To purée something means to mash, blend, or grind food until it becomes completely smooth, with no lumps or chunks left. When you purée cooked carrots, you transform them from solid pieces into a silky, thick mixture. Baby food is often puréed because babies can't chew yet. Applesauce is puréed apples.

In cooking, chefs purée vegetables to make smooth soups or sauces. You can purée food with different tools: a blender spins blades so fast that everything breaks down, a food processor chops and mixes until smooth, or you can use an old-fashioned food mill that pushes food through small holes. Some people even mash soft foods like potatoes or bananas with a fork to make a simple purée.

As a noun, a purée is the smooth mixture itself. Tomato purée is a cooking ingredient made from puréed tomatoes, thicker than tomato juice but thinner than tomato paste. Fruit purées appear in smoothies, sauces, and desserts. The key idea is always the same: taking something solid and making it completely smooth.