The Easy-Bake Oven has been a popular toy for young girls for decades, allowing them to bake tiny cakes and cookies in a small working oven. But what about boys who want to get in on the fun of cooking and baking toys? There are several toys on the market that provide a similar experience to the Easy-Bake Oven for boys.
Conclusion
While the Easy-Bake Oven is marketed primarily towards girls, there are a number of similar toys available for boys who want to explore cooking and baking. From the Queasy Bake Cookerator to the Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit, these toys allow boys to make their own edible creations. The experience of following recipes, measuring ingredients, and watching food transform through heat can get boys interested in culinary arts and science. Just like the Easy-Bake Oven doesn’t need to be just for girls, cooking doesn’t need to be just for women. Toys like these can help get boys comfortable in the kitchen from a young age and realize that baking is a skill that anyone can learn.
Boy Baking Kits
There are several baking kits made especially for boys that provide a similar experience to Easy-Bake Ovens:
Queasy Bake Cookerator
The Queasy Bake Cookerator is a baking kit that allows boys to make gross-looking treats like brains, snot, and vomit using molds and gelatin mixtures. It taps into boys’ interests in gross things for a baking experience that’s advertised as “culinary crud for dudes”.
Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit
The Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science kit contains supplies for boys to make glowing lava combinations, fizzy explosions, and bubbly brews. It teaches science concepts while letting boys mix up messy concoctions.
Challenge Me Confectionery Kit
The Challenge Me Confectionery Kit comes with an oven, mixing tools, and ingredients to bake candy and chocolate creations. It taps into STEM education by teaching ratios, measurements, temperature, and chemical reactions.
Think & Learn Smart Kitchen
The Think & Learn Smart Kitchen is an app-connected baking kit that walks boys through 50 recipes while teaching kitchen skills. Boys can make things like chocolate chip cookies and decorate cupcakes.
Kidz Labs Deluxe Bakery
Kidz Labs Deluxe Bakery is a baking kit with an oven, recipes, tools, and ingredients for making things like cake pops, pizza, and gelatin creations. The recipes are designed to teach kitchen science skills.
DIY Food Kits
In addition to dedicated baking toys, there are a variety of DIY food kits that allow boys to make their own creations through mixing and assembling:
Nasco Food labs
Nasco Food Labs kits contain materials to make things like ice cream, cotton candy, and popcorn using science experiments.
Make Your Own Candy Kits
Make your own candy kits provide molds, tools, and ingredients for boys to make gummy candies, chocolates, and hard candies.
Think & Learn Chopshop
The Think & Learn Chopshop is an electronic cutting board that guides boys through 50 recipes, teaching chopping skills and kitchen safety.
Professor Maxwell’s VR Chemistry Lab
Professor Maxwell’s VR Chemistry Lab is a virtual reality kit that lets boys mix real liquids to create bubbling potions and chemical reactions.
Hand2mind Create a Meal
Hand2mind Create a Meal kits provide recipes and ingredients for boys to assemble their own meals, promoting math skills too.
Cooking Kits
Cooking kits allow boys to make their own meals and snacks, helping them gain independence in the kitchen:
Kidzlabs Chef Cooking Kit
The Kidzlabs Chef Cooking Kit includes pots, pans, and cooking tools that boys can use to follow 20 recipes to make things like pizza bites and pancakes.
ClickN’ Play Amazing Chef Kitchen
The ClickN’ Play Amazing Chef Kitchen includes a play stove, pots and pans, and cooking tools for boys to pretend to cook recipes.
Melissa & Doug Burger Grill Playset
With the Melissa & Doug burger grill playset, boys can pretend to grill their own burgers and serve customers.
Scientific Explorer My First Cookbook Kit
This kit comes with cooking tools, recipes, and ingredients to make edible dishes and teach kitchen science.
Janod bk Chef Cuisine
Janod bk Chef Cuisine includes wooden toy cookware and ingredients for imitation cooking play.
Chemistry Sets
Chemistry sets allow boys to explore science while making simulated potions and concoctions:
Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit
As mentioned previously, this kit allows boys to experiment with chemical reactions to create bubbling lava and glowing mixtures.
Thames & Kosmos Chem C3000
This more advanced chemistry set includes supplies to recreate colorful chemical reactions safely.
Scientific Explorer Magic Science Kit
This set allows boys to explore science through creating foaming potions and slimy mixtures.
National Geographic Chemistry Set
This real chemistry lab kit teaches chemistry techniques through guided experiments.
Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit
A great beginner’s kit, this set allows young boys to make erupting volcanos and glowing liquids.
Mess-Free Baking Kits
For parents who want less mess, there are baking kits that don’t require turning on an oven:
Make ‘n Bake Cookie Shot
Kids mix a dough packet with water in a tube to make cookie dough then squeeze it into their mouths to “bake” it.
Yumble Just Add Water Cupcake Kits
These cups allow kids to mix a dry batter cup with water in a cup to bake a tiny cupcake in the microwave.
Crazy Cucur’s Microwave Mug Cakes
Kids can make single-serve cakes by mixing a packet with water in a mug and microwaving it.
Baker’s Edge The No Mess Sandwich Cookies Kit
This kit lets kids assemble cookie dough outside a pouch, then microwave to fuse cookies into pocket sandwich cookies.
