12 play food sets for children

This 45-piece set includes play food, kitchen essentials and even working appliances with interactive lights and sounds, plus onboard storage options to keep the kitchen tidy when it’s not in use. Starting at $99.99 at Amazon

The metal cookware that comes with this set gives it a realistic feel. The 50 pieces include nine cooking utensils, pots and pans, play food and a wire grocery basket. $28.99 at Amazon

Build plenty of pies with an open oven, mini stamp tools and all the fixings, including cheese, pepperoni and pineapple chunks. The set even includes classic pizza baking tools like a mini pizza peel. $19.99 at Amazon

Eight Play-Doh colors and plenty of fun accessories will help create ice cream scoops and sundaes galore, with a few design inspiration cards to guide kids toward their first creations. $25 at Amazon

These toys are contoured to feel like food, right down to the sprinkles and tomato leaves, and are easy to clean and sanitize. $10.99 at Amazon

Stock your play pantry with this set, containing a whopping 115 pieces. The colorful smorgasbord features textured pieces, ranging from croissants to waffles to milk cartons, so kids can literally get a feel for different foods. $29.99 at Amazon

Wood play food sets are appreciated for their classic aesthetic. This baking play set includes active mixing action on the stand mixer, and a recipe card for kids to follow for a pretend pound cake. $26.99 at Amazon

This 9-piece set is geared toward role-playing and imaginative play for ages 3 to 5. All pieces have smooth surfaces and rounded corners for safe handling. $19.99 at Amazon

A wealth of delectable treats, ranging from fancy cakes to frosted donuts, come with this cute set. Many of the pieces stack, slice or coordinate to give kids practice with sorting, classification and recognition. $28.99 at Amazon

This 30-piece educational color sorting set includes food in five colors as well as baskets for sorting. The food is the perfect size for little hands to hold and manipulate. $39.99 at Amazon

All 38 pieces of this BPA-free, non-toxic set fit inside the matching grocery basket, featuring a diverse variety of produce with ginger, starfruit and edamame. $18 at Amazon

The 84-piece set comes with a handful of food to sort, ring up or stock on shelves, plus cashier-themed accessories and even a grab-and-go impulse buy rack. $32.49 at Amazon