Step2 LifeStyle Master Chef Kitchen



The Manufacturers Photo

  I had the opportunity to receive the Step2 Lifestyle Master Chef Kitchen for review.First off, let me say it is a really cute kitchen. The design of this kitchen is a little bit different than most of their standard kitchens. It has more of a rounded shape to it. The fact that it is a rounded design, allows more room for stylish placement of the kitchen in your children's play room. There is a peep through area in the backside of the kitchen, This could be for imaginative play, like passing a plate of play food though or simply to let in some light if placed by a window in the daytime. The kitchen could also be placed nicely against a wall by other toys or in a corner.  I like how this kitchen has so many electronic components. The rear stove burner not only makes sound when a pot or pan is placed on it, but it lights up and flashes too!! This is really exciting for the little ones. For a younger child, under the age of three it is like instant gratification that they put something in the correct spot. They are rewarded with flashing lights and bubbling or boiling water sound if they place the pot on the rear burner. If they place the pan on the rear burner they get flashing lights and a sizzling or frying food sound.  The flashing lights are not crazy or over done. They would not be a hazard or obnoxious in any way. The microwave and the oven also both have sound as well. They both have a keypad on them with lots of cute little buttons to push. Every button makes a different sound. My Twins love all of the sounds this kitchen makes! None of the sounds are loud or obnoxious either. That is always a plus for any parent, especially a parent with multiples or many children in the household. There is a light above the stove on this kitchen as well. This is a really neat feature. It really adds to the kitchen for evening play. There is a phone included that makes sound too!!  I am always impressed with the quality of Step2 toys. I have been buying Step2 toys since my first child was born. She will be 15 in the spring! Believe it or not we still have one of her Step2 Toys and it is in near perfect condition!

The Step2 Lifestyle Master Chef Kitchen has a lot of accessories. I was actually quite impressed with the number of accessories it came with. There are plastic bins that slide into various spots on the kitchen to store play food and play dishes in them There are several spices and even a pepper mill that you can crank the handle on! It has a set of dishes for two. There are cooking utensils and a built in rack to hang them on, and even a cute little pot holder!!  One really cute accessory is the coffee pot, there is even a special spot for the coffee pot to sit in the back wall of the kitchen. It is really well done! The cabinets are so nice too. I love how you have so many cabinets and spots to place the accessories and the play food, as well as the play dishes. Very Nice!!



See screw in center.

 My only complaint about this kitchen is that the sink is fully removable and the rack for the cooking utensils to hang on pops off very easily. The fact that the cooking utensil rack pops off so easily, can actually be frustrating for both the Mom and the children playing with it. I don't like how the sink can be removed easily because it is just another piece that can end up away from the kitchen and lost in a toy box. Oddly it is a little easier to keep track of the accessories than it is to keep track of something like the sink or a cooking utensil rack. The cooking utensil rack is simply a rounded plastic, c shaped part with hooks that pops onto the pillar in the center of the kitchen. When the child removes a cooking utensils, 8 out of 10 times it pops off right with the utensil. However there is a very easy solution to this issue. I added a small screw to hold it into place. I did the same with the sink. One thing you need to realize is that with any toy you buy, there are always parts that can easily be removed, that you think to yourself, oh why can't that be bolted down!! I give this kitchen a 9 out of 10 on all aspects. So seriously, don't allow the fact that I have pointed out two items that can be a little bit of a nuisance deter you from purchasing this kitchen. I promise you that adding a screw to bolt down the kitchen utensil rack and the sink was VERY easy.  I promise it was easy. I am so happy with the results too! It helped so much!



See screw in center.



 I assembled this entire kitchen by myself without a power screw driver.drill. I did it all by hand with a regular philips head screw driver. There is definitely some hard work and sweat involved with the assembly of the kitchen. Have you ever purchased a high quality, long lasting, durable toy that was very quick and extremely easy to assemble? Doubtful. These toys last a lifetime. They are built strong and well to last through children and even grand children if you make sure they are well taken care of. I would certainly now allow my children to be rough with any toy but if you have a rough child, Step2 toys can generally take the heat AND stay in the kitchen, no pun intended. I need to be clear that these two "flaws" which I am using the term flaw very loosely, are NOT in any way safety issues. They are just annoying aspects of the toy that are completely remedied by a screw for each one. Just one screw, that is all!

Now on to play! My Twins, Graham and Parker are really enjoying this kitchen. It has really been providing a lot of fun for them. My Twins will be turning three in April. I am watching them blossom in front of my eyes in the aspects of learning through imaginative play. This kitchen really sparks the imagination in a small child. They actually own an older Step2 Kitchen that I purchased for my daughter Mackenna, who is turning 11 this month. I purchased it back in mid 2001. They have a new version of that kitchen now, that looks much nicer than the one we have. It is also a really nice kitchen but I never saw it spark as much imaginative play as this one. They have been exploring the kitchen now for a day and a half. They are really enjoying it. I watch them have conversations about making food and pouring coffee. They talk about where certain things should go, like which spices into which cabinets. They stir the play food in the pots and pans while the burner sizzles or bubbles. They press all of the buttons, open and close all of the cabinets, refrigerator, oven, and microwave. They re-arrange how they have the dishes set up. They like to serve me coffee and tell me I have a call on the phone. They are having so much fun!!  They could hardly contain themselves when I was assembling the kitchen. They kept coming over and asking me if they could play kitchen yet. They have a really big interest in playing with this kitchen. They know how I love Starbucks coffee, anytime we drive to or past the plaza that my favorite Starbucks is located, they say "Coffee, Mommy??" Now they love having a coffee pot and cups to "make" me some coffee. The cute little squeals they make when I pretend to drink the coffee are adorable. We love this kitchen, Thank you Step2.

We added some food!