Beaba Babycook Pro2X

If you had asked me before I had kids if I would be making my own baby food, I wouldn’t have even considered it an option. I’m not much in the kitchen, and it just seemed like a whole lot of chopping and steaming and pureeing and whatnot. But then I started realizing all the great benefits to preparing my baby’s meals myself, and I got curious. With a baby that was nearing 6 months old and a chance to test out the Beaba Babycook Pro2X, I was prepped for action on the homemade baby food front.
The Babycook Pro2X is an expanded version of the original Babycook, with two bays for steaming instead of one. Right away a positive for me of the Babycook Pro2X was the fact that it steamed and blended the food all in one machine. There’s nothing more appealing than a device that takes steps out of a process for a busy mom. Also fantastic—the Babycook was designed so that anyone could use it with only one hand. If you’ve ever tried to make dinner with a baby around, you know why this is an amazing feature. Sure enough—the process (after chopping, of course) only took one hand. There is a special spatula that fits into the spaces atop the steam baskets, so that you simply slide it in and lift the basket out with one hand. A great idea.
I started with sweet potatoes. After washing, peeling and cubing them, I put them in the two containers on either side of the Babycook Pro2X for steaming. Embarrassingly, it took me a few minutes to figure out where the electrical cord went into the machine so it could be turned on. (FYI, it’s on the bottom.) I was impressed with the amount of sweet potatoes I could steam at once. The manual states that it can make “over 9 cups of food at one time,” and though I didn’t measure it, it is a sizable amount. This is great for when you’re on a stocking up spree and want to make a big batch to freeze for easy access later on. The (comprehensive) manual tells you how much water to use for what you’re making, and you set the steamer for the correct amount of time and the Babycook Pro2X does the rest, steaming to perfection.
After steaming (the machine beeps and auto shuts-off, a huge bonus), the food is then transferred from the steam basket to the outer basket for blending. Worth mentioning is the fact that the Babycook Pro2X only blends on one side—both sides do not blend. Once in the blending side, the food is pureed by turning the knob on the front and holding for a few seconds and then repeating for as many times until the desired consistency of your food is reached. My guy was just starting solids when I was trying this out, so I blended several times, and even added back in some of the water from the steaming (so the nutrients were all there!) to make it extra smooth.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how much yield I could get from only about 20 minutes with the Babycook Pro2x. Afterward, I just tossed the parts in the dishwasher (hooray) and stuck my creations in the freezer to be pulled out and used over the coming week.

And I discovered the Babycook Pro2X is good for other uses, too—smoothies turn out great, and it’s definitely our guacamole go-to. (And I can make both at the same time!) My older kids really love homemade applesauce with cinnamon now. So even after my littlest is beyond the puree stage, we’ll still be able to get some use out of the Babycook Pro2X, which, in my opinion, increases its value.
Price: $200
To buy: williamssonoma.com