Anyone know anything about Easy Bake Ovens?

[MinnieGi]

Those Easy Bake Oven Mixes are AWFUL!!!! DD got the deluxe oven and a bunch of mixes last year for Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle. She was all gung ho on it and eagerly wipped up the batches. She loves to help in the kitchen so this seemed so up her alley. Well, after all the food was done. She had made pasta dishes, cakes and cookies - DD, DS & I sat down for her meal she prepared. It was so bad DD sampled a bite of everything and threw the rest away. The oven is now downstairs in our basement never to be used again. DD would rather cook in the big oven with mommy or daddy's help.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I was the Easy Bake Oven Queen!

You can bake anything that is small enough to fit in the pans in there. It is only heated by a light bulb so it does take awhile and anything larger would burn the bulbs out and take forever.

I remember watching a Food Network episode where a chef used one. I wish I could remember who.

You can use the Pillsbury dough, leftover dough of anything you have. My mom would often freeze a little bit of cupcake batter, or cookie dough in a little cup and let me take it out to defrost and bake and decorate.

You can make cinnamon rolls. Just take one large cinnamon roll (refrigerated dough) and cut it in half (like a bagel or muffing, crosswise) and un roll. Then cut into smaller strips and reroll in tiny spirals.

You can also take 1/2 cup brownie or cake mix and add 3-4 T of yogurt to make it batter consistency. I used this technique to make "No Pudge Brownies" single servings and it came out great.

Kids love to add sprinkles and chocolate chips and raisins and stuff, so as long as you have those to add, making the premade doughs will still be fun.

You might also teach her how to use powdered sugar to make icings - that way she can still make something from "scratch".

 

[amp078]

My son just had to have the Real Meal Easy Bake Oven. I think I was more excited to use it than he was cause I always wanted one when I was a kid. Anyway, we threw out everything we made on the first day we used it because it was terrible!! We have never used it since and whenever I bring up the idea, he tells me "let's just use the big oven- it's better".

It is in the basement now... collecting dust! What a waste of $29.99!!

 

[faindrops27]

I remember getting the Easy Bake oven the first year it came out (we literally BEGGED Santa for it!! LOL!!!) and it had a lightbulb for a source even then.

I remember my sister and I using ALL the packets the very first day. What a mess!! Some of it was good but some was downright YUKKY!

Nevertheless, I was up early one Black Friday standing in line for it at ToysRUs because it was on sale for $10! I had the excuse that I was buying it for my 4yo son... (he NEVER asked for it) and stood by my story!

I end up giving it to my niece's daughter ... but we had fun with it Christmas day!

LOOOOOve the EZ bake oven!! http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1534572

I think your story is so cute. I remember being a little girl and begging, my mother for it. I actually remember baking lots of things like brownies, cakes, corn bread, jiffy banana muffin mix, any extra batter, my mother made would turn out into perfect little cakes. Well when my son was 3. I convinced hubby that he needed one. (But, I really wanted it.lol) Long story short he got the real meal easy bake oven made those disgusting pretzels, and we have never used it again. I am thinking. I will dig it out of the toy closet, and maybe play with it with my dd who is 2.
Now, I will see if I can convince hubby to buy the children, a snoopy sno cone machine, for christmas, this year. I mean how would it look, if I asked for a snoopy sno cone machine, for christmas. lol

 

[faindrops27]

My son just had to have the Real Meal Easy Bake Oven. I think I was more excited to use it than he was cause I always wanted one when I was a kid. Anyway, we threw out everything we made on the first day we used it because it was terrible!! We have never used it since and whenever I bring up the idea, he tells me "let's just use the big oven- it's better".

It is in the basement now... collecting dust! What a waste of $29.99!!

Amy that is so funny!! Your son saying "Let's just use the big oven".

 

[carissanboys]

I remember watching a Food Network episode where a chef used one. I wish I could remember who.

It was Bobby Flay

What size lightbulb does the oven use?

 

[amp078]

Amy that is so funny!! Your son saying "Let's just use the big oven".

Yes- he knows he can bake a whole sheet of cookies- in about half the time!

This kid loves cookies!!

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

There is a cookbook, called "Baking with Mommy Cookbook: Recipes for Kid-Size Ovens (Spiral-bound)" you can get it at Amazon (at least I did a couple years ago) for about $10 I think. It comes with the CUTEST set of teeny tiny measuring spoons. It has adaptions of all kinds of recipes in it for them to make using REAL ingredients.
Now that the easy bake oven craze has worn off, my daughter uses it to convert the recipes to full size recipes and it has done AMAZING things for her math skills. If nothing else, the book was worth it for this! It's made fractions and decimels something fun to conquer!
Anyways, I highly recommend it. The ISBN number is 0971851522 so you can do a search for it.
I'd buy this as a gift to go with...and the heck with the yucky mixes. We haven't bought one since the original ones that she got with the oven!

