The Tommee Tippee blender and steamer combines both functions to help you make baby food quickly and with as little fuss and mess as possible. Our reviewer found it easy to use and a huge help when weaning their baby.
Tommee Tippee Blender & Steamer Review
When my baby approached the 6-month mark, I was filled with both excitement and dread at the thought of introducing food to the mix. I knew I wanted to cook my baby’s food to keep things healthy and so that I knew exactly what he was eating but, on the downside, I was heading back to work and the idea of hours in the kitchen preparing meals was daunting. I think most new parents would agree that every minute they spend with their baby is precious; preparing meals and cleaning up after them isn’t highest on the priority list!
The Tommee Tippee Steamer & Blender is a well-designed product and, in June 2016, it was updated with a new and improved jug, blade and sealing ring that eliminated any previous safety concerns around potential blade/plastic scratching issues.
There are all sorts of blenders, steamers, steamer-blenders and purée machines on the market but I found the Tommee Tippee Steamer Blender to be a great addition to our kitchen counter. It made the weaning process easier, and kept the food I made nutritious and fresh.
How to use
There are three different ways you can use this appliance: steaming; blending; or steaming-and-blending. The unit is simple to use with two buttons to select the steam and blend functions; + and – buttons to set the timer; and a power/start button. It also comes with easy set-up instructions and very helpful guidance so it’s hard to use it incorrectly.
To begin, you fill the water tank with 450ml of cold water. Then, throw your chopped-up food in the included jug and set the buttons to steam or blend. Timings are worked out per 100g so you’ll need to weigh the food to be able to calculate how long you want things to steam for but, once you get the hang of it, you can be less scientific. If weaning is going well, you can add less water if you want to add a bit more texture to the blends.
The most food you can steam in one go is 200g and the maximum steam time is 30 minutes. If you opt for a blend-only cycle, the maximum blending time is 5 minutes.
If you haven’t put the lid on properly or have forgotten to lock the water tank, the machine beeps to let you know. Once the tank is properly secured and you’ve set the timer, you can step away and let it do its job. When it’s finished, the machine signals with a beeping sound and flashing LCD screen.
Pros
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- These ‘one-stop-shop’ gadgets mean there’s less washing up; no more pans of steaming water and vegetables to transfer over to a food processor.
- Everything stays in the same container from start to finish, avoiding any cross- contamination.
- You can programme the entire process and step away to get other things done.
- The blender can be set to a range of different textures to help with weaning at every stage.
- There is a small number of parts to be dismantled and cleaned.
- It’s BPA free, which is always a ‘must’ in my house.
- The machine is delivered with two little food-storage pots for meals on-the-go.
- A helpful guide is included that details the steaming times of most common foods.
- The Tommee Tippee Steamer Blender looks smart on the kitchen counter and doesn’t take up too much space.
Cons:
- The beeping and blending can be quite loud – not ideal during naptimes or weekly meal preps after bedtime!
- Sometimes food becomes stuck on the sides of the jug so you may need to manually push it before continuing with the blending
Price
At £107 the Blender Steamer doesn’t come cheap but it isn’t overly expensive compared with similar products either. If you want to save some money (and don’t need the steaming functionality) you could consider the Nutribullet Baby, although you will need to pre-cook a lot of ingredients before blending them. You can also often find the Tommee Tippee on sale and at the time of writing it could be picked up for a much more reasonable £70.
Summary
I can’t promise that buying the Tommee Tippee Steamer Blender will make your baby a good eater, but my little one has never turned down a meal I’ve made in it. This machine has made the whole feeding process a lot less stressful – especially after a long day at work. It’s easy to use and clean, and lightweight to move, and certainly makes meal times a happier experience all around.