How to Make Homemade Baby Food

Hi, I’m Kate Yerxa, extension educator with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Today, we’re going to talk about making your own baby food. With a little planning and some kitchen utensils, you can make foods for your baby at home. Homemade baby food will help cut food costs, provide your baby with nutritious foods and make your life just a little easier. Some of the materials you can use to make your own baby food: a cutting board and knife for food preparation; a cooking pot, steamer or baking dish for cooking; a spoon, fork, potato masher, blender, food mill or strainer for pureeing; and an ice cube tray, cookie sheet, wax paper, plastic wrap and freezer-grade containers or bags for storing homemade baby food. Canned or frozen vegetables and fruits also may be used to make homemade baby food. When using commercially prepared canned or frozen items, check the ingredient label to avoid extra sugar, salt and fat. Ways to prepare foods for homemade baby foods: Steaming or boiling are acceptable for fruits, and microwaving, steaming and boiling are acceptable for vegetables. To minimize vitamin loss, boil fresh vegetables or fruits in a covered saucepan with a small amount of water, or steam them until just tender enough to either puree, mash or eat as a finger food. For meats, baking, boiling, broiling, braising, stewing and steaming are good cooking methods, but frying is not. Cook meat until it is soft and tender and reaches a safe temperature according to a meat thermometer. Do not add salt, seasonings, sugar, butter, margarine or oils to foods for babies younger than 1 year old. Foods taste differently to your baby than they taste to you. With clean hands, equipment, work surface and fruits or vegetables, you are ready to start. Today, we will be preparing peaches. First, wash the peaches, then cut in half, remove the pit, peel and place cut side down in a baking dish. Next, we’re going to add 1½ to 2 inches of water to our peeled peaches. Now, bake for 20-25 minutes in a 400-degree oven. After cooking, the next step is pureeing. Pureeing food means that you put it through a sieve, grinder or blender to make it into a pastelike or thick liquid with a smooth texture. If you are making baby food for immediate use, use within one to two days. Store in a refrigerator at 40 degrees or less in a clean container marked with the date the food was made. To freeze in single-serve portions, try using either an ice cube tray or a cookie sheet. For the cookie sheet method, drop 1-2 tablespoons of cooked, pureed food in separate spots on a clean cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put in the freezer. When cubes or cookies are frozen, with clean hands put them in a clean plastic freezer container or a bag, and store in the freezer at zero degrees or less. Write the name of the food and the date on the container, and use within one month for best quality. Once frozen, homemade baby food can be thawed or defrosted in three ways: in the refrigerator, under cold running water or as part of the reheating process. Do not thaw baby food on the counter at room temperature or in standing water. When you remove baby food from the freezer, label it with the date and time removed. Store thawed baby food in the refrigerator, and use it within 48 hours or throw it out. Meat, poultry and fish should be used within 24 hours. Do not refreeze baby food that has thawed.