One thing I loved about being a stay-at-home mom was having the time and opportunity to make all of Riley's baby food myself.  I'm proud to say that Riley has never had a jar of store-bought baby food because my husband and I discovered how quick, easy and inexpensive it was to just make our own.

Making your own baby food does take a little preparation and planning, but once you get the hang of it and find some terrific baby food recipes, I know you'll love the many benefits that come with making your very own concoctions.  For instance, I loved knowing EXACTLY what my child was eating.  We would buy fresh organic fruits and vegetables, steam them if necessary, and then add whatever seasonings and herbs we selected.  In the days of questionable ingredients and frequent food recalls, knowing every ingredient in your child's food is a benefit that can't be understated.

Next, we saved a lot of money by making Riley's baby food ourselves.  Being a stay-at-home mom, it was essential to try and stretch my family's budget in every sensible way possible.  By buying fruits, vegetables and meats whenever they were on sale , as well as steering clear of overpriced baby food, we were able to drastically cut our "baby food budget".

Finally, when you are the chef of your child's food, you can tantalize their tastebuds with any food combination you wish...including ones that baby food manufacturers' probably find strange.  For instance, my daughter's absolute favorite food was a combination we dubbed "mash".  It was equal parts baby cereal, steamed broccoli and applesauce.  My daughter just couldn't get enough of it and to date, I've never seen this particular variety of baby food in the store.

Beaba is a French brand synonymous with innovative juvenile products  such as the patented Babycook Baby Food Maker.  This handy countertop appliance makes baby food preparation super simple and even cleanup is a breeze.  Keep reading to learn more!

The Beaba Babycook is a one-of-a-kind, patented compact countertop appliance that functions as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby.  Quickly steam cook vegetables, fruits and meats in 15 minutes or less, while preserving their vitamins and flavors.  By saving the condensed water after steaming, you're able to add valuable nutrients back into baby's food. Puree and blend food to the desired consistency making it super smooth, chunky or anywhere in between for baby. Parents can also use the Babycook to quickly reheat or defrost precooked foods. Clean up is quick and easy with a top-rack dishwasher safe bowl and basket.

Bowl is made from unbreakable, Bisphenol-A free copolyester and the cooking basket from transparent polypropylene (PP). Comes with a 2½ - cup capacity bowl, cooking basket, spatula and recipe booklet.

I love how the Beaba Babycook truly does it all, so that you don't have to riddle your countertop with a million different devices, each serving a completely different purpose.  There are two options on the front of the Babycook appliance (steam heating and blending), yet this machine accomplishes four varied jobs (cook, reheat, defrost and blend).

To cook food in the Babycook, you must follow the included cooking guide to determine how much water is necessary to add to the heating reservoir of the unit.  Then place the basket containing the diced food you want to cook in the bowl and lock the cover tightly.  Set the front dial of the Babycook to steam and within 15 minutes, your baby's food will be ready.

Next, you will probably want to blend it up somewhat depending on your child's age and what consistency of food they are used to eating.  To do this, remove some of the water from the bowl (depending on the recipe) and then lock the bowl back onto the unit.  Simply turn the dial to the blender symbol until you get the consistency you want.

This is how you will prepare fresh food, but if you're like me, you will want to make a lot of baby food in advance for those times when it's just not feasible to make your child's food.  With the Beaba Babycook, you can reheat frozen or refrigerated baby food by putting it first into a glass or polycarbonate jar and placing this uncovered in the cooking basket.  Add 1 measure of water to the heating reservoir and warm it for the length of time specified in the cooking guide.

If you want to defrost frozen food, you must pour in 2 measures of water and go through the cooking and mixing process again.  This step can be bypassed by allowing the frozen baby food to simply defrost in the refrigerator first and then following the reheat instructions.

The Beaba Babycook is also super simple to clean because all of the parts that come into contact with food are dishwasher safe.  Every now and again you will need to descale the heating reservoir just because it comes into contact with water that contains minerals and other appliance-clogging substances.

The only part of the Beaba Babycook that I didn't care for was the size of the cooking bowl itself.  I liked making mass batches of baby food at once, so as to save me time and energy throughout the week.  Once I had all of my fruits and vegetables out on the counter, it was easier for me to just make a week's worth of  baby food at one time, which unfortunately, is not possible with the Beaba Babycook.

If you don't mind making your baby food in smaller quantities though, I wholeheartedly recommend the Babycook, for it is one specialized countertop appliance that will deliver quality baby food quickly and easily.

Disclosure: I received the Babycook Baby Food Maker from Beaba USA in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.