When Violet recently turned 6 months we embarked on the solid food journey. And it's been 10 days notable for cute firsts (first cereal! first yams! first pears!), not the least of which was testing the Béaba Babycook. While I tend to forego lots of baby gear as unnecessary, if you are interested in -- or intimidated by the prospect of -- making baby food, you must consider acquiring this amazing tool. Read on for my thoughts about the Babycook, as well as to learn how to win a Béaba Babycook and multiportion food storage unit!
First, seasoned readers will know that I am a baby food making devotee. I made all of Laurel's purees -- which, I should note, sadly backfired on me during a vacation where I tried to feed her jarred food and she refused it. Anyway, I was committed to making Laurel's baby food but it was always a project -- involving a big pot, an old fashioned steamer basket, and the big, heavy Cuisinart. And because I had to get out these big pieces, I would make and freeze a lot of purees. And a lot of mess. Especially on the occasions where I forgot I was cooking food and burnt the veggies. I still feel a little bad thinking about trying to feed Laurel carrots retrieved from the burning that looked okay, but tasted charred. You should have seen the look on her face -- and mine -- when I tasted them.

This time around we're in a different house, have a smaller freezer, and I have way less patience for more dishes (and burnt veggies). So I have fallen in love (yes, fallen in love) with the Béaba Babycook by Scandinavian Child. Perfect for absurdly easy baby food making, simply measure the water, pour it in the tank, toss your cubed produce in the steamer basket, turn on the steamer, and stop paying attention (no burnt veggies!) -- the unit will turn off when the cook cycle is done (15 minutes or less). When you're ready to blend the produce, use the included spatula to lift out the steamer basket, pour off the reserved water (or leave it in the bowl for thin purees), pour the produce from the steamer basket to the bowl, and blend. The bowl and basket are dishwasher safe and BPA free, as are the multiportion silicone freezing units, which are great for storing. I have one multiportion unit so I freeze then pop the nuggets into small labeled freezer bags.

Given that I tend to take out freezer nuggets in advance, I have yet to use the Babybook as a warmer and defroster but it's an excellent added feature for last minute food prep. However, in my opinion the ease and efficiency of the cook unit alone is worth the investment ($150 retail). In fact, the Babycook is so easy to use that just yesterday -- while I was redeeming myself prepping a batch of non-burnt carrots for Violet -- Laurel asked if she could not only be in charge of filling the multiportion freezer unit (she loves this job), but also be in charge of cooking Violet's fruits and veggies from here on in.

My life just got another step easier.

Now, want to win a Béaba Babycook + multiportion food storage unit? Here's how:

Rules: