This chapter will outline the simple and almost effortless methods of cooking, preparing, storing, and even heating and serving homemade baby food. Making baby food is as easy as baking or steaming food and then pureeing and storing it for future feedings. The basic methods outlined are used for all types of foods and recipes that you will turn into fresh and tasty homemade baby foods!
Cooking the foods that you have chosen to make for your baby is the first step in making homemade baby food. You may steam, bake, microwave, or boil the foods in a scant amount of water. Steaming and baking will help to maintain the most nutrients and allow you to whip up large batches of foods at one time. Big-batch cooking is a time-saver, and “exploiting your oven” whenever possible is highly recommended.
Salt and sugar are never needed when making baby food. Tasty spices and herbs such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, basil, tarragon, garlic powder, pepper, and the like may be introduced as early as seven months with your pediatrician’s consent.
You may also use a microwave to cook your baby’s foods if you plan to puree and store only a small amount to use for a few days at a time. Remember that it is always best to microwave foods in glass containers, not in plastic. Research indicates that plastic may leach chemicals when heated. Many parents prefer not to use a microwave (I am not a big fan of cooking this way), and I suggest that you make steaming or baking the preferred method of cooking foods for baby.
There’s gold in that liquid! Be sure to set aside the liquid that the vegetable/fruits were cooked in because it contains a wealth of nutrients. (Do not use reserved water from carrots or other high-nitrate veggies for a baby under seven months old. Read more about nitrates here.) You may also thin homemade baby food with formula, breast milk (not previously frozen breast milk if you will be freezing the baby food), plain water, or a splash of natural fruit juice; the choice is yours.
Once foods are cooked and have cooled a bit, add them in small increments to the machine you have decided to use for pureeing. Use the cooking liquids you have set aside to create a thin puree. Remember that this liquid helps to return any nutrients that may have leached into the water during cooking.
For any type of machine you may use to puree, the secret to fewer lumps and bumps lies in how much food you put in the container baskets to begin with. No appliance will do a good job of pureeing or blending uniformly if it’s overstuffed. Fill the containers less than half-full and add a scant amount of liquid to begin.
Set your machine to puree or grind or chop and then process the vegetables or fruits. As you are pureeing or blending the food, slowly add the liquid you have decided to use.
Using breast milk or formula to thin the foods gives them a nutritional boost and adds a familiar taste for baby. But if you plan to thin your baby food first and then freeze it for later use, bear in mind the following regarding each of these liquids as thinners: First, if you want to thin with breast milk, do not use any that was previously frozen; the process of thawing and refreezing breast milk depletes its nutritional properties. Second, while it’s fine to freeze the baby puree you make using formula as a thinner, the formula by itself must never be frozen, not in bottles or cans (whether you’ve mixed it yourself or bought the pre-mixed type); as the formula companies note, this causes a separation of the fats from the liquid and the texture (and quality) will suffer.
Many parents who freeze their baby food prefer not to thin it until later, after they have thawed whatever amount they wish to use. Thinning the foods right before they will be served to your little one allows you to use any liquid you wish. (Of course, pureeing baby’s foods without adding any liquids at all is also a fine option.)
There may be times when the puree you have made is too thin and runny or the foods thaw to a thin or runny texture. If you want to thicken the puree, consider adding commercial baby cereal, yogurt, cooked rice or oatmeal, or even another fruit or vegetable such as banana or sweet potato. There are no “rules” as to how thick or how thin your purees should be; let your baby’s age and stage be your guide.
If you would like to store your homemade baby food in the refrigerator, use an airtight plastic or glass container. Many pediatricians and health and food safety experts recommend refrigerating fresh pureed homemade baby food no longer than forty-eight hours (many food safety authorities say that seventy-two hours is fine). This ensures that bacteria growth in the puree is kept to a minimum and that the food does not take on the “taste of the fridge” (a stale or “off” taste and smell that comes from sitting too long in the refrigerator).
If you do not plan to freeze your homemade pureed baby food, try to make the purees on a daily, or every-other-day, basis to ensure top quality. To simplify this process, cook in batches and freeze in unpureed portions. For example, you could bake one sweet potato and then freeze one half without pureeing it. Puree the other half of the sweet potato for two days’ worth of meals. This will help cut down on waste and allow you to maintain quality and food safety. If you do make small batches and store in the refrigerator, do not feed your baby from the container and then re-store. Saliva may contaminate the food and bacteria may evolve. Always take the portions you will serve from the container and transfer to a feeding bowl.
