Educo Gourmet Chef Kitchen Review

We bought this kitchen in the hopes it would be a less toxic option despite being made in China. Hape, parent company of Educo, in response to having a lead recall on its Target line a few years ago seems to have put even more safety measures in place to prevent these sorts of toxic things from being applied to their toys. They source their paints and glues from Germany only, their plywood comes from Russia, and it's my understanding that only the manufacturing end takes place in China. That said, I was disappointed to find that there are 3 parts to this kitchen that are made of particle board - the inner shelves and the back of the kitchen, thus the 4 stars.

That aside, the kitchen is absolutely adorable. I do wish I'd had more details about the measurements of various parts before ordering and assembling the kitchen, as there seems to be so few details about this item online and as of yet, no reviews.

Overall size: 27.5" tall X 22" wide X 13" deep

I haven't gifted it to the children yet, as Christmas is 3 months away, but I wonder if it will be large enough to accommodate 2 children at once. I imagine they'll find a way.

Counter height: 20"

This will be a little short for my 95th percentile 4-year old (we estimated she would need a 22" counter), but should be perfect for our 18-month old.

Sink: 2.25" deep, 6" x 6" wide
Ample room for washing dishes unlike the comparable Educo My Creative Cookery Club

Burners: Large 4.25", Small 3.5"

Usable counter space: About 5" x 9"

Inside shelves: 10.5" depth x 6" high x 9.5" wide (oven side) 8.25" wide (cabinet side)

Two last things worth mentioning:

1- All those crazy grooves in the upper shelf are made to perfectly accommodate (from left to right) spatula & serving spoon, knives, and two plates sold in the Educo Gourmet Chef Cookware set.

2- We bought this kitchen elsewhere for a small bit more with all the accessories in Educo Gourmet Chef Cookware and Educo Gourmet Chef Cuisine for a really fair price. I'd recommend that option to someone considering the version offered on Amazon. Both the cookware and cuisine are awesome and fit so perfectly that I don't really get why they're sold separately to begin with. I plan on reviewing them separately for anyone interested in dimensions on those things. The combined kitchen set also has much more attractive red dials for the stove (these click in a pleasing way when you turn them), and red and blue knobs for the sink. It really improves the look of the whole kitchen.

Overall, this really is a very sweet kitchen, though perhaps not as indoor-air-quality friendly as I had initially hoped. Construction takes just over an hour, with a bit of cursing on the poorly matched holes for the doors, and the painfully small screws which you'd need elf hands to properly manage. The larger screws not only go into the wood but a specially implanted metal piece that in some places was put in crooked. The screws wouldn't catch at first, and we had to use a really tiny screwdriver to jimmy these metal thingies back into place. Still, not the worst item I've ever had to put together.

I'd recommend this to someone on a budget, looking for a kitchen made by a slightly better-than-average-company.

I hope that this is helpful to someone else who feels, as I do, that shopping online leaves you missing all those tiny details that you'd just rather know before you make a purchase.

UPDATE:

This kitchen ended up being the perfect size for both my girls, even the oldest one. They love it, and have played with it daily for the past few months. Since I originally purchased it we've run a lead home test kit on the green and orange components. While these are not the most reliable tests, I think it's worth mentioning that those two colors came up negative for lead. So those are the pros.

The sink faucet issue mentioned by other reviewers can pretty easily be fixed with Elmer's glue - and it is an annoyance. We glued the sink in too. However, the single biggest gripe I have with the kitchen is that although we let it air for months before Christmas, the smell of the unfinished interior MDF shelves is still INCREDIBLY STRONG. It bothers me. I'm thinking of replacing those MDF shelves, since we're pretty much stuck with the kitchen, but based solely on the smell when the cabinet/oven doors are open, I probably would have saved up and bought one component at a time of the Plan Toys kitchen since they use E-Zero (no formaldehyde) glues, and do not seem to use MDF at all.

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Product Description:
Young chefs who watch their dad or mom prepare meals will adore this wood child-size gourmet kitchen to create their own mealtime treats.Peek into the oven through the window to check on dinner or the cake that's baking.Big knobs can turn the cooktop "on" or "off" or fill a pot with running water.Cleanup time is a snap with the sink, hutch, towel rack and cupboard to store dinnerware, pots and pans.Some young cooks may decide to make the cupboard a refrigator, instead.The simple classic design and natural colors offer loads of possibilities for playtime. For ages 3+.Dimensions 21.97" x 13.08" x 27.56".Adult assembly required.

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