We have a new baby in the family and that got me to thinking about making him his baby food when he is ready for it. It just seems like the practical and healthy thing to do. I got a Cusinart Bottle Warmer and Baby Food Maker last week to review (disclosure at end of post) and I want to tell you I am impressed with this baby food maker. I made both carrots and sweet potatoes in it and it was so easy!
To do the carrots all you need to do is peel them and cut them into 1 inch pieces and add the recommended amount of water to the chamber where you would warm the bottles at. Then set it to steam and when they are cooked it turns itself off. Then you just pulse the carrots to the desired consistency for whatever stage your baby is at.
It took about 15 minutes before the machine shut itself off and the carrots were perfect! So after the carrots I decided to do some sweet potatoes. They were the perfect consistency when they were done too. I could of easily kept going but Cannon isn’t ready for real food yet so I will have to wait to practice some more. He is going to love fruit made in this.
You can cook chicken or about any kind of meat in this. I really like that it all done in the same container so clean up is minimal.
When making your own baby food a few things to keep in mind are:
1. Wash your fruits and vegetables really well before adding them to the baby food maker.
2. You can freeze the vegetables in ice cube trays and take out the cubes as needed. Microwave for 30 seconds before using.
3. The work bowl can hold 4 cups of vegetables.
4. Everything that comes in contact with the food is BPA free!
Good Luck! This giveaway is open to the US only and you must be over 18 years of age.
Disclosure: I received the Cusinart Baby Food Maker and Bottle Warmer for review. I was not financially compensated. All opinions are expressly my own and based on my experience of using the product.
Linda Loosli says
I love this baby food maker! This would be awesome for so many things!
Lisa says
Thanks for the giveaway! Would love to win for my sister
Brenda Trevino says
Pure wholesome food is so good for babies and children. Love this.
Shelby says
Great giveaway! I have a friend who just left work for Maternity leave, would be a great gift to give her!
sara says
Would you mind posting a link to this item on cuisinarts site or where we can buy it? How much does it cost? How does the bottle warming part of it work?
Mary Ellen says
It is around $130.00, I didn’t try the bottle warmer part so I don’t know. It has a compartment the bottle goes in and then you put the lid down and choose the bottle warmer option.
Tom says
I have been using this Cuisinart baby food and bottle warmer for a few weeks now and so far I really like it. The unit looks nice on the counter top so it can be left out among the other countertop appliances (very convenient). It is so simple to use! The instruction book is intuitive and easy to follow. I am very pleased with quality of this unit.
My baby is 2 1/2 months old at the time of this writing and I have used the bottle warmer many many times. I am writing this with the intent to supplement this product review and I will speak only to the function of the bottle warmer.
The bottle warmer will accommodate may bottle sizes and has instructions specific to the variations (short, tall, wide, skinny and glass bottles). This is were the otherwise detailed instructions become more of a “guideline”. I guess that is why this section of the instructions is clearly labeled “Bottle Warming Guide” (I am taking note of that fact as I write this).
It is important to understand how this unit works. At its most fundamental level, the way this unit works is the more water you add to the steam chamber, the longer the unit will steam and provide heat. With that being said, 12 ml (about 2 teaspoons) of water will take longer to run out and stop steaming than will 8 ml (about 1 1/2 teaspoons).
The Bottle Warming Guid provides guidance for 4oz and 9oz bottles with seperate guides for cool (refrigerator 5*C/40*F) formula as well as warm (room temperature 20*C/70*F) formula. When analyzing the guide, I found it interesting that the volume of water to be added to the steam chamber did not change based on the volume of the formula being warmed. A 4oz cool bottle and a 9oz cool bottle both call for 12 ml of water while a warm bottle of both sizes calls for 8 ml.
My experience is outlined below:
Following the Bottle Warming Guide
4oz cool bottle started at 40*F and was warmed to 72*F using 12ml of water as instructed. This took about 2 minute 05 seconds.
4oz cool bottle started at 40*F was warmed to 92*F using 20ml of water (8 ml more than instructed) Considering body temperature is 98.6*F, 92*F for my baby’s formula should be good. This took about 3 minutes 25 seconds.
9oz cool bottle started at 40*F was warmed to 61*F using 12ml of water as instructed. This took about 2 minutes 08 seconds.
9oz cool bottle started at 40*F was warmed to 80*F using 20ml of water (8ml more than instructed) This took about 3 minutes 28 seconds
The bottom line is Cuisinart appears to be a bit conservative when it comes to the bottle warmer and I’m ok with that. I would much rather the bottle be too cool than too warm. For my testing I used Avent bottles — 4oz short bottle for the 4oz test and the taller 9oz bottle for the 9oz test. The Avent bottles are wide enough that I did not need the included adapter ring (used for skinny bottles).
One thing I noted with the short 4oz bottle that I think is worth mention is that the plastic ring at the top of the bottle (at the nipple) gets warm because the bottle sits well inside the steam chamber. It does not get dangerously hot but it may be a bit too warm for baby’s skin. I run the bottle under tap water for 2 or 3 seconds to take the heat out of the plastic.
***ALWAYS CHECK THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FORMULA BEFORE FEEDING BABY*** Mistakes happen and if you add water to the steam chamber and then are distracted you may forget and add water again. This may lead to over heating your baby’s formula. Please use care!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Tom for this great information! I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.