AW: I made baby food! But need help...

LisaK2b

It's actually a big accomplishment for me to make baby food and Ally LOVES it (made pear and also sweet potatoes yesterday).  I froze them in cubes and now they're in freezer bags.  How long can they stay in the freezer?  What's the best way to defrost it?  I can kind of cook, but not that great at it and don't do it often.  So I don't even know the rules of how to store things.  Am I suppose to wait for food to cool down before I put it in the freezer or refridge?  I have no clue...

Also..what are other things that I can make for Stage 1 food?  Apple, green bean, sweet peas, avocado, banana,...???

horn_jm@hotmail.com

Yay!  wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource.  I think they say to try and use it within a month, but I don't think it's a big deal to go a little over that.  I try to move cubes over to the fridge the night before.  You could always put them in a ziplock and use warm water or pop them in the microwave in a non plastic dish.

I think it's best to let food cool before putting it in the freezer.  You can put it in an ice bath to speed cooling (I think melrrr recommended this).

Some other early foods-

acorn squash, butternut squash, peaches, plums, apricots, carrots 

melrrr

Definitely let it cool, but cool it. Don't just let it sit on the counter. Put it in a bowl in another bowl of icewater and stir it until it's cold. 

Other things to do: carrots, sweet potatoes

I was usually lazy and just thawed in the microwave using the defrost time setting. 30 seconds at a time.  

LisaK2b

melrrr:

Definitely let it cool, but cool it. Don't just let it sit on the counter. Put it in a bowl in another bowl of icewater and stir it until it's cold. 

Other things to do: carrots, sweet potatoes

I was usually lazy and just thawed in the microwave using the defrost time setting. 30 seconds at a time.  

Can I cool it in the refridge? 

kreeper611

I think you can keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

So far we've done green peas (frozen - shelling fresh was going to be a PITA), butternut squash, apples and sweet potatoes.  I've also given him bananas.

This weekend I'm going to make a LOT of baby food and plan on adding carrots, pears and avacado to the mix.

kennifer7

You can store up to 3 months and i always just defrosted it by putting in a glass bowl and then in the microwave.  Also, if you wanted to go straight to the freezer i dont see any harm, i dont think you would need to let it cool off in the fridge then put in the freezer, i never did, i just would put it straight in the ice cube trays and then straight to the freezer.