I was so excited when my first baby was finally old enough to eat solid foods and I could start preparing endless varieties of mashed things for him. I’m not entirely sure how we came across this smart little invention but it just seemed too good to be true, at least for a new mom and solid food enthusiast. It could handle veggies, meats, fruits, berries - you name it. Just by adding water into the small tank on the side, it would actually steam everything you put into the food container (in a small basket), even frozen food, and with one small move, you could take the contents out and pour them into the blender. Smart, indeed.
So, enthusiastic as I was I stayed up way into the night making baby food with BEABA Babycook, which truly ended up taking much longer than I had anticipated. This was naturally due to the steaming phase, which always takes a while so it wasn’t a problem with the BEABA per se, except for the fact that the food container is small and you can’t make a lot of food at once. However, at 2 a.m. I was finally done. I had made a few trays of different blends to freeze. Yes, I even tried some of the recipes in the BEABA Babycook book, which seemed so tasty, at least if you are a baby.
Well, my baby did not agree. He did not agree the next day, or the next week or the next month. The only things he wanted to eat came in Earth’s Best jars. Earth’s Best, and things he could pick up with his little fingers and put in his mouth.
Needless to say, our BEABA stayed in the cupboard collecting dust. I gave it another try later on, but I was still out of luck. I ended up using the good old stove top and blender for our second child’s solid food needs, and have never looked back at the BEABA Babycook. In fact, I don't even know where all the parts are anymore or else I'd sell it to someone else wanting to add some French flair to their baby's daily digest.
So, in my humble opinion...
Pros:
- It's French. It has got to make tasty food, right?
- It's compact.
- It has a steamer, blender, defroster, warmer... all in one.
- It steams fruits, veggies, meats and fish in 15 minutes (give or take) while preserving vitamins (due to the steaming process).
Cons:
Cons:
- You don't really need a $150 BEABA Babycook to make mashed foods for your little ones. They will be just as happy (or unhappy) with food boiled or steamed in a pot and mashed with a blender.
- The food container is small so you can't make a lot of food at once to freeze for a later time.
- For a new mom, time is an enemy, not a friend. Although the idea of serving "fresh" food out of the cooker by tossing in a couple of potatoes, carrots and a piece of chicken right before lunch and then leave it to do its thing for 30 minutes is great, I don't know many moms who have the bandwidth or time to plan this much. When baby is hungry, baby is very hungry.
http://www.beabausa.com/product-babycook.cfm
http://www.beabausa.com/product-babycook.cfm
