We all  know that making your own babyfood is the best way to feed your toddler.  You can control what goes in and the result has a pure taste that will build a broad palette from the get go.  Even organic jarred foods tend to taste like postage stamps, setting children up for a lifetime preference for buttered white pasta, chicken nuggets and fries.  But for the harried mother, steaming your foods in a pot and then pureeing them in a food processor and then cleaning up after can seem like just too much work. 

     I was lucky to discover the BABYCOOK by Beaba when my children were small.  It is a small appliamce that is a small steamer and food processor in one.  You simply put water in the bottom, insert the basket, place food in the basket and then turn the timer.  When the food is soft enough, you dump out the contents of the basket into the bottom of the unit and hit "blend".  It literally takes a couple of minutes and the small unit is quick to clean out.  I even use them for steaming 1 or 2 adult servings of vegetables for dinner.

     I know that the BABYCOOK is available through Williams Sonoma for around $150 and I believe that you may also be able to order one from the Beaba website.