There is a drawback to making homemade baby food on a daily/every-other-day basis: If you are just beginning to introduce solid foods, you will not be able to determine if your baby has a true dislike for a food until much later. This could lead to wasted food. Experts say that it takes an infant between fifteen and twenty-one instances of trying a food before a true like or dislike is established. When you use the freezer method for storing purees, you will be able to try a rejected food over (and over) again without having to make and possibly waste the same food again.
Once you have a nice thin baby food puree that is acceptable to your baby, you will then transfer the puree into ice cube trays for freezing/storage. Fill each cube with the puree, as though you were filling the tray with water to make ice cubes.
Cover the tray tightly with plastic wrap (foil is not recommended, as shards of the foil may be left on/in the food cubes) and put it in the freezer. Repeat this process until you have filled all the trays and no puree remains. Tupperware and OXO are two brands that make great ice cube trays that come with lids (if you would prefer getting trays with lids). Prices typically range from $4 to $7 per set.
Frozen baby food cubes should be used within a month of freezing for optimal nutrient retention. You may store the food cubes for as long as three months if you need to, in a regular freezer, and up to six months in a deep freezer.
Parents have often asked me about the safety of freezing baby food in recycled glass jars rather than in ice cube trays. I always reply that you should never freeze foods in glass not labeled for freezing! Apologies for “screaming” out this warning, but it is very important that you do not freeze your homemade baby foods in glass containers that are not labeled safe for freezing. Glass that is not manufactured specifically for freezing could crack, leave behind microscopic shards or fragments, or even burst. Many people do freeze their homemade baby food in recycled baby food jars and have not had any issues, but that does not mean the process is safe. Commercial baby food companies do not recommend freezing the glass, nor do they recommend freezing the plastic containers. Neither type of container has been manufactured to withstand extreme fluctuations in temperature. You’re making baby’s food so he can have the best nutrition possible; why take a risk by freezing his foods in jars? If you prefer to freeze homemade baby food in glass, please use jars that are manufactured specifically for freezing.
Once the cubes of puree have set and are frozen, remove the trays from the freezer and transfer the cubes into freezer bags. Using a Sharpie or other type of permanent marker, label the freezer bag with the date of preparation as well as the type of food. Labeling is essential, because in this form you will not be able to distinguish between carrots and sweet potatoes or between green beans and peas. When it is time to feed baby, you simply take out the number of food cubes needed, thaw, and reheat.
Helpful hint: Each baby food cube is equal to approximately 1 ounce of food, and there are approximately 2 tablespoons per ounce.
Freezing baby food purees is the most recommended method of storage to ensure optimal food safety (and convenience). Even parents who strictly follow the four-day-wait rule and feed only one type of food at a time find it easier to cook and freeze in bulk than to cook every few days.
Baby food cubes may safely remain in the freezer from three to six months, but using them within one to three months is most prudent. Owing to the amount of water crystals that tend to build up on baby food purees, causing nutrients to leach or evaporate upon thawing, it is best to use your frozen baby foods cubes as soon as possible. Many food safety experts such as those at Clemson University and agencies like the FDA and USDA issue guidelines that note that most fruits and veggies will keep from eight to twelve months in the freezer, but these guidelines are for fruits and vegetables that have not been cooked and turned into purees. If you’re interested in seeing them anyway, see here of Appendix IV for details on where to find them. Moreover, such recommendations assume that the freezer remains at a constant subzero temperature. Be sure to put homemade baby food in the back of the freezer for optimal quality; anything stored in the door of the freezer may be subject to temperature fluctuations each time the door is opened. Storing foods in a deep freezer is best should you wish to keep them for a long period of time.
Don’t be alarmed if you see ice crystals on your baby food cubes. Ice crystals will form as the excess liquid used to make the puree rises and freezes at the tops of the cubes. These crystals are often mistaken for freezer burn, but their presence is not dangerous and will not make the foods inedible.
Crystals on frozen baby foods are not freezer burn but a result of excess liquids being frozen. Freezer burn looks like grayish brown spots on the frozen item. It appears as a leathery-type texture and is easily noticeable.
While the professional food safety jury is still divided, here is the most highly recommended food safety advice on storing foods:
Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods promptly. Harmful bacteria can grow rapidly if foods aren’t properly cooled. It is important to store perishable foods within two hours of purchasing or preparing them. If the room temperature is above 90 degrees, refrigerate perishable foods within one hour. Freeze ground meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish if you don’t expect to eat it within two days, and freeze beef, veal, lamb, or pork within three to five days.
