Homemade baby food: Storage guidelines
I am nursing five-month old twins. They have been on solids for three weeks and I am making my own baby food. I have several questions. How long can I store fruits such as bananas, peaches, pears, and apricots in the freezer once I have prepared them? What is the best way to defrost the food? Once defrosted, how long can I keep a quantity in the refrigerator?
Question:Sue Gilbert
Sue Gilbert works as a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and... Read more
Your life must be full with five month old twins. Kudos for making your own baby food. An invaluable resource to you would be a copy of the book "Microwave Cooking for Your Baby and Child" by by Eileen Behan, R.D.. It is easy to read and use, relies on quick but creative cooking, and has lots of practical info, but is not in the least bit preachy. The author encourages the use of whole, natural foods in simple recipes.
Until you can get a copy of that book, the following answers should help:
- Keep frozen foods no more than two months. After that they begin to lose taste and nutrition. Besides, in a couple of months, your babies may have moved on to chunkier versions of the fruit.
- The best and quickest way to defrost is in the microwave. For a half cup of pureed fruit, try defrosting for two minutes on medium. Of course times and temps vary from microwave to microwave so you may have to adjust the timing. Defrosting this way prevents the food from sitting on the counter for too long, which might give unfriendly organisms a chance to grow. It also requires little to no planning ahead.
- Use the food the day it is defrosted, or store for one day after that in the refrigerator. Food that has been frozen deteriorates a little more rapidly than fresh food because the freezing has caused some cell damage due to expansion of the ice crystals in the food.
