food mill, processor, or something else??

*wicket*

What do you use to make baby food?

inluvwitcowboy

we are not making baby food yet....but, one of my clients told me about the beaba, it's a baby food all in one maker.  you can buy it at williams sonoma and online at babie's r us.  it steams and purees the food.  so you can put raw chicken, veggies, ect... into it and it does it all.  then she says she freezes the food in ice cube trays and thaws as needed.  I love this idea and plan on doing it when the time comes.

K.a.T.e

inluvwitcowboy:

we are not making baby food yet....but, one of my clients told me about the beaba, it's a baby food all in one maker.  you can buy it at williams sonoma and online at babie's r us.  it steams and purees the food.  so you can put raw chicken, veggies, ect... into it and it does it all.  then she says she freezes the food in ice cube trays and thaws as needed.  I love this idea and plan on doing it when the time comes.

We recevied a beaba for a gift, I'd never buy it myself (too pricey) when a steamer/food mill can do the same thing.  But we are keeping it and will use it.  I have friends who RAVE about it. 

Mereou12

The Beaba is a neat product, but it has such a short lifespan -- you'll only be making purees for a short time. If you've got a food processor, blender or immersion blender, that's really all you need.

I've been making DS's food for the past few weeks using a regular old steamer and food processor. It's super easy and the clean-up isn't that much more than a Beaba. And I already had everything that I needed.

redtulip

I have the Beaba and used it for a while. It is very convenient and fool proof, but I do agree that the lifespan is pretty short. It's okay though because I plan on using it again for DS #2. One huge drawback is that it doesn't hold that much so you end up having to do multiple batches at a time. 

*wicket*

Has anyone made the purees in a Magic Bullet?  I already have one of those and would like to use that if I can.  My concern would be the skins (on peas, for examples).  Do I have to strain it somehow?

Lina1030

I used to use my blender....and if I had to strain anything I would use a fine collander....

Lina1030

*wicket*:

Has anyone made the purees in a Magic Bullet?  I already have one of those and would like to use that if I can.  My concern would be the skins (on peas, for examples).  Do I have to strain it somehow?

this would work just fine!

Lina1030

when she was just eating fruits and veggies I would boil the veggie then peel the skin if needed (depending on the veggie) and then puree it in the blender adding some of the water that I used to boil it.  For fruit I would puree whatever I had and add juice or water to make it less thick.  When she started eating meats I would make soups....use chicken/beef/fish with veggies like zucchini, sqaush, potato, carrots, celery, a little onion and would boil it...no salt and add extra virgin olive oil at the end...and puree it...it was DELICIOUS! She loved it.  I also would add pastina (teeny tiny pasta...alphabets, stars or whatever and it would make it a more hearty meal) and again puree it all...adding a little of the broth at a time so it is not too watery.  I would freeze small portions and not have to cook that often.  I plan to do the same this time.  My daughter never ate jar baby food...she would not even eat it anyway even if I tried....I don't blame her, that stuff is gross! She would only eat the fruit.

Mereou12

*wicket*:

Has anyone made the purees in a Magic Bullet?  I already have one of those and would like to use that if I can.  My concern would be the skins (on peas, for examples).  Do I have to strain it somehow?

I've heard the Magic Bullet is perfect for making baby food!

www.Wholesomebabyfood.com is the ultimate baby food resource. They suggest either straining the peas (and green beans) or using frozen for a finer consistency. I opted for the latter -- so much easier to just use frozen!

https://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/veggiefruit.htm

 

*wicket*

Thanks, everyone!  I made my first batch of baby food last night (with the Magic Bullet) and it came out great!  I showed DH how much we got for 50-cents worth of sweet potatoes (2 potatoes) and compared it to a little jar of baby food for 50-cents.  He's totally on board now!  He was very skeptical and thought I was nuts for making it myself.  Ha!  Money talks, dear  )

I'm going to stalk the reduced produce cart at the grocery store and see what else is available for making baby food. 

katie922

if you are looking to buy, go for a food processor.

 we received the beaba baby cook as a gift, and it was awesome but made small quanities. which was fine when he was first starting out, but afterawhile just couldnt produce the volume we needed to feed him

 luckily i have a cuisinart food processor and its come in so handy. wouldnt of been able to keep it up without it! he's 14 months now and i'm still using it. hes on quite a few solids, but i'm still doing some fruits veggies and things like chicken which he has problems chewing.

meldot

i got the kitchenaid fruit/vegetable strainer and food grinder (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SGFJ/ref=oss_product) to make watermelon juice, actually. but we'll be using that for baby food.