droolicious : play food

5 Best International Food Play Sets

SunnyChanel — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:16:00 GMT

You can get your kid the burger & fries, plain produce or basic meat and potatoes play food sets, or you can introduce them to a more cultural array of tantalizing tastes and textures. Here are five diverse international play sets for your kid’s kitchen fantasies.

Wooden Sushi Set by Melissa & Doug (above)
Nigiri, Rolls, soy sauce, chopsticks and of course a sushi knife. $19.95 here

African Play Food By Mojo Education
Fish, okra, plantains and other tasty looking African staples for $16.99 here.

Hispanic Foods by Learning Resources
Includes Set includes tamale, enchilada, taco, quesadilla, empanada, rice, beans and flan. $17.95 here

Italian Food Set
This seven piece set includes lasagna, spaghetti, meat sauce, italian bread, two slices of pizza and salad. Manga! $14.95 here.

Good Fortune - Chinese Food Play Set by Small World Toys
Includes: chopsticks, soy sauce, rice, tea cup, shrimp, lettuce leaves, spring roll, dim sum holder. dim sum, dumpling, fortune cookie, Chinese take-out box $10.80 here.

The Chop Chop Chicken

SunnyChanel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Do you have designs on raising your child to be butcher? Well if do, the Chop Chop Chicken by Viola is an ideal way to start them on their journey of dismembering carcasses. This wooden chicken comes with a pretend knife and sectioned legs and wings for pure chopping, cutting and disembodying joy. You can pick one up here for $15.96

5 Ways to Play with Your Food

SunnyChanel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Teach your kids that playing with your food is a-okay. But just not at the dinner table. Here are five play food sets for your little one to help teach them about the food groups, healthy snacks, organics, how to pile a sandwich and last but not least, how to learn to make you breakfast in bed.

Learning Resources Pretend and Play Healthy Food Snacks Set (above)
Yeah, you won’t find any Cheetos or Oreo’s in this healthy snack play set but instead you’ll get strawberries, grapes and other natural goodies that look good enough to eat. You can pick it up here for $19.35

Melissa & Doug Food Groups
Teach your kid all about the four basic foodgroup with this wooden set by Melissa and Doug. This set includes goodies from all four food groups - 21 pieces in all! $19 here

Plan Toy Breakfast Menu
I have dreams of the day when my little one is old enough to surprise me with a nice breakfast in bed. Sigh. But she can get some practice with the Plan Toys Breakfast Menu set. This wooden set features bacon, bread, sausage, cheese, fried egg, hard boiled egg, salt & pepper, all on a serving try. Available here for $23.31

Wooden Sandwich Making Set
Oodles of combinations can be created with this kids sandwich set. This wooden kit features Velcro on each side of the pieces for easy piling action. It also comes with a safe wooden knife for slicing through the sandwiches. This 16 piece set is available from Land of Nod here for $24.95.

Organic Baby Veggies by Under the Nile
Go green with this Organic Baby Veggies set by Under the Nile. This set is made from Egyptian cotton and natural dyes. The set includes a green bean, carrot, eggplant, mushroom, broccoli and tomato. You can pick one up from Chasing Fireflys here for $44.

Etsy Alert: On Top of Spaghetti, All Covered with Felt

JeanneSager — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:02:00 GMT

What's better than a picture of your kid covered in spaghetti sauce to pull out when they bring home their first date? Spaghetti and sauce they can play with . . . that won't leave the teeniest drop behind.

Bug Bites promises little food for big imaginations, and their Spaghetti and Meatballs with Red Sauce has me imagining hiring a sitter so the husband and I can head out for a nice night at the local Italian joint. Or, you know, a night in with the kid, staring at each other over a plate of ecospun polyester noodles (they used to be plastic bottles!) with a swatch of red polyester on top. To each his own.

Where ever you're eating, you can guarantee your kid will be begging to leave the table and hit their play kitchen to boil up a pot of Bug Bites' thick spaghetti. The tightly woven meatballs stand up well to being smushed into a plastic pot and covered in real water - I can attest - because it's all made to be machine-washable for easy kitchen clean-up.

Play Food Felt Pizza

AmandaHill — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:00:00 GMT

I'm always on the look out for new felt play foods to add to the collection our house. There's nothing my daughter loves more than to add new food to her tiny kitchen.

You can find the felt play food pizza at ShePremiers Etsy Shop.

Etsy Alert: Sweet Assorted Cupcakes of the Felt Variety

SunnyChanel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:17:00 GMT

My daughter is going through a stage. The cupcake stage. Everyday, without fail, she requests a cupcake of some sort. I’ve tried to pass off bran muffins, low-sugar carrot cake as the coveted cupcakes, but she’s too smart to fall for my replacements. Now I think it could be time to try a cupcake of the inedible but yet still deliciously cute variety.

Etsy crafter Mommy24cs has created this set of You Pick Four- Felt Assorted Cupcakes. When you order this set you can pick between the following frostings white, brown, pastel orange, pink, baby blue, yellow, light purple, or mint green. Perfect for tea parties, play kitchens or just as a substitute for the real, sugary, thing. You can pick up a set here for $20.

