Introduction to Pureeing and Storing Baby Foods

Since I'm all hyped up about being more active in this space I thought why wait till next week to put up a new post, why not do it today! I've been asked for some puree recipes and I thought as a start to a series of purees I'd make a small note on how to make a baby food puree and also some handy tips on how to store your homemade baby food safely that I've collected from my time with Issac.

Preparing homemade baby food is pretty simple. With a little patience and a bit of organisation you can prepare an entire month's supply of food in one afternoon, its that simple! Read on and find out how...

Baby Food Puree Preparation

1. You can use either of the four methods to cook the vegetable/fruit - steaming, baking, microwaving or boiling.

Steaming maintains the most nutrients. Steaming, baking and boiling all allow for big batches of foods to be made at one time. You can use an electric steamer, or simply place the foods in a colander over a pan of boiling water.

If you choose to boil the food instead, then use very little water and keep any water remaining once the food has cooked. You can then use it to thin purees - that way, if any nutrients were lost into the water in the boiling process, you can incorporate them back into your baby's food.

Microwave cooking also preserves the nutrients in the food, as foods tend to cook quickly and with little water.

2. Next take the cooked vegetable or fruit and puree or mash, depending on the food type and your baby's age.

For large quantities of food, a blender or food processor is invaluable. If you don't have either, then you could push the food through a sieve.

Set aside the liquid that the vegetable/fruits were cooked in. This will be the liquid you add to make the puree. Adding this liquid also helps to preserve any nutrients that may have leached into the water during cooking. 

(Do not use reserved water from carrots or other high nitrate veggies for a baby under 7 months old. )   You may also thin with Formula, Breast Milk or Plain Water.

3. As you are pureeing or blending, add the liquid or plain water.  You may use formula or breast milk if you so desire. These liquids give a little nutritional boost and add a familiar taste for baby.

Baby Food Storage

If you've made only a small quantity of food, then place it into an air-tight container and store it in the refrigerator. Don't put it in the door - the temperature is lower there. Always store baby food on the shelves.

Store larger quantities of food in the freezer. 

The following baby food storage chart shows the length of time that you can safely store each type of food.

Food Type	Fridge	Freezer
Cooked fruits and vegetables	2-3 days	1-3 months
Meat	1 day	1-2 months
Meat/vegetable combination	1-2 days	3-4 months
Egg yolks	1 day	1-2 months

Source : Homemade baby Food Recipes

Steps to Freeze Baby Food

1. Thoroughly clean several ice cube trays. Use warm, soapy water or run them through a dishwasher cycle. You can also submerge the trays in boiling water. 

2. Spoon or pour pre-cooked, pureed baby food into each cube of the ice cube tray. Fill each cube to the top, but do not allow the food to overflow.

3. Cover the trays with cellophane wrap. Make sure the wrap forms a sturdy seal along the edge of the tray to prevent dust or other contaminants from getting into the food. 

4. Each cube is equal to approximately 1 ounce of food. 

5. Once the cubes of puree have set and are frozen, take the trays out of the freezer and transfer the cubes into freezer bags.

6. Be sure to label the bag with the date of preparation as well as the type of food. The baby food cubes should be used within a month of freezing. 

7. When it is time to feed baby, simply take out the number of food cubes needed and thaw and then reheat.

Hope you find this info useful as it has been for me when I was a new mom. Stay tuned for a whole load of puree recipes coming up soon :)

References:

Kidspot.com

Gerber.com

Babycentre.com

Momtastic's Wholesome baby food

Homemade baby food recipes