In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

BEABA Babycook Review

Harder to use option that requires food transfer and may hide rust or mold you can't see
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BEABA Babycook Review
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Price:  $160 List
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Manufacturer:   BEABA
By Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz  ⋅  May 19, 2017
52
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#8 of 9
  • Puree Quality - 35% 5.8
  • Ease of Use - 30% 5.1
  • Health/Safety - 20% 4.8
  • Ease of Cleaning - 15% 4.8

Our Verdict

The BEABA Babycook is a steam and blender baby food maker with two containers for cooking and pureeing. This product scored below-average and disappointed in key tests like puree quality and health and safety. While the idea of an all-in-one product is attractive, this option requires transferring the food from the cooking to the pureeing containers. This means an extra step for parents that is similar to stovetop cooking and transfer to blend. Considering that this product is not the easiest to clean, you can't see inside the steam tank, and the health concerns related to cooking in plastic, we do not think the BabyCook is the best use of time or money.
REASONS TO BUY
Dishwasher safe parts
Safety lock
REASONS TO AVOID
Higher price
Hard to clean steam tank
Poor puree quality

Compare to Similar Products

 
beaba babycook
This Product
BEABA Babycook
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Baby Food Maker
Top Pick Award
Healthy Glass Choice
Best Value Award
Budget-Friendly Puree
Top Pick Award
Best for Travel-Friendly
Price $160 List
$159.95 at Amazon
$110 List
$100.00 at Amazon
$110 List$50 List$12.00 List
$12.09 at Amazon
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Bottom Line Harder to use option that requires food transfer and may hide rust or mold you can't seeAn excellent blender that may take up kitchen space but is worth the expense given its multiple positives, including puree quality, ease of use, and capacity to create large batchesA Boroclass pitcher blender that is worth consideration given its acceptable puree quality, eco-health properties, and ease of cleaningSimple, inexpensive, and versatile, this unit makes baby food in a snapA muscle-powered food maker that mashes food and is portable, but does not produce puree quality like machines
Rating Categories BEABA Babycook NutriBullet Blender Oster Pro 1200 Blender Sage Spoonfuls Pure... OXO Tot Food Masher
Puree Quality (35%)
5.8
9.3
8.0
7.4
2.9
Ease of Use (30%)
5.1
8.2
8.0
7.7
5.9
Health/Safety (20%)
4.8
8.4
9.9
8.7
7.6
Ease of Cleaning (15%)
4.8
8.0
9.5
7.3
9.0
Specs BEABA Babycook NutriBullet Blender Oster Pro 1200 Blender Sage Spoonfuls Pure... OXO Tot Food Masher
Capacity 4.7 Cups 8 cups 6 cups Not Listed for Food Processor, N/A for Immersion Blender Not Listed
Footprint Medium Large Large Small Small
Steam Yes No No No No
Settings Blend Blend, Puree Blend, Puree Blend, Puree Blend, Mash
Special Features Steam, Reheat None None None
Included Accessories (1) Spatula, (1) Recipe/Menu Booklet, (1) Mixing Lid/Smoothie Filter Tamper, Recipe Booklet (1) 6 cup Pitcher, 24 oz. Smoothie Cup with Lid HomeMade Essentials Package Available with (1) Recipe Book, (6) Glass 4oz Storage Jars, (60) Labels, (1) Immersion Blender with Food Processor Attachment and Pocket Guide (1) Lid
Available Accessories Rice, Pasta & Grain Insert, Babycook Book - New Edition, Kid Cookbook, Mum Cookbook Yes None Sage Baby Eco Steamer, Sage Spoonfuls - Simple Recipes, Healthy Meals, Happy Babies; Sage Spoonfuls Pocket Guide, Assorted Storage Jars, Pouches, Snackie and Munchie Bag Sets None

Our Analysis and Test Results

Since 1989, BÉABA (pronounced bay-ah-buh), an international company, has created products for the juvenile industry with technology, safety, functionality, design, and parents' needs in mind. In 2012, they formed the Peek-A-Boo holding company and began acquiring other baby-related brands. Today, BÉABA is expanding into other categories of the juvenile industry.

Performance Comparison



beaba babycook - while fruits tend to blend smoothly in the babycook, other food...
While fruits tend to blend smoothly in the Babycook, other food types struggled to blend consistently, and left many larger chunks behind.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Puree Quality


The Babycook earned an average score for puree quality.

beaba babycook - pureeing rice in the babycook created a blend that still had visible...
Pureeing rice in the Babycook created a blend that still had visible pieces of intact rice.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

The puree consistency is where many of the food makers struggled, and the Babycook also had difficulty. For many of the food products, we tested the Babycook managed a smooth puree or only smaller bits and some skins still intact. This would be acceptable for slightly older babies but might cause problems with first-timers learning to eat.

