Loving the Beaba Babycook

Since a couple of months ago we slowly started introducing baby Y. to solid foods. We started with vegetables and fruits, following the most traditional recommendations (which can vary a lot, and in the end, you are left with your gut instinct). Lately we have been mixing up the flavours, yesterday we tried a recipe called "la petite ratatouille" which I honestly wanted to eat myself: potato, tomato, zucchini and herbs.

One of the presents my mom gave to us when Y. was born was the Beaba Babycook. It is an all-in-one steamer / blender / defroster specially conceived for preparing baby's first bites. I love that it takes up little space yet it is big enough to make purée for about 3 days. It is perfect because it saves so much dish-washing, makes cooking simple and saves time in preparations. I am already planning on using it post-baby to make all kinds of sauces and desserts (homemade pesto!).

 I had actually been wanting a food-processor for quite a while but they are all pretty big. And I can imagine using one of those for baby-food could prove tricky as you try to collect the small quantities of purée from a large container. It really is very easy to use: you pour water on the container for it, you put your fruit / vegetables in the steamer - basket, you close it and let it steam. When you are done you take out the basket, pour it in the recipient (which already has the blades attached) add some of the remaining liquid (or not, depending on the food and desired texture) and mix to leave your purée smooth or lumpy. I particularly love that the manufacturers indicate the exact amount of water needed for each type of food, that way you make sure you are not overcooking and that the baby is getting all the nutrients. 

"Steaming cooks food more gently than almost any other method. Because the liquid never touches the food, it's less likely to jostle, overcook, or absorb too much water. This means food retains its shape, color, and texture. Steaming is a great light cooking technique because it involves no fat. And unlike boiling, which leaches water-soluble nutrients from food, steaming keeps most of the nutrients-as well as the flavor and color-intact."

We got a couple accesories for it: the so-called "boule aux saveurs" where you can add spices to make the food more interesting, but without having the herbs / onion / garlic mix with the baby's food and the rice and pasta cooking-basket. We also got a multi-portion silicone mould for freezing or storing the baby's food in the quantities she'll eat, which is ideal, as you then only unfreeze what you need.

Our Babycook came with "The Family cook book". It is beautifully illustrated and full of original ideas. I always thought purée was bland, boring, almost disgusting food, but I want to try each and every of these recipes. (I think French children don't throw food because food in France is actually delicious).

 

If you have a baby, what are your / his favourite food combinations? 

This is NOT a sponsored post,  I am just writing about my experience with this product because I like it so much, find it so useful, and I think it could be useful to other families.