Best way to puree?

[fee77]

How do i puree? I am about to start weaning my DD, but am getting lots of differing advice - i thought i would ask the people who know. Do i use an electric blender, a sieve, a muli (?) or a specially designed and rather expensive baby puree machine?

I got a little hand-held blender which was very good for doing small amounts of baby food. Still use it for making pasta sauces etc (DS1 won't eat them if they have lumps in - sigh.) Sieving is possible but a bit of a pain. Never tried a mouli.

Hi fee77, I borrowed a baby blender the first time round but found it fiddly for getting the puree out as it gor stuck around the blades. They are good for small amounts though. The second time I bought a hand blender and found this better. You can prepare larger amounts for freezing and I use it for all sorts of other dishes such as sauces and soups for dh. Easier to clean as well imo and it all goes in the dishwasher. Never tried a mouli though they look interesting. Did try sieving but takes a lot of time for some foods. Good luck.

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Ditto.. I use a handblender. Tried using the small 'baby food' bowl on my Kenwood but I also found it a pain to clean the blades.

BR

Yup - handblenders are invaluable, unless you can just mash it with a potato masher or fork (or for stewed fruit, which just disintegrates of its own accord - a wooden spoon)

My MIL raves about her Mouli - some books recommend mouli for doing things like peas or apricots that have tough outer skins, because in theory the skin will be left behind and you just get the soft puree. But frankly I always just pureed the whole thing in the blender, skins and all, and my dd was fine. She didn't start food till 6 months and didn't have anything very sophisticated till 8 months, so I guess by then she could chew pretty well anyway.

I agree handblender is fab for most things, but mouli for potatoes, peas etc

I always did large batches and then froze the stuff, and therefore found it easiest to use my usual blender. I did have a mouli, which is great for things like prunes that you don't want the 'bits' going into the puree. But a mouli is very hard work, and babies don't really need a perfectly smooth puree ... and sometimes if they get used to a really smooth puree it can cause problems later on.

I bought a Braun multiquick (about £25.00 from Argos). My 3rd (and final!) baby is now 6 months old and I have used it every day since weaning her. It's much better and quicker than a sieve or mouli. I also also use it for chopping herbs, onions, ..you name it. The whole thing, blade and all goes in the dishwasher. It purees everything down so smoothly if you want it to, but as baby gets older you just don't 'whizz' for so long so you can keep some lumps in. I started off pureeing lightly cooked apples, pears, carrots, etc..., and now have progressed to pureeing down our family meals (after separating hers before adding any salt and spices), and she eats them the next day for her lunch. Also, as Organix no longer makes 'baby pasta' I quickly blitz spaghetti into the size of rice grains (or even smaller) and her favourite meal at the moment is pasta with roasted veg (1 each of red, yellow & green peppers, a courgette, tomatoes & a red onion roasted in olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar and then whizzed up with a drop of water to smooth it) This makes loads and I freeze it in ice-cubes and have enough for 10-14 other meals. It's so easy - good luck!

I picked up a Babycook steamer at an NCT sale and it was great. They do have them in Lakeland but are rather expensive new. It steams anything - fruit, veg, meat and the acts like a mini liquidiser to make a really smooth puree. Although my youngest is now 2 I still use it for making small amounts of breadcrumbs etc!