Girl Scouts Cookie Mix in a Jar
Add water to a Girl Scout cookie mix in a jar to make cookies without turning on the oven.
STEM Cooking Kits
Some kits integrate cooking with STEM education through teaching kitchen science experiments, math skills, and engineering:
Brainiac’s Math and Mealtime Kit
This kit includes recipes and challenges to teach fractions and measurements through cooking.
Science Chef Cake Science Kit
This kit teaches chemistry concepts like molecules and chemical reactions through cake experiments.
littleBits DIY Coding Kit
Kids can engineer their own electronic cooking creations with this DIY electronics kit.
Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit
Along with cool chemical reactions, this set teaches science principles like acids and bases.
SmartLab Toys Cookin’ Up Some Fun
This kit includes tools and ingredients to make things like bouncing fruit snacks while learning kitchen science.
Similarities to Easy-Bake Oven
While designed for boys, many of these toys provide an experience similar to the classic Easy-Bake Oven in some key ways:
Teach Cooking Skills
Like the Easy-Bake Oven, these toys help boys learn basic cooking skills like following recipes, measuring ingredients, mixing, assembling, baking, and more.
Make Edible Creations
Many kits provide the ingredients and tools for boys to make snacks and meals they can enjoy, teaching healthy eating habits.
Tap Into Interests
From gross baked goods to explosive experiments, these kits tap into things boys find cool to get them engaged in “baking”.
Allow Independent Play
Boys can use these baking kits for independent play the way girls play with Easy-Bake Ovens, fostering independence and confidence.
Inspire Passion for Cooking
Like the Easy-Bake Oven, these toys can spark a lifelong passion for cooking and baking in boys.
Differences from Easy-Bake Oven
While achieving similar ends, these boy baking toys have some key differences from the classic Easy-Bake Oven:
Smaller Size
Many kits feature smaller sized ovens or don’t require an oven at all. The Easy-Bake Oven is larger.
Focus on STEM
Many kits incorporate STEM concepts like chemistry and engineering that aren’t a focus of Easy-Bake.
Cooking Simulation
Some toys offer pretend play kitchens and kits that simulate cooking rather than actually making edible foods.
Messier Experiments
Items like chemistry sets tend to involve gloopy, explosive experiments contrasting the contained baking of Easy-Bake.
More Gender Neutral Packaging
While Easy-Bake Ovens use pinks and purples in branding, these kits use gender neutral colors like blues, greens, and oranges.
Comparative Analysis
Here is a comparison of some of the most popular boy baking toys showing key features and differences from the classic Easy-Bake Oven:
| Toy | Includes Oven | Makes Real Food | Teaches STEM | Focused on Gross Stuff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy-Bake Oven | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Queasy Bake Cookerator | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kidz Labs Deluxe Bakery | Yes | Yes | A Little | No |
| SmartLab Toys Cookin’ Up Some Fun | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Benefits of Boy Baking Toys
Here are some of the benefits boys can gain from toys that provide baking experiences:
Teaches Kitchen Skills
Following recipes, measuring, mixing, baking, decorating, cleaning up – these toys help boys learn a range of culinary techniques.
Encourages Interest in Cooking
Early positive experiences in the kitchen can spark a lifelong interest in cooking and baking.
Builds Confidence
Creating tasty treats and meals themselves gives boys confidence in their skills and independence.
Promotes Creativity
Decorating baked goods and mixing unique recipes allows boys to get creative in the kitchen.
Introduces New Foods
Trying foods they make themselves encourages boys to taste new flavors they might have avoided.
Teaches Healthy Eating
Kits with fruits, veggies, and other nutritious recipes promote positive nutrition choices.
Reinforces STEM Skills
Kits focused on kitchen chemistry and science reinforce education in useful real-world applications.
Fosters Independent Play
Boys can explore these baking experiences independently, developing self-sufficiency.
Makes Tidying Up Fun
Cleaning play kitchen sets helps boys learn to tidy up after real cooking activities.
Safety Tips
Here are some tips for safely allowing boys to explore baking and cooking toys:
Supervise Oven Use
Even low-heat toy ovens should be used with adult supervision to prevent accidental burns.
Read Age Labels
Follow recommended ages on kits with small parts that could pose choking hazards for young kids.
Review Safety Rules
Go over rules for safely handling hot items, knives, electrical appliances, and avoiding messes.
Teach Proper Hygiene
Have kids wash hands, wear aprons, and tie back long hair when cooking to prevent germ spread and safety hazards.
Use Proper Surfaces
Only allow cooking toys to be used on appropriate surfaces like tables and cooktops, not flammable areas.
Store Chemicals Safely
Make sure kids understand not to ingest any chemicals in science kits and to only use as directed.
Discuss Allergies
If kids have any food allergies or sensitivities, provide only allergy-free ingredients in kits.
Set Expectations
Boys may make some messes as they learn to cook. Set expectations for cleanup to be part of the process.
Conclusion
Cooking and baking toys provide boys with fun hands-on learning experiences that can nurture a lifelong passion for culinary arts. The participation of boys in cooking and baking acts against old stereotypes that the kitchen is just for girls. Toys that teach kids useful life skills like cooking lay the foundation for raising capable, self-sufficient young men. So whether through chem lab kits, cooking playsets, or mess-free baking projects, consider giving the gift of baking experiences to the boys in your life.