It’s still winter. Politics sucks, the weather sucks, and we’re all sick of being inside. Our Winteritis stories are for women who can’t read another think piece, who’ve pushed the outer limits of time it’s possible to spend on social media, and who kind of want to shop online and hibernate until spring is here.
If you thought binge-watching shows on Netflix was a surefire way to eat up your day, just wait until you go down your first YouTube rabbit hole. OK, it's 2019: You've already clicked way too many times in a row on the suggested videos of YouTube, so you know what I'm talking about. It starts out simple—just one compilation cat video—but before you know it, the sun's down, your phone's dead, and that laundry you planned on doing remains untouched on the floor. "Where did the time go?" you ask yourself, dumbfounded. It went to Ina Garten's double-fudge brownies, that's where!
YouTube rabbit holes are productivity killers, but they're A-plus if you're bored and have exhausted every true-crime doc available. Consider the 10 threads, below, a starter kit of sorts. Just make sure all your work is done before diving in.
I don't cook. I don't bake. I don't even order food over the phone—yet whenever I start watching one of Ina Garten's cooking videos, that's it for my day. She's always a little bit shady with her direction, whether she's imploring you to use the "good" vanilla abstract or assuring you that "store-bought" bread is just fine. (For the record: It's not. If you're not baking your bread fresh daily like James Corden in Into the Woods, then what's the point?)
Many cats, for whatever reason, are terrified of cucumbers. And someone, I'm not sure who, figured this out and turned it into a viral phenomenon. The eerie part about this is the cats almost all have the same reaction to the cucumber: They literally jump in the air and scamper off in horror. To be fair, that's basically what I do whenever I pass a salad bar.
Celebrities are way more relaxed on this British late-night talk show, which leads to funnier, more down-to-earth interviews. Plus, all the celebrity guests hang out on one couch, so you get lots of random pairings. One of my favorites? The Ocean's 8 cast talking about how Rihanna travels to the Met Gala in her involved outfits. Not exactly a random group, but still iconic.
The title of this series says it all: A pastry chef, Claire Saffitz, attempts to re-create our favorite junk food. Ina Garten might put you to sleep, but these 20-minute videos will keep you hooked until the end. Why yes, I do want to see if Claire can make Pringles from scratch. Thanks so much for asking!
All of your faves have done one of these videos: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid…the list goes on and on. And the answers are always fun. Who doesn't want to watch Bella Hadid answer rapid-fire questions while she plays with farm animals?
YouTube is a gold mine for bloopers, but the Friends outtakes are particularly delightful. Watching Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow break character 15 times in the same scene may not seem addicting at first, but trust me: Just give it a chance.
Or makeup tutorials of all kinds, really. Kim Kardashian West's how-tos are legendary because she says things like, "If I literally was stranded and only had this product, this is, like, exactly what I would do" in the most monotoned voice. The go-to desert island survival kit: water, flares, concealer.
Two costars answer Google's most-searched questions about them in this long-running franchise. Again, the answers for this series are always funny because the stars appear more relaxed. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively's video is chef's kiss.
Seriously, think of any favorite Saturday Night Live clip, and YouTube probably has it. Catch me watching "Debbie Downer" for hours.
This is what we call prestige YouTubing.
Editor's Note: Bon Appetit, Vogue, and Wired are owned by Condé Nast, which is also the publisher of Glamour.
