So Easy Baby Food Basics: Homemade Baby Food In Less Than 30 Minutes Per Week by Shakil Ahamed - HTML preview

Getting Started Making Baby Food

Choosing Fruits and Vegetables  for Homemade Baby Food

You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables to make baby food. Buying canned or frozen food is easy, but choosing fresh produce can be tricky. Here are some shopping tips for picking the freshest items at the market:

• Choose fresh-looking fruits and vegetables that are not bruised, shriveled, moldy, or slimy.
• Don’t buy anything that smells bad.
• Don’t buy packaged vegetables that have a lot of liquid in the bag or that look slimy. Some fruits, such as fresh-cut pineapple, will have liquid in the bag, and that’s okay.
• Buy only what you need because most fruits and vegetables are not “stock-up” items. Some, such as apples and potatoes, can be stored at home, but most items should be used within a few days.
• Handle produce carefully at the store. Keep produce on top in your shopping cart (heavy items on top will bruise fruits and vegetables, and raw meat products might drip juices on them). Set produce gently on the checkout belt so it doesn’t bruise. Some items that may seem hardy, such as cauliflower, actually are very delicate and bruise easily.
• Wash produce just before you use it, not when you put it away.

Cooking Steps for Making Baby Food

1. Prep: Wash, chop, and peel fresh fruits and vegetables if necessary. If you are using frozen foods, simply open the package. If you are using canned foods, pour them into a colander or strainer and rinse in cold water for one minute and skip to the puree step.

2. Cook: You can cook the food in the microwave or use the stovetop to steam it. Cooking times are listed on each recipe. If a fork slides easily into the food or it can be mashed with a fork, it is ready for the next step.

3. Puree: Pour the cooked food and the juices into a blender or food processor and puree. This is the most important step in making baby food. The food should be soft and smooth for your baby.

4. Freeze: Pour the pureed food into ice cube trays and cover them. Put them in the freezer for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.

5. Pop and Store: Write the type of food and the date on a freezer storage bag. Remove the baby food trays from the freezer and quickly run hot water over the back of the tray. Twist the tray to pop the baby food cubes out and into the freezer storage bag. Place the storage bag in the freezer. Frozen baby food cubes will keep fresh for 2-3 months in the freezer.

Serving Homemade Baby Food

Baby food should always be served cool, slightly warm, or at room temperature. It is easy to get ready for a meal. Simply select baby food cubes from the freezer and place them in a dish. You can use one of these methods for thawing:

• Refrigerator: Thawing food in the refrigerator is the easiest method but requires planning ahead. Simply place a covered dish containing food cubes in the refrigerator. In about 3 to 4 hours, they will thaw. You can warm the cubes on the stove, in a hot water bath on the counter, or in the microwave.
• Microwave: Thawing food in the microwave is fast. Simply place a microwave-safe dish containing food cubes in the microwave and defrost them. Some foods defrost faster than others do. Defrosting two dishes of food at once may take a little longer.

*Warning: Microwaves create hot spots in food. When using a microwave to thaw or warm baby food, stir the food well before serving. Always check the temperature of the food before serving. Food that is too hot to eat can be cooled quickly by placing it in the freezer for a few seconds.

Thinning and thickening baby food

Most baby food should be a smooth texture. Different foods will have slightly different textures. For example, zucchini tends to be runny, and sweet potatoes are thick. Once your food cubes are thawed and ready to serve, you may decide that the consistency is not quite right and want to change it. You can mix different foods together to get the right texture or you can try one these tricks:

Thickeners: The quickest way to thicken baby food is to add vitamin- fortified dry cereal to it. This adds more vitamins to your baby’s meal. Mashed banana, silken tofu, and yogurt are also great thickeners and appeal to many babies.

Thinners: The best way to thin baby food is to add breast milk or formula. Your baby is familiar with the taste of either breast milk or formula. Either of these thinners provides a good vitamin supplement to a baby’s meal.