Healthy porridge for your baby
30.4.2019
Translation: machine translated
My baby porridge is made in the tried and tested saucepan. It should be easier and gentler with a baby food maker. I test the "Babycook Neo" from Beaba, but remain sceptical. Is the food maker really any good?
My little daughter is currently in the porridge phase. I personally find porridge from a jar or in powder form very helpful in between meals. Especially when there's not enough time, I'm out and about or she gets hungry sooner than expected. In all other cases, I want to spoil my little one with a delicious, home-made porridge. I can adapt the flavour and seasonality and know which ingredients are included.
Until now, I have used a saucepan and a blender to prepare the porridge. However, depending on the preparation method, important nutrients are lost in the pot. These should be retained by gentle preparation with a baby food processor. I haven't bought an appliance yet: it was and still is too expensive for me, takes up too much space and I only need it for a few months. But maybe it's time to rethink. I take a closer look at the "Babycook Neo" from Beaba.
My first impression of the maker
The packaging and the appliance look very elegant and high-quality. The midnight blue blender consists of the basic appliance, a glass jug, a blending blade, a stainless steel cooking basket and a lid. You can prepare the food either in the steamer basket or directly in the glass jug. The two control buttons "Cook" and "Blend" are available for this purpose. The former can also be used to heat or defrost the food.
The stainless steel mixing knife with double blade is integrated in the glass jug. You can remove it in one easy step. To do this, turn the black connecting piece at the bottom of the glass jug. The white ring, which creates the connection between the glass jug and the basic appliance, can be removed once the blade has been removed. This enables thorough cleaning of the appliance parts. The removable accessories are dishwasher-safe. However, frequent use of the dishwasher can cause the parts to age more quickly.
Practical test
Before using it for the first time, I cleaned all the devices thoroughly. Now it's time to process the desired ingredients. I cut two carrots, four potatoes and three broccoli florets into 1 cm x 1 cm cubes. This size is recommended by the manufacturer to ensure homogeneous cooking. I must also not overfill the cooking basket. That's why I leave one broccoli floret and a third of a carrot.
I then integrate the filled steamer basket into the glass jug, place the lid on top and click it into place. On the left-hand side of the appliance, I open the light pink lid of the heating container and add water. There is a small cooking guide in the operating instructions where you can read the appropriate amount of water for each type of vegetable. Press the "Cook" button to start the desired cooking process, which takes around 24 minutes.
In the left-hand picture you can see the filling quantity before cooking, in the right-hand picture after cooking. The food doesn't lose much volume, just a little colour. After cooking, I have to transfer the vegetables from the steamer basket to the glass jug. I close the lid again and press the "Mix" button. The vegetables are chopped. I press several times for a finer consistency. Tip: You can refine the consistency of the porridge by adding a little cooking juice.
Thawing and heating
It is possible to defrost and reheat the porridge. To do this, place the porridge in a container and place it in the cooking basket without the lid. Pour the appropriate amount of water into the heating container and follow the same steps as for the cooking programme. This is the same principle as with a bottle warmer.
Reasons for using the appliance:
Space requirement: My prejudices about the Babycook are unfounded, as it doesn't take up much more space than a larger pot.
Design: The appliance is beautiful to look at and integrates beautifully into my kitchen. It should, because I make porridge at least one to three times a day and don't want to be constantly taking the appliance out of the cupboard.
Operation: The appliance is very easy to use. The instructions are also easy to understand.
Consistency and flavour: The consistency of the carrots, potatoes and broccoli florets is firm enough that they don't fall apart and soft enough that they can be mashed with the pilaf. This is important for babies who do not yet have all their teeth. The flavour of the vegetables is good, but no different to those from the pot.
Nutrients: Cooking the vegetables preserves the nutrients better. However, you can also cook them in a steamer or pot. This is also a reason against the appliance.
Reasons against the appliance:
Mixing: If you cook the food in the steamer basket, you have to empty it into the glass jug to mix it. The pot saves me this step.
Mixing knife: The manufacturer advertises that thanks to the double blade, no pieces get caught under the blade. I can confirm that. But when I tested it, some coarser pieces collected on the edge. I have to push these into the centre with a scraper and blend again. I still didn't get them completely pureed. I suspect that the problem can be solved with more blender content and a little cooking juice.
Cleaning: I clean my pot with a sponge in a few seconds immediately after making porridge. With the baby food maker, it takes me a few minutes longer. The accessories can be taken apart and cleaned, but I find this process a bit cumbersome. If I need the appliance once or three times a day, it's no use putting the accessories in the dishwasher. It doesn't run that often. The heating container is fixed in place and difficult to clean despite having small hands.
Cable: The cable is relatively short. If the appliance is placed on the table and you need to use a plug on the floor, you will need an extension cable. The baby food maker is clearly designed for use on the kitchen counter.
Cooking process: The programme must not be stopped during cooking to avoid excess water in the heating container. Simply opening the lid briefly and seeing how much longer it takes does not work.
That's why I would like a time indication. After all, a beep at the end of the cooking process lets you know that the food is ready.
Cooking pot versus baby food maker
Can a baby food maker overthrow my trusty cooking pot? Unfortunately no. I will continue to make my porridge using a pot and blender. Probably mainly because I'm an extreme creature of habit. However, the "Babycook Neo" from Beaba that I tested surprised and impressed me in a few respects. If you can come to terms with the negative points, I wouldn't advise against buying it.
What's your take on this Do you also rely on the good old saucepan or do you swear by a baby food maker? Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you don't want to miss any tips, tricks and topics about babies and toddlers, you can follow me with just one click.
I’m the cook, cleaner, police officer, nurse, entertainer, motivator, author, storyteller, coach, organiser, chauffeur, lawyer and judge. To put it simply, I’m a mum to a daughter and not just a (Content) Manager at the office but also at home.
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