You are a good Grammy and he has a wonderful mother! you miht want to check the williams Sonoma website. There is a baby food maker on the market that might help.

I made baby food for my daughter and used the blender and with good amounts. What is little at the time mean with the blender for her? I was limited to the size of the blender, but I would get several ice-cube trays out of that. I would just steam/cook/bake whatever amounts I wanted and if all didn't fit in the blender I had to run it more than once.

For meat I used the food processor to grind it and then I added the broth (I cooked it in) in by stirring it all together in a bowl. You could probably run it through the blender to make sure it is well mixed to the consistency you need. Either method is more forgiving in adding small amounts and see the results easier.

I do have a good blender that did a great job. If I had the old blender I used to have then it wouldn't have worked as good, so that could be the reason your daughter says she can only do a little at the time.

Oh don't get the baby food maker as it only does smaller amounts. I have one and I do really like it - my mother's day gift last year and I use it to steam and did back then too, but it was the limit in the amounts you could do. It is a steamer/blender combo unit, however much smaller than a regular blender and if you want to steam/cook a bunch then it isn't a good size.

I love it for steaming though and use it now almost on a daily basis as it is perfect for steaming veggies to have with dinner and the size is perfect for a single meal for 3 people.

I did check out WS for the baby food maker and I agree it would do a great job but only in smaller portions.

My daughter said when she fills the blender with ground beef, it seems to only blend up the bottom section which is why she ended up doing smaller amounts at a time. We want to stock up quite a lot for freezing. I wonder if some blenders are just better than others. Is there a way to know the difference?

Most blenders have very dull blades.

Take the blades out and have them sharpened. You can do it yourself with a metal file.

It should make a big difference.

dcarch

You say the food processor doesn't get it right.
What kind of food processor? I think I could make "bean dip" out of chicken in my cuisinart.
I would buy a chicken, poach it slowly in some flavorful boulion made from cooking onion carrots celery and maybe parsley...simmer the chicken, cut up[ for ease in poaching, then pull from the bone and process in the Cuisinart ...add broth as needed....but keep the stuff in the processor as a thick paste....it will process finer that way.
Then when it's done, mix with broth or cream ro whatever to thin to needed consistancy.
This will work with all meats.
Ground meats often have fat and bits of gristle....so best to do meat where you can cut out those things before pulverizing.
Linda C

What about the magic bullet?

Don't forget that when processing meat in the blender, you need to add a little liquid to it while blending it. The liquid with help keep the meat moving, so it all gets blended better.

You've gotten so many good suggstions here, that I don't have any to add. Amanda did have one of those baby food mills and it only did very small amounts, so I don't think that would be much of a help.

You're a good Grandma and a good Mom to help your daughter, you'll all be in my thoughts.

Annie

If the blender isn't grinding/mixing in gthe amounts you need, then use the FP first, then a blender. That might do the trick. Also, you might be able to have the butcher double grind the meat so it is finer from the start.

I have also heard that the Vitamix blenders are very strong, but also very pricey. Any one have any personal experience?

Oh you gals are all so helpful, thank you so much. I'm sure with these great suggestions we'll find a way to make food that Nate will be able to eat and like. I'm not sure what kind of food processor my daughter has but I do have the Cuisinart so I'm sure with your helpful ideas we'll find a way. I do have a wonderful daughter who is such a great mom and I'm glad to help them both. I'll let you know how it works next week when we get together. Thanks again.

When you use the food processor don't fill it more than about half full, otherwise it overwhelms it and makes it hard to get the consistency you want. It goes fast enough that a half full bowl will make lots in a minimum of time. That way when you pulse it you can control chopping the meat up just how you want before adding some broth or cooked veggies to make the .. I'll call it pate'.