KidKraft Cook Together Kitchen
- Refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, microwave and washing machine doors all open and close
- Additional storage space on the side and above the sink Natural finish with bright primary colors
- Cordless phone Clock with moving hands
- Made of wood Smart, sturdy construction
- Packaged with detailed, step-by-step assembly instructions
- Removable sink for quick and easy cleaning Knobs that click and turn Innovative speckled countertop design
Product Description
KidKraft Cook Together Kitchen. Cookin’ up a storm of imaginative play! Dishwasher, oven, microwave, fridge / freezer… this Kitchen is fully loaded! A wonderful gift for young “Iron Chefs” in training, the Cook Together Kitchen boasts functioning appliance doors and is a great way for you child to “help” out and learn the ropes without getting in your hair. Someone’s in the kitchen: Dishwasher, oven, microwave, refrigerator and freezer doors all open and close; In… More >>
admin in Fashion & Accessories on September 03 2010 » 5 comments
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First, beware! It took 4 1/2 hours for my husband (who is handy and used an electric screwdriver) to assemble on Christmas Eve. We chose this one for our 19-month old son over the Melissa & Doug because it didn’t say there were any small part choking hazards. But I still feel like we have to supervise him when he’s using it. He’s 19 months (a big 19 months, but still) and can push it around easily, and we’re concerned about it tipping over. Certainly a child couldn’t climb on it, as the Melissa & Doug kitchen shows, without it going down. I was also disappointed that two of the three knobs stopped clicking after a morning’s worth of play. He’s only had it for two days, so the other might go soon–a big disappointment. It’s a cute kitchen–and gender-neutral, but for the price and drawbacks, I’m wondering if I should have bought the Melissa & Doug instead. Updated: As expected, all of the knobs stopped clicking after about a week. Also, the screws that hold the doors on the dishwasher and need periodic tightening because they get loose. That said, it’s been a big hit with my son and his friends who come over to play. The Melissa & Doug pots and pans and foods fit, which is great. I wish that the shelf in the fridge were not removable (it keeps disappearing) and that there were shelves in the oven and dishwasher, too–also I’d like the buttons to keep clicking the other buttons to make a click, too. But for the price, it’s been a great toy.
Rating: 3 / 5
As other reviewers have noted this is a really fine looking kitchen, seems very sturdy once assembled, and definitely big enough for two kids. The dials make very satisfying clicking sounds, and I love the fact that there is a washing machine, dishwasher, and shelves to store dishes and “food.”
There are some quality issues with the manufacturing, though. The “wood” is MDF with a paper wood-grain covering, and when the material was cut during manufacturing the edges of the paper woodgrain material were jagged (they need to use a finer toothed saw or run it at a slower speed!). The kid doesn’t care, of course. More troublesome was that three of the parts arrived damaged, and it wasn’t the fault of the shipper; the damaged parts were deep in the box’s interior, so it seems like it had to have been damaged at the manufacturer (in China). One of the damaged parts was the big blue countertop, which had suffered a crack that caused the paint to chip and flake off in a very prominent location. The catch to the oven door was broken. Many of the screws did not go in quite straight, though once tightened it all seemed reasonably square and solid.
Fortunately, although the factory’s in China, Kidkraft’s customer service is American. When I called, an actual human answered the phone on the first ring, confirmed they had replacement pieces in stock, and immediately shipped them. I’m just glad I assembled it a week *before* my kid’s birthday!
Other reviewers are not kidding when they say it takes 2+ hours to assemble. I consider myself an experienced veteran at putting together flat-pack furniture and it took me more than two hours, *without* the “help” of the kid. Everything is extremely clearly labeled though — it’s not difficult, just a long process. You need a #1 Phillips screwdriver in addition to the provided hex wrench.
I wish there was a rack inside the oven and maybe in the dishwasher too, but really it’s a very fine kitchen playset, suitable for boys and girls, without annoying electronic noises.
Rating: 4 / 5
I put this kitchen together over the course of 3 evenings, and I can say that I’m very impressed. It’s made from nice quality materials and seems very solid. We gave it to my daughter this morning and she’s already having a lot of fun with it.
I would definitely not call this item “difficult” to put together, but it does take quite a while because there are so many pieces — about 50 pieces + the screws/bolts/cams kit — and the assembly instructions are 26 steps. I must say, though, that all of the pieces are well labeled with an identifying number, and the screws/bolts/cams are in a blister-pack that is also clearly labeled which pieces are which (unlike some other items where everything is in a large mixed bag). Each assembly instruction only gave information for a few pieces at a time, making them very clear and understandable. The only “difficult” part of the assembly were some very small screws for door hinges. But still, everything fit together nicely.
Overall, very happy with the product.
Rating: 5 / 5
This kitchen looks great in our house. I had previously picked up a Dora kitchen, used, and when we put this one in our house it looked like a nice new piece of furniture.
Our son is 2 and immediately loved “washing” things in the sink. He enjoys cooking in the clothes washer and storing metal pots in the microwave. The refrigerator can hold a ton of food and the little shelves above the sink are great for toy sized bottles and boxes. The shelves on the end fit a normal sized egg carton perfectly and about 20 toy cans. The prep space is a little small but DS does that on a table or the floor anyway. I think it has more prep space than our apartment did.
Wonderful things about this kitchen: The sink comes out for washing but locks into place so it does not move around. There is tons of storage space. Everything clicks shut. It looks really nice and clean. IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SOUNDS and requires no batteries!
Downsides: Ours got a little roughed up during shipping, but that was expected and easy to cover, but you can clearly see that it is made of some compressed material and not real wood. Some of the latches are a little bit hard to open, but I assume they will loosen up with time. Our refrigerator door did not line up correctly but with a little sanding and a piece of cardboard behind the latch it is now PERFECT! The phone also does not have numbers and I do with the dishwasher and/or oven had a shelf in it, but DS does not seem to mind and if you buy the correct sized dishes, it does not matter at all.
Rating: 5 / 5
We bought this kitchen for our son because it was such a fabulous deal on Amazon and we felt like we got the biggest bang for our buck. Here are my pro/con lists:
Pros:
~~Nice finish, bright colors, overall an attractive design
~~Lots of things to do to keep little ones busy
~~Perfect size for a three year old (might be a little small for an older child)
~~Sturdy, metal hinges, nice closures
~~Mostly wood, very little plastic
~~I like the fact that the stove, for example, is raised like a real stove and not just painted on, and the fridge even has pretend in-door-water
~~The idea of throwing a washing machine into the kitchen is cute and adds an extra activity (although my son prefers to store food in it)
~~All the knobs work and make little clicking noises
Cons:
~~Assembly is a bit insane. You get this box that is not too large, but you have to take everything out and assemble piece by piece. It took my husband and I 2.5 hours and we’re pretty crafty about assembling furniture. A lot of the little screws are in hard-to-reach places. Thankfully all the pieces are numbered and all the screws are labeled so it’s pretty straightforward. Also be warned it is a two-person job – not because it is heavy, but because a lot of parts need one person to hold something steady while the other person tries to attach it.
~~Packaging: the little chalkboard was broken when I took it out of the box, one screw (the one that holds the peg on the fridge door) was missing and a couple of the wooden pieces have chips in them. I am hoping that I can get this rectified without a lot of hassle.
~~It would be nice if the dishwasher and oven had a shelf in them. It makes them a little less realistic that stuff just kind of gets dumped into a hole with a door on it.
If I had to do it over again would I buy the same kitchen? Yes, I would.
Rating: 4 / 5
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