19 times puree was the smooth operator

Puree adds creaminess and whether you lean into puree, dip or sauce, we're backing these recipe delights.

Source: Rob Palmer

If the word puree has you thinking of baby food (or, worse, hospital food), you're in for a real treat. 

Pureeing your veggies or beans until silky smooth can really change up what your dish is, well, dishing up. Don't believe us? Think of a creamy mashed potato proudly topping a pie. Or scooping a spoon of pea puree to add to your mouthful of steak. Or how about hummus? The world is a better place because of hummus.

So, here we go, mashing and smashing and sieving our way to pureed perfection.

Miso magic

Add some grilled broccolini then finish with parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. Source: Adam Liaw

Eat your beans via a white bean and miso mix-up. All this nutrition-packed puree needs is a little seasoning to finish.

Brocc on

No restaurant-quality dish is complete without a colourful puree. Source: Benito Martin

Don't just top your puree with broccoli, make it. Broccoli puree is proof that any vegetable is superior when in puree form. Especially when it's served with a perfectly glazed Spanish mackerel.

Cauli'ed away

Cauliflower puree may be smooth and silky, but its deliciousness encourages rough and ready bowl-licking. Source: Petrina Tinslay

Cauliflower is the puree du jour and for good reason: it tastes just as good as mashed potato with far fewer carbs. (And if for some reason you're now craving slow-roasted balsamic lamb shanks, see here.)

Paris mash-up

Potato mash is both satisfying and easy to make. Source: Chris Abbott

Surely a good potato mash is the champion of all purees? Guillaume Brahimi certainly thinks so.

Snap it up

The slight aniseed flavour of fennel works wonderfully with most types of seafood. Source: Benito Martin

This happy snapper shows why fennel puree works so well with seafood. The slight bite of aniseed pairs so well with the sweetness of the fish.

Bloody good

Naturally you'll be serving your blood orange puree with duck. Source: Benito Martin

A puree is how you take full-flavour advantage of blood oranges. Simmer for two hours, remove seeds, then blitz them, skin and all.

Sweet stuff

Slow-roasted sweet potato mashed with butter, yoghurt and spices for a creamy and warming side. Source: Adam Liaw

Naturally, sweet potatoes make excellent puree (because they are good at everything). Here Adam Liaw has zhuzhed them with curry spices, making them twice as nice.

Parsnip pop

Now that's the kind of bed a lemon roast chicken deserves. Source: Petrina Tinslay

The darling of early 2000s kitchens, parsnip puree is sweet, creamy and extra-silky. It goes well with everything, but especially good ol' roast chicken.

Greek classic

You can also make skordalia with white beans or even bread. Source: Rob Palmer

With its garlicky, lemony heart, Greece's skordalia is potato puree done right. It makes a wonderful starter served on rounds of sourdough toast, or as a side with grilled souvlaki or roast beetroot.

Broad appeal

Mixed with shanklish, broad bean puree makes a fabulous party appetiser. Source: Brett Stevens

When is a puree a dip? This broad bean puree will tell you that's an entirely moot question.

Gold medal

Try serving balsamic roasted vegetables on a bed of hummus and you'll soon understand it's appeal across all cuisines. Source: Tammi Kwok

Chickpea puree (aka hummus) has to be one of the most beloved purees of all. It would probably have to fight mashed potato for the gold, but we reckon it would just get over the line. Baba ganoush would run a very close third.

Puree peas

Pea puree is somehow even greener than the peas themselves. Source: Adam Liaw

For a fresh take on your standard bacon and egg breaky, try baking the eggs in a pea puree and then topping with bacon and cheese. Yes, peas!

She's apples

Apples, just glorious apples. Source: Pixabay

A classic of the puree genre, apple feels as pure as puree gets. So, yes, this is one puree that could be for babies - if there was any leftover.