

Like the Hannah in her videos, the voice in this book is at times VERY cheesy, punny, Hart-felt, and quaint. I DID learned that bananas are good for anxiety. And I think a slightly (rebellious? anti-elitist? youthful? poverty-stricken?) side of me loved this book because of how much my boyfriend hated it. It doesn't offer glossy prints of high quality, impressive food. Instead, it smashes genres together with the casual gracelessness of a drunk person making a grilled cheese at 4 in the morning. This book offered me neither recipe ideas nor any truly useful life advice. But I liked it just fine, all the same.

If books were people, this book would be the silly, happy-but-slightly-sad-and-therefore-almost-wise girl standing by the punch bowl at parties, one hand full of pretzels and the other holding her ribs because she made herself laugh so hard it hurt. I would hang out with that person.

Quote that jumped out at me: "...in the end, becoming an 'adult' really only means one thing: You are now obligated to bring dishes to potlucks. Maybe even sometimes host one yourself. Isn't that horrifying?"

3.5 stars

[Ryan Cusick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book greatly. But then, I had been watching the show for some time (a little over a year?) on YouTube and I knew the big secret: It's Not About The Food.

Seriously, if you're a foodie looking for fancy new recipes, for heaven's sake, do not read this book. Depending on your brand of comedy, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as straight-up hilarity, either. It's kind of a Zen practice of making a mess and loving yourself anyway--and Hannah Hart teaches it with more gusto and, well, heart than anyone else possibly could.

It really is a humorous self-help book, more than comedy or a cookbook. If you can enjoy it for that, you'll find great contentment within.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and personal, but maybe suffers from trying to do too much? I haven't been following Hart's YouTube channel very long, so I can't say if the content is repetitive, but I think the book is engrossing enough that it might turn readers into new fans, so I think it accomplishes its goal in that regard.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but so, so random. About what you'd expect, if you're at all familiar with Hart. If you're not at all familiar with Hart...why are you reading this book? You didn't actually expect edible recipes, did you?

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily the best cookbook I've read that really about being in your 20s and not quite having it all figured out. Also the only cookbook I've read that includes a recipe for ordering Thai takeout.

[Joannemarie O'Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book four stars as an adorable look into the mind and heart of "Harto". Her positive outlook on life and her courage and drive for a better life, for herself and everyone she touches comes through here, just as well as in her addictive and enjoyable You Tube web series.

While it is a stretch to consider this a cookbook, it is definitely a wonderful guide to growing up. I think there are so many young adults who can find out a lot about themselves and their place in the world by reading this book.

Hannah Hart is one of the most adorable creatures on the planet. She took a joke video and turned it into a new and wonderful life for herself, but that wasn't all. She then took that new found fame and used it in the best possible way. She opened up a dialog for young people dealing with their sexuality. She started a charitable movement that has spread throughout the world. Every week she posts videos that, no matter what happens, include positive messages for her viewers. She shares some very personal stories in an attempt to help others, and I believe that she has. She is a living embodiment of the "It Gets Better" movement, a shining example of just how good it can get. I'm sure she works very hard, but she makes it seem effortless. Everything Hannah does seems doable and for that alone, she could be considered inspirational.

Although it is shelved in the local library with the cookbooks, I do not think the same young people who have much to gain from Hannah's empowering advice and messages of self-acceptance, will learn much about cookery. As a cookbook, I think this would definitely be a more 2 star book, 3 at best. True, there are plenty of ideas that require little cooking that are very useful, and her safety rules are the best. But, then, there are no oven temperatures, no measurements, very few directions for the food part of the recipe. This should not be considered a cookbook for anyone who doesn't already know how to cook pretty well. I do cook pretty well and plan on playing around with the recipes and the drinks in the book.

I don't think anyone would learn to cook from this book. However, there is much to be learned from Hannah Hart and I hope the people who already know and love her pass her message, and her book, on to their friends, relatives and peers. Her lessons on life, making your way through it, dealing with what it hands you and knowing that you aren't alone in how you are feeling are universal and her upbeat and straightforward way of expressing them make this an enjoyable read for anyone.

[Jillyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Hannah Hart. I used to watch a lot of her My Drunk Kitchen videos in college. I appreciate her quirky sense of humor, her optimism, and (although fairly unrelated to the book at hand) her openness about being LGBT. I was so happy when she got a Food Network show, and I was bummed that it didn't work out for very long.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book is a good representative of her. Or at least, she doesn't translate well into book form.

Calling this a "cookbook" would be very generous. There are technically recipes, yes, but they exist in a weird plane of existence where they are broad concepts as opposed to actual recipes. There's no real rules or measurements or technical help. It's sort of like a choose your own adventure recipe guide.

There's a lot of good advice and quotes and stories about being young. I appreciated those. There's good take aways from this, like being yourself, adulting is hard for everyone, and that it's okay to think outside of the box. But other times, it's sort of just slapped together and hard to follow. Random brainwaves on YouTube certainly work better than on paper, because it's weird to skip thoughts suddenly as you're reading. But Hannah Hart is a funny person, and there's a few laughs tucked away in here.

This book has a strong emphasis on alcohol and drink pairings and stuff like that, but I don't know why that would be surprising given the name of the book and the nature of her YouTube career.

It has nice glossy pages and really nice photos. It's a good quality book, from a publication standpoint.

All in all it was worth a flip through, but I don't imagine it's anything I'll actually reference in my kitchen. It's not quite cookbook, not quite memoir, in a weird mix mash of a book that I'm not really sure what I am meant to make of it. I feel like I might have really adored this book when I was in college, but it seems a bit removed for me now.

