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Pros:
Cons:
Review Summary
As a first-time mum, delving into the world of solids and baby-led weaning was daunting, to say the least. I was wanting to make homemade baby food, but found it challenging to juggle cooking food for my baby while watching him, amongst other household chores. I happened to come across the BEABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Blender, which has made things a lot easier with day-to-day tasks.
It's easy to use, helps to keep all the nutrients in the food, has a built-in blender function and is also really easy to clean. Overall, checks all my boxes and removes the stress of having to keep an eye on the food cooking on the stove.
Functionality
Ease of cleaning
Ease of use
Ease of storage
Aesthetics
Travel-friendly
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Key Features
- 1.1L jug capacity
- Steam, blend, defrost and reheat functions
- Blending function
- Can be used for fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and fish
- Descaling indicator
- Safety features
- Collection of juice from steaming
- Recipe book included
The BEABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Blender has all the features that I was looking for, so it gets a thumbs up from me. You can use it to steam finger food if you’re going with the baby-led weaning approach, or if you’re going with the puree route, you can just utilise the blending function after cooking is complete. I like to use it to cook up a batch of baby food, storing them in glass jars in the fridge to use in the next few days.
What I Like About It
The biggest challenge I faced with cooking food for my baby was having to keep an eye on the pot while the food cooked, especially with a little one who’s constantly on the move. I tried both steaming and boiling the food but I was always worried that either all the water would evaporate and end up burning the pot, or the boiling water would spill over. The BEABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Blender really helped with that. It’s super easy to use - I can just put all the ingredients in, press the steam button and let it do its thing. The cooking time is about 15 - 20 minutes which isn’t too long and I don’t have to worry or think about it.
Another thing I love about it is that the juice from steaming the ingredients is collected at the bottom of the jug. Not only does steaming the food help to keep the nutrients in the food, I also get to keep all the nutritional goodness in the juice. I use the juice for various things like feeding it to my baby instead of just plain water and for soaking chia seeds.
It’s also really convenient having a built-in blender. I previously just used a fork for mashing, but it’s not the most efficient, especially when cooking big portions to freeze. The blender makes it a lot easier to cut up foods like liver, pasta and fish into sizes that are safe for babies.
The safety features are great for peace of mind. You won’t be able to operate it if the jug isn’t locked into the right position. I’ve also previously accidentally tried to start the steaming process and forgot to refill the water into the reservoir. The machine automatically turned off when it detected the lack of water. This is really helpful, especially as I’ve noticed I’ve become more forgetful with the lack of sleep.
It’s been really easy to take apart and clean as well. There are only two parts of the blade, making it simple to remove. I can reach and clean all parts of the jug with a brush, so I don’t have to worry about food particles getting stuck and eventually turning mouldy. I had also considered the Baby Brezza One Step Glass Baby Food Maker. However, having read the reviews, I decided against it as it looked like some people found it a bit hard to clean some areas thoroughly.
What I’m Not A Huge Fan Of
There are a few things that could use some improvements on the BEABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Blender. The spout on the jug isn’t covered by the lid attached to the machine. I didn’t notice this before as the spout sits facing away from you when the jug is in the locked position.
I found out that it was uncovered when trying to make a smoothie and some of it came flying out while using the blend function. My only solution to this at the moment is to hold a towel over the uncovered spout to stop ingredients from flying out. It does look like you can purchase a mixing lid. However, the part that covers the spout has gaps in it, so I’m not sure how effective it’ll be.
The steamer basket and jug are made of plastic, which I’m not a huge fan of. The steamer basket gets stained when cooking certain foods like sweet potato and pumpkin. In an ideal world, I would have liked a stainless steel steam basket and a glass jug. However, the plastic parts are BPA-Free and phthalate-free, so that at least provides me with some reassurances that there wouldn’t be harmful chemicals going into the food. The only other thing I’d like to see is to how durable these parts will be over time.
With the blender, I’ve needed to open the lid a few times to mix the ingredients around with the included spatula so that it blends properly. Without doing that, the ingredients pool on the outer part of the jug that the blades don’t reach. Not a major issue, but a bit of a hassle.
Having said that, these aren’t deal breakers for me and are just minor inconveniences.
Conclusion
The BEABA Babycook Solo Baby Food Blender is one of the best baby food makers and has probably been one of the best baby-related purchases I’ve made. It has definitely made things a bit easier for me and frees up my time to focus on other things instead of worrying about the pot on the stove.
It’s also a bonus that it looks beautiful sitting on our kitchen countertop. If you’re wanting to cook even more food at one go for freezing, there’s the BEABA Babycook Duo 4 in 1 Baby Food Maker that gives you double the capacity.