 

[Robinrs]

I think your story is so cute. I remember being a little girl and begging, my mother for it. I actually remember baking lots of things like brownies, cakes, corn bread, jiffy banana muffin mix, any extra batter, my mother made would turn out into perfect little cakes. Well when my son was 3. I convinced hubby that he needed one. (But, I really wanted it.lol) Long story short he got the real meal easy bake oven made those disgusting pretzels, and we have never used it again. I am thinking. I will dig it out of the toy closet, and maybe play with it with my dd who is 2.
Now, I will see if I can convince hubby to buy the children, a snoopy sno cone machine, for christmas, this year. I mean how would it look, if I asked for a snoopy sno cone machine, for christmas. lol

I actually FOUND a boxed Snoopy Snow Cone machine at a yard sale. I used it for what seemed like HOURS to get a LITTLE bit of shaved ice. I realized then that what we saw as HUGE as children was actually teeny!

I sold it for WAY more than I paid for it on eBay!

 

[minkydog]

Those Easy Bake Oven Mixes are AWFUL!!!! DD got the deluxe oven and a bunch of mixes last year for Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle. She was all gung ho on it and eagerly wipped up the batches. She loves to help in the kitchen so this seemed so up her alley. Well, after all the food was done. She had made pasta dishes, cakes and cookies - DD, DS & I sat down for her meal she prepared. It was so bad DD sampled a bite of everything and threw the rest away. The oven is now downstairs in our basement never to be used again. DD would rather cook in the big oven with mommy or daddy's help.

This was our experience, as well. DD has always loved to cook and I thought the Easy Bake would be fun. Wrong! The mixes didn't taste good and baking with a light bulb takes forever. She ditched it after a couple tries and went back to mom's oven.

 

[PrincessAuroraInPA]

My son has an egg allergy, but I think he'd love an Easy Bake oven. Does anyone know if the cookbook includes any recipes without eggs?

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

Great thread! I never thought to use Pillsbury cookie dough, I will have to try that!

The cake recipe we use for the Easy Bake Oven is:

3 tablespoons cake mix (Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, etc.)
1 1/4 tablespoons water

 

[bookgirl]

GET THE LIGHT BULB!!!!! Just so you know the oven does not come with the light bulb so make sure you have one so you are not left on Christmas morning with an easy bake oven that your children can't cook with.

I was shocked that the easy bake oven did not come with a heat source...kinda the point

I did not have to do this last year (I got a "Real Meal Oven" the blue and grey one) that came out last year I think it's an easy bake brand. It doesn't use one I know. Are the little pink ones different?

 

[bookgirl]

My son just had to have the Real Meal Easy Bake Oven. I think I was more excited to use it than he was cause I always wanted one when I was a kid. Anyway, we threw out everything we made on the first day we used it because it was terrible!! We have never used it since and whenever I bring up the idea, he tells me "let's just use the big oven- it's better".

It is in the basement now... collecting dust! What a waste of $29.99!!

We pick and choose carefully. The pop tart stix are good, and the cookies, but the cake and brownies are yucky. One of my nephews did like the spagettii one but he loves anything with tomato sauce. I didn't really think about the premade cookies they love making those, which is why we bought the oven. We'll have to try this. We also bought a slurpee machine last year NOW THAT was a mistake we never could make them work. After two returns and two brands we gave up. This year one of them wants a smore maker it's only 10 bucks, why not if it doesn't work then we won't play with it. I did see some "real" ones for 30.00 but honestly at least the toys don't have an open flame.

 

[ntink]

Here is a website that has a bunch of recipies for the Easy Bake Oven - they seem very easy http://www.budget101.com/kids.htm#Easy_Bake_Mixes

On another note - I had that Snoopy snow cone machine as a child and have fond memories of using it but I guess everything seems bigger when you are a kid.

 

[ilovejack02]

I just bought it for my boys (the 4 year old asked for it) and I also bought a cookbook that's on amazon.com that's specifically for easy bake ovens. Do a search there and you should find a few. The one I ordered is called Cooking With Mommy or something like that.

OHHHHH you bought one for your boy.. I know mine would just love it!! He loves to help me cook!

 

[DisneyDivaMom]

These are evil! LOL! I got my DD one last Christmas. She was 7 then. She used it once and told me she wanted to use my oven instead. It is now sitting in the garage waiting on my next tag sale.

 

[jcemom]

My DD is getting an Easy Bake for Christmas from a relative. Thanks for the tips about using regular cake mixes, Jiffy mixes, and premade dough. I'll also be checking out the recommended websites and that cookbook.

As for the Snoopy snow cone maker... we had one when I was little. I licked the block of ice, or tried to. My tongue froze to it in an instant, just like the little boy who licked the pole in that Christmas movie.

 

[Mickey527]

20 minutes to make 2 cookies?
My monthly electric bill is approx $150. they have just announced we will be getting an increas of at least 38% starting in January. Could be as much as 50% increase. So I might be paying an electric bill of $275 in another month. I heat with oil so it has gone up ridiculously and my hot water heater and stove are gas.
I don't think I want to let anyone bake two cookies for 20 minutes. I would rather help them cook two dozen in the stove for 11-12 minutes.

Besides, when I had my easy bake oven I burned my arm really bad. I still have the scar. Peggie

 

[Jennifer Hemric]

I got mine last year online at toys r us. They were on clearance for 5.00. My daughter likes cooking with it, but I don't. It takes forever. The cookies and cakes are not good. Mine is in the basement also. I just let her help me make cookies in the big oven. It doesn't take 20 min to bake two cookies and they are actually edible.