baby's first purees...my carrot hell!

[jumbly]

Sorry, I feel like the dumbest mother on the planet...DS has had a week of baby rice already so this morning I steamed some carrots so as to make some purees for his next adventure in the world of mushy food...I steamed them for 45 minutes, then mushed them with a metal fork, then gave them a turn around the food blender...they still came out looking pretty darned chunky...maybe there just wasn't enough of them in the blender?...I tried to mix and mush them up with baby milk to feed him but he didn't seem too impressed...and when I tried them through a sieve, I ended up with carrot-coloured milk...Is this how they tend to end up? or have I missed a trick? Are you supposed to mush them up with the water they're steamed with or something? Sorry it's such a tiny thing I know but feeling very dumb if I can't even mush up a carrot properly to feed him...

[DizzyBint]

how old is he? is he at least 6 months? then you don't have to puree at all, he can feed himself with baton carrots. much easier

[jumbly]

Unfortunately he's five months... HV advised us to try him on solids from now on...

[Kelly1978]

I found with carrots I had to add a bit of milk or the water I boiled them in to really get a puree out of it.

[DizzyBint]

have a look here

[DizzyBint]

oh right. not sure then.

[JackieNo]

Yes - add a bit of the water they're cooked in. Just a bit to begin with, and add a bit more gradually until it gets to the right consistency. But do have a look at the baby-led weaning link too.

[JackieNo]

Annabel Karmel's the queen of purees, I think.

[MerlinsBeard]

boil them instead, don't steam them and when you mash them up, use the ater that they were cooked in. It softems them as well as returning some of the vits that are lost in cooking for so long. any veg can be done the same way, if u don't fancy mixing with the water u could use rice or milk

[puffling]

You need a bit of cooking water and then keep whizzing till smooth.

[jumbly]

thanks all...I feel I may need to get another bunch of carrots and my steamer out for the lads again this evening...ah well, you've got to laugh!

[MerlinsBeard]

noooo not a steamer...cook them in a PAN with boiling WATER

[jumbly]

yes, will do

[MerlinsBeard]

its quicker and softer

[BigCookLittleCook]

Hello, I steamed diced carrots for about 10 mins (usually used that Babycook thing you see in various baby catalogues, I always fall for the gadgets, but also used normal steamer when at the inlaws for a few days). Then blended them and they were very smooth. Did not add any cooking water or milk etc. Usually used blender in Babycook but also used handheld blender thing and still ok. They did used to stain EVERYTHING orange though. Also did find DS preferred butternut squash and sweet potato in early stages, but b squash is a bugger to peel and cut...

[duke]

do a big load and put them in a liquidiser with a little milk or water and they come out really creamy. Freeze what you don't use but label it. no matter how hard you try you end up defrosting 3 butternut squash in stead of a mix of both!

[duke]

Top tip for your butternut squash peeling probs. Boil it with the skin on for a few mins then peel it, it comes off much easier.

[BigCookLittleCook]

Ohhh god yes, once they're frozen, carrot, butternut squash and sweet potato all look the same.

Good tip on the squash, will remember that if I ever convince DH to have another little un.

[duke]

Oh cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds put some guryere cheese and a little white wine in the hole and bake them in the oven till they are soft then dip yer bread. yum