Forget Jamba Juice, Try This Smoothie Set

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

If your New Year’s resolution is serve healthier food to your family, here’s the perfect toy to teach tots about good nutrition.

The Barcelona Pastel Smoothie Set, $23, comes equipped with a wooden blender, fruit halves attached by Velcro so kids can “cut” them, smoothie cups and a knife. While the little ones are busy blending drinks try a real no fuss smoothie. I mix vanilla yogurt with orange juice to make a creamsicle smoothie that tastes just like those ice cream pops. It’s a winner in our house.

Lilly Bean Serves Up Green Ham, Eggs for New Year's Day

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Lilly Bean, which also makes the delectable-looking play sandwiches Amanda recently featured, has a similarly super Green Ham and Eggs set that'd be as perfect for New Year's Day (if your family follows the "ham = good luck" tradition) as it is for Dr. Seuss-inspired play year-round. The green is 100% wool; the other colors are 35% wool blend; and the whole set is hand-washable.

$19.95 from Lilly Bean.

Perfect Sandwich Play Food

AmandaHill — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:30:00 GMT

This amazing sandwich is made from the Lilly Bean Perfect Sandwich Play Food set. Lilly Bean has a whole line of fabulous felt playfood products that are handwashable and made from a wool-felt blend fabric. Great for kids ages 3 and above, the Lilly Bean playfood line offers a variety of products and fun. You can purchase products from the line, including the sandwich, from Urban Baby Runway. The sandwich set is just $19.99 right now.

Fabulous Pizza Party Play Food

AmandaHill — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Melissa and Doug have once again shown up the rest with the fabulous Pizza Party play food. The six slices of pizza even make a slicing sound when cut. This set, durable and adorable, is available from Good for the Kids for $17.99 which is 10% off from the normal price of $19.99. This would be a great holiday toy!

Burgers, Fries and Fun

Lisa Mulcahy — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:02:00 GMT

Do your kids and their friends fight over the play kitchen? Here’s a great alternative that allows a bunch of little ones to do some role-playing at the same time. And oh yeah, it looks pretty cool too.The 50’s Diner by Step 2 has everything you would expect to see in a retro diner: booth-style seating, tabletop jukebox (that actually plays songs), and a kitchen. The kitchen includes oven, grill, fryer, icebox for storage and sink for cooking and cleaning. This set comes with a ton of accessories for both the cook and the customers. I think it’s a real bargain for $149.99. Perhaps that’s why the 50s Diner is topping holiday gift guides and winning awards up the wazoo.

Bacon? That’s Mr. Bacon to You

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:11:00 GMT

Carnivores vs. vegetarians. Bacon vs. tofu. Can’t we just all get along?

Meet Mr. Bacon and Monsieur Tofu, a pair of vinyl figures shaped like very different delicacies. With bendy arms, the duo could act out a battle or perhaps negotiate peaceful living between those with differing palates. Purchase the pair together for $9.95.

Plush Pizza Party

Meredith Broussard — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:09:00 GMT

Not sure what to cook for dinner tonight in your play kitchen?

Why not Haba pizza?

This plush pizza set is made of felt and velour and comes in its own cardboard pizza box. Toppings include pepperoni, olives, cheese, anchovies, and peppers. Mmm. I just might Haba 'nother slice.

Haba Biofina Cloth Pizza Set, $20 at Olliebollen.

Toy French Food from Japan

Chris Ford — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:06:00 GMT

Why is it that I love toys from Japan so much? This little happy wooden toy food set is everything you need to make imaginary pot-au-feu (basically French boiled dinner).

The set comes complete with a knife, spatula, cutting board, pot, salt and pepper, mushroom, carrot, onion and something that looks like a little happy sausage. The items can be cut in half too, making for a more realistic chef experience.

The bad news? It's not available in the U.S. (as far as I can tell) but you can get it from this Japanese web site (I think), provided you speak Japanese. But if you've got a friend or family member heading out to Japan any time soon, maybe you can get them to get you one.

Pot-au-feu by Decole, from Simplesize.com

Break Out the BBQ, Hold the Lighter Fluid

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:03:00 GMT

Complete with faux-stainless-steel finish, this Now We're Cooking BBQ from Land of Nod looks nicer than the real gas grill I've been struggling to keep alive for the past few years, and at $149, it's almost as expensive. The condiments and play food will cost extra, but you do get working temperature-control knobs, hooks for hanging mittens and aprons, and a side tray for holding your fake fixins. Just don't get it too close to your real grill -- that could get ugly.

Want to replicate everything you see here? Pick up the Kiss the Cook BBQ Chef Set ($24.95), the Little Squirt Ketchup and Mustard bottles ($1.95 each), the Kids Cannot Live On Bread Alone Sandwich Kit ($24.95), and the wooden spatula ($3.95; scroll down to add) for a grand total of $206.75. Or just treat the family to a new gas grill with that money and let your kids play chef on the old one -- sans propane, of course -- before you freecycle it. I'm not saying it's safe (or smart), but sometimes you've gotta get creative.

Haba's Biofino Döner Kebab Encourages Gyro Worship

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:03:00 GMT

If this Biofino Döner kebab from Haba looks good enough to eat, that could be just the nudge you need to encourage some adventurousness in your little one who normally wouldn't touch vegetables, let alone mix them with other, yummier foods. Either that or it'll inspire such cravings in you that you'll make a beeline for the nearest gyro stand once playtime is over.

$11.99 from Moolka.

Hand Made: Gingerbread House Without All That Pesky Baking

chrisjordan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:30:00 GMT

What a decadent addition to any play kitchen! This gingerbread house kit comes with 70+ felt decorations that magically stick to the sturdy felt house.

Design is the creation of talented New York designers Robin Arocha-Buckley and Elizabeth Werner.

The 'life-size' gingerbread house comes packaged in a smart baker’s box tied with wide chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon - making for an impressive presentation and easy long term storage after the holidays. It is beautiful enough to be used as a decoration away from little hands should you desire.

Available at Mahar Drygoods for $55

Hand Made: Gingerbread Men Catch 'em While You Can

chrisjordan — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:06:00 GMT

Adorable hand sewn gingerbread men, with grossgrain robbon scarves, are the perfect holiday addition to any play kitchen.

Six large felt gingerbread men come in a red felt carrying case. Available at Pink Roses1220 for $22

Erzi Wooden Cupcakes

chrisjordan — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:05:00 GMT

These cupcakes ($7.49 for the set) are adorable for any slightly older child who loves tea parties. Little candies on the tops of the cupcakes are removable, so not for houses with babies. Santa is bringing them to my house this year.

Erzi products are made of wood in Germany and finished with a non-toxic, water-based finish. Their natural wood products are eco-friendly, made of birch wood, from managed forests. Not to mention cute.

Zita Zoe Felt Fettuccine, Perfect Pretend Pasta

Mir — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:01:00 GMT

I think this fettuccine might turn out just a tad dry, but you could always spoon on extra (pretend) sauce. Its less-than-delicious properties aside, this may just be the perfect play food for Junior's kitchen. The fettuccine is hand-made of wool felt here in the USA, then packaged exactly as you'd find fresh pasta in the supermarket. Get it exclusively at Nico & Zoe ($14).

Hand Made: Watermelon with No Messy Drips

chrisjordan — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:01:00 GMT

The Chenille Chef has done it again. More too cute for words play food for your child's kitchen.

Watermelon slices ($8.99) are hand made of deep pink chenille with black beads stitched on for the seeds. White ric-rac and green cotton complete the look.

I think the turnovers (strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry for $7.99) might be my hands down favorite. Or maybe the bon-bons ($11.99). The icecream cones ($9.99) are pretty cute too.

Toast This Loaf of Fun Bread

Mir — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Pass the butter! Nothing is tastier than some play food that does double-duty. Use it for the sandwiches for your next tea party with your stuffed animals, or just sit down with the loaf and have a bit of numbers and letters fun. Twelve slices come packaged in (what else?) a realistic loaf bag, and the sturdy plastic slices snap together. $18 at Dimples and Dandelions.

Hand Made: Even Chenille Bacon Looks Yummy

chrisjordan — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:06:00 GMT

Made of cotton fabric, cotton chenille and stuffing is perfect for your tiny play chefs.

Available at Chenille Chef for $11.99

The Babble Review: Natural Pod Wool Felt Vegetable Set

Gwynne Watkins — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:28:00 GMT

Growing up, I had one of those moms who sewed me clothes and encouraged me to make dolls out of felt and glitter. So I've always had a soft spot for "natural" toys – and now, thanks to this lead poisoning fiasco, the rest of the world is hopping on the natural-toy train. Welcome aboard, y'all – first stop, Natural Pod toys.

Natural Pod's well-organized website is divided into age groups, as well as categories like "imaginative play." Their toys range from the very simple (silk scarves, a toddler favorite, for $20) to the more specialized (wooden bikes handmade in Germany for $295). We got our hands on a sample of the wool felt vegetable set ($27), handmade in Nepal . The variety of this set is great; we've seen lots of toy carrots and tomatoes, but not so many green onions and eggplants. Our test-baby gravitated immediately toward the eggplant, but seemed disappointed that it didn't make noise when he shook it. Nonetheless, these are colorful, cleverly made, and suitable for pretty much any age under five. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go lust after this amazing treehouse ($179).

Hand Made: Crocheted Pancakes to Drool Over

chrisjordan — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:01:00 GMT

Mmmmm, play food has never looked so tasty.

Set of three crocheted pancakes. One pancake has a dollop of butter and chocolate dribbling over it. Another one comes with banana slices and chopped raspberries. The third pancake is kept plain, you know for those picky eaters.

Available for $12.90 at melbangel