The little darling is so fond of eating semi solids but it was simply quite troublesome to steam, blend, and cook porridge without one of modern day’s better baby inventions – the Baby Cooker! Well, we recently finally got one and I have heaps of recipes and a review to share!
When we were shopping for baby necessities, this thing about steamer and blenders came up. As a first time mommy, I was and still am always trying to get things done right and everything is so overwhelming and confusing that I can really only plan for the next 6 months ahead.
An all-in-one baby food cooking machine like a baby cooker was necessary to us only when we started to introduce semi solids to Daniel. There were heaps of “baby-specific” electronics related to food preparation which we were afraid to commit to because we weren’t sure how long Daniel would use it and we didn’t have the space to have so many new items that would take up a lot of space. For example,
– Steriliser: We got ourselves the Pigeon one (review) and it did us well. It is rather huge but I rather have a steriliser than try and boil bottles every 3 hours. In my opinion, it’s a must buy.
– Bottle Warmer: Now this one we didn’t buy although we were VERY close to buying it when Daniel was 1.5 months old. I was breastfeeding him and pumping too. Those in the fridge needed heating up and it sure felt like it took forever to heat up milk when tiny Daniel was screaming his lungs out. Well we survived that phase of our lives and at 6 months on, I am exclusively breastfeeding directly and also supplementing with milk powder. No need for a bottle warmer anymore!
– Steamer & Blender: This sounded pretty amazing but we didn’t get one until recently. I’ve had friends telling me that I should just ask my helper to steam and then use a blender to blend/mash the food for Daniel. No need to get yet another machine on my kitchen countertop. Well, I tried that for 2 weeks and I’m telling you, it was a nightmare. Cleaning was a nightmare. Watching the fire was almost impossible because Daniel needed 101% attention. He doesn’t eat much yet so the food tends to overcook super easily because it is really very little each time.
We really needed to get ourselves one of those Baby Cooker machines that can steam and blend all in one. I asked my mummy Facebook group which brands they recommend and this brand Beabe Babycook Baby Cooker came with a lot of very good reviews. :)
The Beaba Babycook Solo Baby Cooker
The Beaba Babycook Solo is an all-in-one Baby Cooker that functions as a steamer, cooker and blender.
Thanks to its large 1.1 L capacity and ease of use, Babycook Solo allows you to prepare delicious balanced meals for baby in a second. Practical, it can be used with just one hand. Its compact format means that you can take it everywhere with you and it fits easily in even a small kitchen.- 4-in-1, it steam cooks, blends, reheats and defrosts.
I got my Baby Cooker here. Retails for $299
I also got the Beaba Accessories set (retails for $57.90 here) for the Beaba Babycook solo, consisting of:
✿ Pasta Rice Cooker: For preparing baby’s starchy foods (pasta, rice, semolina, lentils, etc.) in the Babycook.
✿ Spicy Ball: Silicone ball for diffusing aromas and spices in baby’s food and allowing him to discover new tastes. Large opening for easy filling. Easy to remove with the spatula.
✿ Babypote: Fun tasting of homemade fruit compotes for baby travellers or snacks for older children. Silicone bottle for easy pressing. Large neck for easy filling and cleaning. Capacity 150 ml.
Lastly, I also got some Beaba Food Jars to go along with my Beaba collection. These are must-haves and are great for storing food & reheating them in the very same Baby Cooker machine!
Our Experience
The day that the Babycook Solo arrived in our home, we unpacked it and got it ready for some action already! It was SUPER compact in size. I love how small it is but yet it can do so much in one machine. Space saving champion! Next, the colours and design is really pretty. Something I would definitely be happy to have on my kitchen counter top.
We washed everything and read all the instructions twice over. Here’s sharing some meals we’ve prepared for Daniel over the weekend.
#1: Broccoli and Potato Puree
Previously how we did it was to boil the broccoli in a pot over fire and then transfer it to a blender to blend. Washing up was a COMPLETE nightmare. With the Babycook Solo, we only needed to wash the steaming basket and the blender jar!
First dish of the day for Baby Daniel was the Broccoli and Potato Puree.
After chopping broccoli florets and a small white potato up into small pieces, we put it into the white steaming basket. We add water to level 3 here and pour it into the machine. It’s VERY VERY simple! Just pour water in and the machine will stop when it has finished using the water! No need to keep watching out for fire anymore. It plays a cute music to notify us too.
After it’s ready, I use the spatula to hold the steaming basket up (its hot!) and pour it into the jar where the next step (blending) takes place. I love how easy it is to operate the Beabe Babycook Solo. I can either press the button to STEAM or then the knob to BLEND. So easy.
Look at the end result. Just like how it looks like in a baby can. Smoothly blended and most importantly, I know what’s inside the puree (unlike bottled baby food out there in supermarkets). :)
#2: Pear Puree
So yes, 7 month old Daniel is still very much a vegetarian – consuming milk, vegetables and fruits only. For his tea time, we usually give him a pear, apple or avocado puree. Here’s a picture of making pear puree with the Beabe Babycook Solo. Simply effortless. :)
Just steam, and blend! Steaming fruits/vegetables takes about 15 mins. :)
#3: Sweet Potato Rice Porridge
For dinner, we made him sweet potato rice porridge. See the lovely purple bucket in the picture below? That’s the pasta rice cooker bucket that comes in the Beaba Babycook Accessories set. This is super important because it will allow you to cook rice, porridge and pasta in it! :)
It is really as easy as it looks. :) I super love my Beabe Babycook Solo!!
Here’s a summary of the pros and cons.
PROS
✿ Has a auto-off cooking function. Once it’s done cooking, it will switch off on it’s own. No more overcooking baby food! No supervision required.
✿ Takes only 15 minutes to cook. Time saver!
✿ Very compact in size. Space saver!
✿ Very pretty design. I’d be happy to have it on my kitchen top any time!
✿ Easy to operate. 1 button for steaming. Twist the button to blend.
✿ Love how little I have to wash every time I cook for Daniel.
✿ Steaming Bucket and the Pasta Rice Cooker bucket may be very hot to touch after cooking but it cools down very quickly too. :)
✿ Blades do not operate unless the lid is closed. I like this safety mechanism!
✿ Blends thoroughly. No lumpy bits.
CONS
✿ The side of this machine gets a little hot to touch when it’s steaming. Small issue. Just note that and keep little fingers away from it.
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Have you read these feeding baby product reviews?
- Kidsme Food Feeder for Weaning Babies
- Yummy, healthy snacks for kids
- My kid loves this snack to the max!
- Gerber Puffs anyone?
- Nestle Cerelac for Babies
Check out other Mother & Baby Tips here!
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I got my beloved Beabe Babycook Solo and Pasta-rice cooker Babycook Solo here: www.vanille-et-chocolat.com
They are the official distributors of Beabe products so you can be sure of it’s authenticity!
Beabe Singapore Facebook Page