The Easy-Bake Oven, introduced in 1963 by Kenner Toys, used incandescent light bulbs as heating elements to minimize the risk of accidental burns. The oven’s design and cake mixes evolved over time, and safety concerns led to the replacement of incandescent bulbs with other heating elements. In 2007, Hasbro recalled one million units due to a design flaw. Despite this, the Easy-Bake Oven remains a popular way to introduce children to cooking and baking with adult supervision.
Welcome to the world of incandescent cookware. In 1963, Kenner Toys (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) introduced the Easy-Bake Oven to a generation of girls eager to experience the wonders of home baking. The original Easy-Bake Oven was a scale model of a 1950s oven, with two 100-watt light bulbs as the heating elements. Some say Kenner engineers were inspired by the small ovens used by New York City pretzel sellers.
By using the heat generated by the incandescent bulbs deep inside the unit, Kenner hoped to minimize the chance of accidental burns from standard heating elements. Young users of the Easy-Bake oven only had to switch the oven on for a few minutes to preheat. Due to the variable heat generated by the light bulbs, however, the cake mixes included in the original Easy-Bake Oven had to be modified for low-temperature cooking. This is why many young bakers’ experiences with Easy-Bake Oven recipes have been so mixed. Undercooking was a common occurrence, and the original cake mixes weren’t as flavorful as one might have hoped.
The Easy-Bake Oven became a hit for Kenner, and later its parent company Hasbro. In the late 1960s, the toy oven took on even more decorative elements than its full-sized cousin, including the popular avocado green color of its surfaces. Cake mixes and other desserts got even more sophisticated as brand companies like Betty Crocker started offering their services and product lines. The flavor and texture of Easy-Bake Oven offerings improved significantly, and girls often used their Easy-Bake Ovens to create tea biscuits or other afternoon party treats.
By the 1970s, the Easy-Bake Oven had succumbed to the new decorative trend called Harvest Gold. For the first time, the toy ovens also featured simulated digital numbers and other modern elements. Recipes and mixes also evolved in the 1970s and 1980s, allowing young bakers to make some recipes from scratch. Improvements in the design of the Easy-Bake oven have also minimized any possible exposure to heating elements. A special tool actually pushed the batter-laden pans into the oven, and the bakers were able to watch the baking process for better results.
The use of incandescent light bulbs as heating elements has raised a number of safety concerns over the years, especially among parents who feared a child would be burned in the changing process. Leaving light bulbs on after a cooking session could also be a waste of energy and a potential fire hazard. In recent years, however, Hasbro has largely replaced incandescent bulbs with other heating elements largely hidden inside the unit.
In 2007, Hasbro recalled one million Easy-Bake Oven units due to a perceived design flaw. Young users could potentially get burned if they tried to retrieve a trapped hotplate with their fingers. The risk of accidental burns or electric shocks has always been a concern for manufacturers of toy ovens, although such incidents are very rare. An Easy-Bake oven is still a good way to introduce the art of cooking and baking to children, but adult supervision and guidance are very important.
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