Sweet potato
Sweet potato

It did struggle with some of the foods like kale, rice, and pasta. It seems like pasta should be soft enough to be easily blended, but it still had fairly food size pieces in the final product. The Babycook did its best work with fruits but oddly not bananas and avocado, which are already pretty soft and should, in our mind, blend smoothly with ease.

beaba babycook - the babycook earned an average score for ease of use.
The Babycook earned an average score for ease of use.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Ease of Use


The Babycook earned an average score for ease of use.

beaba babycook - the babycook has a maximum capacity of about 4.7 cups which could...
The Babycook has a maximum capacity of about 4.7 cups which could produce enough for more than one meal.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

The Babycook has two settings: steam and blend. The product has six parts, and it takes an average amount of time for the food to be processed and ready to eat compared to the competition. It can make up to 4.7 cups at one time, which is nice and means you will have meals for the future.

beaba babycook - the beaba blending process consists of 5 seconds on and 5 seconds...
The BEABA blending process consists of 5 seconds on and 5 seconds off to avoid motor burnout. This on/off process is annoying and frustrating given that many modern day blenders do not have this kind of limitation.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Unlike some of the competition, this food maker requires transferring the cooked food and remaining liquid from the steamer to the blender. The process isn't complicated, but we had trouble getting the blender to consistently sit on the machine. It took us several tries every time, which grew annoying.

beaba babycook - the user interface on the babycook is a twist knob for blending and...
The user interface on the Babycook is a twist knob for blending and a push button for steaming.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Blending is done by twisting the knob and is a 5-second pulse on and 5 seconds off process. However, we feel confident that technology has come far enough for a blender to run consistently without fear of motor overheating and wish all the food makers allowed this.

beaba babycook - to help avoid steam related burns or contact with moving blades, the...
To help avoid steam related burns or contact with moving blades, the Babycook has safety locks that prohibit use unless the lid and container are locked in place.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Health and Safety


The Babycook earned a below-average score for health and safety. The directions for this product mention it should run three times through the steam cycle before use. We assume this reduces the occurrence of artificial tastes being introduced to food. We followed the directions and had no problems with plastic, chemical, or metal after taste, which we found with some other steamers. The Babycook has a stainless steel water reservoir, and the containers are free of BPA, lead, and phthalate. However, we caution parents that even BPA-free plastic has been shown to potentially leach chemicals into food, especially when the plastic is heated. We would prefer the containers to be glass, but we do like that the reservoir is stainless steel instead of plastic.

There is some concern about mold or other problems related to the water tank's inaccessibility, which you can't even really see into, much less clean properly. Users reported a brown film developing inside the chamber that they could not reach or even verify that the tank is cleaned thoroughly, given the small water hole's limited access. This inaccessibility feels like a design error and indicates that at some point, you may need to toss the product due to lack of cleanliness.

The Babycook has some safety features, but given that you need to transfer food from the cooking container to the blender, there is still a chance of burns from the steam that escapes upon transfer. You can wait until the food cools, but most parents will probably want to transfer and blend right away. The best way to avoid burns is to avoid locking the lid with the palm of your hand, which might be the most intuitive way to operate the container.

Other safety features include locking the bowl to operate by pressing on the heat-resistant zone on top of the locking arm. If the bowl is not locked correctly, the product will not turn on.

beaba babycook - daily cleaning of the babycook isn't too difficult with the majority...
Daily cleaning of the Babycook isn't too difficult with the majority of parts being dishwasher safe. The descaling and cleaning of the steam tank are by far more difficult.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff

Ease of Cleaning


The Babycook earned a slightly below-average score in this metric, mainly due to the water tank and its small opening that prevents thorough cleaning. The steam tank descaling uses vinegar and water or Babycook cleaning products when the steam button turns red. Our concern is that since you can't see inside the tank and can't scrub the inside, ensuring it is appropriately clean will be challenging.

Also, when we used the Babycook the first time, it leaked out of the bottom near the blade area, and it was difficult to clean because the area is too narrow for fingers to fit in.

With that said, this machine's everyday cleaning isn't too bad, with all of the parts being dishwasher safe, including the bowl, lid, basket, mixing cover, and blade. However, BabyGearLab recommends handwashing plastic items to help prevent possible degradation of the plastic that can occur when repeatedly heated in a dishwasher.

Manufacturer Video



Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz