Baby Food Basics - Kitchen Tools

I have had quite a few people ask me about homemade baby food in the past few weeks so I decided to just post it on my blog for everyone. Apparently I have a lot to say about all of this so I'm going to do several posts. First up - Kitchen Tools - exactly what DO you need to make homemade baby food?

- Something in which to steam Veggies & Fruit - 

A steamer basket set over water on the stove, in a glass bowl with a little water in the microwave, or even in the steamer basket in your rice cooker. I have used all three ways and they work - it depends on what you have time for. I like steaming vegetables in the beginning because it doesn't require fat like roasting or frying would.

- Immersion Blender -

 The baby food processors on the market now are really nice, really expensive, and really unnecessary. I prefer to have several appliances that can multi-task and do a LOT of things rather than having 50 uni-taskers. The baby food processor is a uni-tasker. If you don't have an Immersion Blender in your kitchen you should buy one - I use it more than any other appliance. It whips whipped cream, it blends soups IN the pot it was cooked in so you don't have to ladle it into a blender. A revelation. Milk Shakes! Single servings of smoothies! And now....baby food!! I know this sounds like a paid advertisement for Immersion Blenders but I'm not getting paid (I really should though, right??)

All immersion blenders are sold with a tall, skinny beaker which is perrrrrfect for putting 1 weeks worth of steamed fruit/veggies in and blending it to the perfect consistency. You are in perfect control of the overall texture whether it be smooth or chunky. I seriously cannot praise this appliance enough! And the price is RIGHT (I always wanted to be on that show). This month Costco is selling a Cuisinart immersion blender with a whisk and mini food chopper attachment for $20.00. I think it will be good until the coupons are over but don't wait! They are amaaaazing.

- Baby Food Freezer Trays - 

Amazon has about 100 different varieties. Get what you want. I would recommend getting some 1 oz. size freezer trays - we had 2 oz. ones and in the beginning I was throwing half of the food away because the Shrimp couldn't finish all of it. You can't save it for the next meal because it's full o' germs. The other nice thing about 1 oz. serving cubes is that when your baby gets older and eats more you can easily make flavor combinations. A peach cube? A cherry cube? Boom - peach cherry puree.

I've heard of people freezing purees in clean baby food jars - if it works, do it! I never bought them so I didn't have any of the jars hanging around my house. I found that freezing them into cubes and then transporting the frozen cubes into freezer ziploc bags worked great. 

- Baby Food Mill -

This is great when your baby starts to eat table food. You take 1/4 cup of those enchiladas you just made, stick it in the base of the food mill, and turn! Voila, a chunky puree that is super flavorful and nutritious for your baby with minimal effort on your part. When we started doing this I began to dial back on the salt and spicy ingredients so it would be more baby friendly. Terry and I can always add a dash of salt or hot sauce to our own serving. We have this model from Kid Co. It only has one grind size  which doesn't bug me - any younger and the puree would need to be smoother, any older and you can just give them the meal as finger food. Be warned that team effort is required - usually Terry holds it and pushes downward and I turn the mechanism on top. And it will grind anything. Except rocks probably. But we've never tried. 

- A Tiny Fan - 

Battery-powered, USB powered, Plug-in, or even an ornamental paper hand fan - all of these will work.We have a little plug-in one that I bought on clearance at Walmart and if I over-heat the baby's food then I just cool it under the fan until it's a comfortable temperature. Here is my reasoning - I think it's healthier than blowing on it. "Here Shrimp - have a heaping spoonful of my germs". Make a fan out of a piece of printer paper if you need one. You don't need a fan but I'm just notorious for over-heating the Shrimp's food. 

**The age that you start your child on solids is up to you and your pediatrician. There are no age recommendations listed below. This is purely a "how to" on baby food. I am not a registered dietician or pediatrician. This just worked for us. Make sure you know what is safe for your baby to eat and when.**