Sam's Club Is Selling Easy-Bake Ovens Just In Time For The Holidays (For A Total Steal)
There's still time to get ahead on those Christmas shopping lists, and we've got one idea for you. The Easy-Bake Oven Ultimate is now available at an affordable price just in time for the holiday season. Sam's Club is probably your best bet, as it's currently priced at $34.98 on its website. It's got an interior heating element that's not unlike a conventional oven, which is something that's interesting to note, because if you're old like me, you might remember that the original versions used heat from incandescent light bulbs to bake food on its tiny metal trays.
The version sold at Sam's Club isn't the most recent one, however. The newest redesign, created in partnership with toy producer Just Play, features a pastel blue shell with confetti sprinkles on it and is shaped more like a stand-up toaster than previous versions. Unlike the previous edition, it also has a timer built into it. This one is available exclusively at Walmart, where it lists the price at $49.97. Either way, both are compatible with Easy-Bake Oven food refill kits for those aspiring little chefs in your kitchen.
Easy-Bake Ovens have had a bumpy ride through the years
You should know that any toy that involves food and a heating element is naturally going to involve some risk. Unfortunately, one version of the Easy-Bake Oven (the one with a front-loading door as opposed to the current version with the side door) had a design flaw. Kids were getting their fingers stuck into the oven's front opening, causing burns. In the worst case scenario, this design was responsible for a partial finger amputation. That model was recalled in 2007 and the Easy-Bake Oven slowly lost favor as a coming-of-age kids toy for some years afterwards.
That being said, there's still quite a lot of nostalgia when it comes to the thing. Chef Bobby Flay has said that his curiosity regarding the Easy-Bake Oven inspired his love for cooking. And hey, my sister and I had one too while we were growing up. (I remember the baked stuff that came out of it tasted gross, but in a fond way.) I'm sure plenty of parents have nostalgia for Easy-Bake Ovens still. So long as someone's around to make sure kids aren't getting their fingers burned, $35 isn't a bad price to teach kids the basics about baking things like cookies.