If you're a fan of reading YouTuber books, a fan of Hannah Hart's channel, or are a college student who is trying to figure out what adult life means and how the hell you're supposed to cook things now, then you might appreciate this book. If you're looking for like... An actual cookbook with usable recipes, or if you're unfamiliar with Hannah Hart's other works, then I think this won't be the book for you. There are better out there.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hannah Hart seems like a lovely person and I wish her every success, but I think I'm about 20 years too old for this book.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Hannah Hart and her MY Drunk Kitchen videos on YouTube. And I feel like the people who didn't give this book a great review aren't very familiar with her videos. This book isn't really a recipe book. Are there recipes in the book? Yes. Would you want to make them and eat them? Probably only if you were drunk, and even then some would still be questionable. I think this book is more of a self-help book. Hannah Hart is using the idea of food and recipes to explain life and the joys and difficulties people face. Is it the best book? No. But it's punny (one of the reasons I like MDK so much)!

So, if you're looking for a book with great recipes, this isn't it. If you're looking for something that is quick and easy to read, then you may like this. It's a little confusing being a self help recipe book, but it's entertaining. If I didn't watch MDK, I wouldn't like this. And honestly, her YouTube videos are SO much better. But I enjoyed this book. I'm still a fan.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I meant to buy this right when it came out, but I really thought it was a cookbook! I mean, with some cute little puns and funny recipes etc, obviously, but mostly just a regular cookbook marketed to MDK fans. But it's not at all! I'd say it's about 85% memoir/advice and 15% cookbook. And every line of the recipes is WRITTEN to be funny/cute/completely 100% in Hannah voice. It's really like watching her videos, but with shockingly personal and thoughtful tidbits/mini essays thrown in (so sorta like a mix between MDK and her personal channel?).

Anyway, bottom line: I loved it a lot and want to read a million more things from her. I almost want to say I want a regular memoir, but I think this is so much more HER, just the little hints of past hard times with a shrug and a pun and a "don't worry about me everything's cool now, I have great friends and you guys!" But whatever it is that she writes next, I'll read it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Drunk Kitchen, by Hannah Hart
Hannah Hart secured her fame with her YouTube Channel and offers her fans a witty and raucous compilation of her favorite recipes. Hart’s cookbook is broken down into four sections: Kitchen Basics, Adultolescence, So This is Love, and Family and the Holidays. As stated in the introduction, Hart strives to “show her readers a different way of looking at things. Cookbooks especially.” This is one of those books you read for fun, not necessarily because you think you can’t live without Saltine Nachos or Brothel Sprouts. I concur with John Green, who in his foreword to My Drunk Kitchen” calls Hart “punnily hilarious.” Recommended for Hart’s fans and the younger generation.
Three stars if I was rating this for my own reading pleasure. This was not my kind of book, but I can see where it would have great appeal to twenty-somethings.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Hart is effervescent. If you've ever seen any of her YouTube videos, you know that puns, wine, and inexorably deep self-awareness define her channel and, truthfully, her person.

Sure, the concept might seem simple: get drunk, cook, make a few puns, give some advice and call it a day. However, through her presence on YouTube and now in the form of this absolutely stunning Cook/Self-Help book, Hannah shares the key personal thoughts and experiences off which she bases the advice given throughout the book, managing, somehow, to do it all in an impressively friendly, BFFs-on-the-couch-with-a-glass-of-wine-and-snacks kind of way.

The recipes are great - simple, modifiable, hilarious - and Hannah's voice, and thoughtful spirit, will stay with you long after you have put the book down.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest I did think that this was a full cookbook with lots of recipes and pictures. This is not that type of book. It is more of a play by play rulebook to different stages of life:Making the Most of What you Got, Adultolescence, Relationship, and Family and Holidays. Also, Hannah teaches you how you can cope with it in a fun way with food and alcohol. Don't forget the alcohol! Reading this book it appears that Hannah's logic is "Everything just seems to go better with alcohol". However you may want to start the drinking after you have finished preparing your food. I say preparing as some dishes do not require cooking. Pretty much anyone who had little to no cooking experience can make these dishes.

What I did like the most about this book was Hannah's witty humor. It showed in her stories by the way she talked and the pictures featured through out this book.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only ever seen a few episodes of Hannah Hart's YouTube show on which this book is based, so I'm probably not her target audience. I found it to be a somewhat amusing book, but I was hoping that the recipes would be more interesting rather than disgusting sounding. I would definitely not cook/eat pretty much anything in this book. I'm not really sure that's the goal. I guess some of the things would be fine for people who really never cook, but for someone who actually cooks this is not really a book that you're going to be pulling recipes out of.

[Justine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/2.75 Stars out of 3 Stars

I really wanted to like this book - and I did, don't get me wrong - but I did not like it as much as I wanted too. In fact, after reading this I walked away feeling that I like Hannah Hart more than the actual book (if that makes any sense). While too cutesy at times, I really liked hearing (reading) what Hannah Hart wanted to say ... she writes with a great outlook on things.

Oh also, if you're looking for a cookbook ... this isn't really a cookbook. But I think that goes without saying.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't gush enough about this book! Buy it now for everyone you know!

To see my full review, and some GREAT pics where I renew my vows while being read to from this book - dressed only in things I found in my kitchen...click here: http://www.memyshelfandi.com/2014/08/...

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

How this book ended up classified as a "cookbook" I have no idea. I never found 1 recipe within the author's scribbles and musings on life lessons that I would ever consider making or tasting. This book is simply put, a mess. By all means drink while you cook and get creative in the kitchen but skip this book and if you need a laugh check out her YouTube channel instead.