Some say that immediately transferring hot foods to the freezer is not good because it will affect the temperature of the foods around it and possibly the temperature of the whole freezer. I recommend transferring cooked food to the fridge and then packaging it for freezer storage within two to three hours. You may safely leave prepared foods in the fridge for up to forty-eight hours (seventy-two hours max), so it is up to you whether you want to immediately move your foods to the freezer. If you decide to leave the food in the refrigerator for a few days before freezing it, make a note that you have food in the refrigerator that needs to be frozen. There have been a few times that I have forgotten about the food I needed to transfer to the freezer, and sadly, I could not offer it to my babies. If this happens to you, all is not lost, as you should be able to find some use for the food: toss it into a pasta sauce or a smoothie, for example.
There are several ways to safely thaw and heat homemade baby food, which we’ll talk about here. The method that you choose is entirely up to you, but please test the temperature of any food you will be serving to your baby so that baby does not accidentally burn her mouth or tongue!
Using the microwave to thaw and/or heat baby food is by far the fastest and simplest method. Take out the amount of food needed and place it into a bowl. Always thaw and warm baby food cubes in a glass bowl rather than in plastic containers, as research indicates heating glass in the microwave is safer. Heat the food in small intervals so that you have better control over the temperature, and be sure to stir the food well in between to avoid any hot pockets that might burn your baby. Many parents do not like to use the microwave for a variety of reasons; it’s up to you to decide what is right for you and your baby.
Do not feed your baby from the food container and then reuse the container or food that baby has been fed from. Saliva may contaminate the food, and bacteria may evolve. Always take the portions you will serve from the container and transfer to a feeding bowl.
If you do not wish to use a microwave to thaw your baby food cubes, thawing the baby food cubes in the refrigerator overnight is a good option. Thawing in the refrigerator may take up to twelve hours, so be sure to plan accordingly; for example, you might wish to take the food cubes out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator one day in advance of planned meals. Be sure that the cubes are kept in a closed container and not in an uncovered bowl.
Another great way to thaw and even heat homemade baby food is to place the cubes in a small bowl and then place that bowl in a larger vessel filled with hot water. This “submersion” or “floating” method should take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. You can also do this with a pan of warm water on the stove. Just add the smaller (use glass) bowl to a pot of water that you have warmed; this is basically the same as using a double boiler.
Stovetop thawing is similar to the submersion method (and it too works on the principle of the double boiler). Fill a medium-sized saucepan about half-full with water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and gently add the bowl of cubes. (You could also add a steamer basket to the pan and place the bowl of cubes in the basket.) The stovetop method will thaw the cubes in ten to twenty minutes.
Bear in mind that you do not have to serve baby food hot, nor is it necessary to fully heat your thawing baby food cubes; it depends on your child’s preferences. Thawing food in any of the methods described above and then serving it room temperature is fine; in fact, many babies prefer foods served at room temperature. (Note, however, that thawing food on your kitchen counter is not recommended, as bacteria or other contaminants may get into the food.)
Homemade baby food is easy to take with you wherever you may roam. Sure, those jars might be more convenient to toss into a diaper bag or suitcase, but with a bit of planning, you and your baby can even go on a six-day camping trip five hours away without access to a refrigerator and still have homemade baby food! (Call me crazy, but I took my infant twins on a camping trip—and it actually worked quite well!)
Here are the basics. Buy a small soft-sided mini-cooler and first toss in the “traveling trio,” as I like to call it: a fork, a bowl with a lid, and a banana or an avocado. You’ll be able to mash at will whenever your little one gets hungry. The traveling trio is useful for day trips, for plane travel, and for when you venture back into the world of dining out. You can even take a small mini–food grinder/mill with you.
For trips that require days away from home, here are a few ideas to consider: Take along a mini-cooler packed full of the frozen food cubes you will need (this will require you to plot out how many cubes of each particular food you will feed to your baby during the time you’ll be away from home). If you’ve been using the freezer bag storage method, simply take out each freezer bag of food cubes and arrange in the cooler with ice packs. Since the cubes are already frozen, they should be able to withstand a journey of six hours with minimal thawing. You can also take your cubes to a hotel, as many now provide mini-refrigerators. If you have packed a large number of cubes, they should keep for approximately four to five days if stored in a refrigerator as they slowly thaw out. Be sure to start with the cubes that have thawed the most—you don’t want to use food that has been thawed for more than seventy-two hours.
You can heat and/or thaw the food just as you do at home if appliances are available, or you may thaw and heat over a gas stove or campfire via the submersion method. And don’t forget, you can always buy fresh fruits in the local grocery stores wherever you might be staying.
If you feel that toting your homemade baby food when out and about is too difficult, don’t hesitate to pack jars of commercial baby food and boxes of commercial cereal. But if you decide to go this route, I suggest serving your baby some commercial baby foods a week or so prior to your journey. There are babies who will refuse to eat commercial baby foods, especially if they have been brought up thus far only on homemade baby food.