Anything but ‘Easy’
New Netflix ‘Battle’ toys with nostalgia
If you have fond memories of baking a cake or cookies in an Easy-bake Oven, Netflix has just the competition show for you. Inspired by the classic children’s toy, “Easy-bake Battle: The Home Cooking Competition” debuts this Wednesday, Oct. 12, on Netflix, and it’s the kind of stripped-down cooking competition that’s heavy on nostalgia and light on kitchen appliances, since each dish must be cooked in an Easy-bake-style oven.
Over the course of eight halfhour episodes, adult contestants go head-to-head in fast-paced rounds. Given different challenges that involve cooking sweet and savory dishes, the bakers must use “their most ingenious kitchen hacks to prove who can make the easiest, fastest and most delicious food” (per Netflix). A $25,000 prize awaits the winner of each battle, and one big winner has the opportunity to leave with up to $100,000.
“Queer Eye’s” Antoni Porowski hosts alongside a handful of guest judges, including Jacques Torres from “Nailed It!” and Kirsten Kish of “Iron Chef.”
Don’t dismiss this competition as child’s play just because it involves a toy oven. As Porowski explained to Variety: “They [the contestants] have to understand temperature. They have to understand timing. I know this doesn’t sound easy, but they have to be ingenious.”
“Easy Bake Battle” also marks Porowski’s first solo project outside of “Queer Eye” — in fact, he helped pitch and develop his newest series. But don’t worry, the Canadian food and wine expert has no plans to leave the long-running makeover show, which was renewed for a seventh season.
As for the other star of “Easybake Battle,” the oven itself, the popular toy-meets-appliance celebrates its 60th birthday next year. Kenner first introduced the light bulb-powered oven in 1963, and Hasbro, whose eone division produces “Easy-bake Battle,” continues to manufacture the toy to this day (it has also been upgraded to include a dedicated heating element).
“Easy-bake Battle” lands Wednesday, Oct. 12 on Netflix, but if you like a challenge, you can wait until Nov. 4 — National Easybake Oven Day in the U.S. — to stream all eight episodes at once.