Boiling vs steaming baby food

Making Your Own Baby Food

Read time: 7 minutes

What to know about making your own baby food

Advantages to making your own baby food purees
Supplies you need to get started
Cooking methods to make homemade baby food
Baby food puree recipes to get you started

Once your little one is ready to start solids, the next question often asked is: Do I make baby’s food or buy it? The store offers many baby food options, but making at least some of the food at home may allow for even more variety.

With a little bit of planning and use of some of the utensils you likely already have around the house, making homemade baby food doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds.

What are some advantages of making your baby’s pureed food?

Greater control over what you feed your baby: You can use a wider variety of ingredients that are not always available in store-bought baby food. ¹^,¹⁰
Money saver! Did you know the price of 2 to 3 containers of baby food is almost equal to that of 4 to 6 pears, which can create enough pureed food for 10 or more meals for your baby?¹
May help reduce picky eating: Repeatedly offering a greater variety of foods, as well as foods the family eats (with minor changes in textures and ingredients to meet your baby’s needs), may help make your little one a more adventurous eater, even into childhood.²

Read more: Introducing Solids: First Foods & Textures

You might be worried that you need an elaborate kitchen setup and all new kitchen tools to make your baby’s purees, but the good news is that you likely have many of the tools already needed to whip up some homemade baby food!

Here is a list of some of the tools that can be used to make homemade baby food:

Vegetable peeler
Pot for boiling or steaming
Sheet pan for baking
Steamer basket
Blender or food processor
Fork and knife
Food mill
Potato masher
Strainer
Ice cube trays

Let’s get cooking!

Food Prep

Following proper food safety is especially important when cooking for children and especially for baby’s first foods. ³ Babies are more prone to foodborne illness than older children or healthy adults, so always wash your hands, rinse the food items, clean your work area, cook foods to their recommended internal temperatures, and avoid cross-contamination.³

For more specifics on proper food safety protocols, see Food Safety for Babies and Toddlers

What cooking methods should I use when making baby food?

There are many cooking options available for pureeing food for your baby. Each method has pros and cons in terms of ease and retention of nutritional value:

Steaming: A very popular (and easy!) method, steaming allows for minimal nutrient loss and the leftover water can be used as stock for pureeing.⁴
Boiling or Stewing: While also convenient, this cooking method results in greater nutrient loss into the surrounding water. To recoup these nutrients, you can use the cooking water when you make a puree or broth. ⁴
Baking or Roasting: Great for making large quantities in the oven. Baked food items retain a good amount of their nutrients.⁴^,⁵
Microwave Cooking: Super easy but mainly best used for only small quantities. Be aware that microwaving may lead to uneven cooking and hot spots in the food or liquids.⁶
Pressure Cooking: This technique may require additional kitchen equipment but retains much of the foods’ nutrients because this method uses very little water and is fairly quick.⁵
Grilling: Babies and small children can eat grilled foods. When grilling, aim for a low temperature and avoid burning or charring meats.⁷
Sautéing and stir-frying: Another fast and flavorful option!

*Note that the longer you cook a food for and the higher the temperature used in cooking, the more nutrients may be lost. ⁵

What foods should I cook for baby?

Fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats can all be cooked and pureed into baby food. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states there is no specific order that foods should be introduced.⁸

Some foods need to be avoided as they are choking hazards. Read more on Preventing Choking

Here’s how to prepare homemade foods for your baby:

Vegetables

Always cook vegetables before serving to your baby – steaming, roasting, or baking are the best methods. Once cooked, softer vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash need only be mashed with a fork or potato masher.

If the vegetable has a thick skin, like green beans or peas, push the cooked food through a strainer or sieve to remove the tougher parts. You can also just use a very powerful food processor or blender to puree the entire vegetable once cooked!

Try adding herbs such as oregano, rosemary, or dill; or spices such as cumin, ginger, or curry powder.

Try one of these vegetable puree recipes: Avocado and Pea Puree or Root Vegetable Puree

Fruits

Certain fruits, like avocados and bananas; or very ripe pears, mango, and peaches; require no cooking before feeding to your baby. Simply peel then mash them up with a fork or blend quickly.

Other harder fruits, like apples, firmer pears, and underripe nectarines and mangos can be baked or steamed to soften them up for a puree. Simply halve or quarter your fruit of choice, remove the skin, remove the core, pit, or seeds. Place the cut fruit in a shallow baking dish with about 1 inch of water in a 400F degree oven.

Bake for 20-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender, then allow to cool before pureeing in a blender or dicing for finger food.

You can even sprinkle the fruit with ginger, nutmeg, or cinnamon!

Fruit puree recipes to try: Orange Sunny Soup or Beet and Cantaloupe Puree

Grains and Cereals

You can make your own baby cereal at home using whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, or barley.

Finely grind the uncooked grain using a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender. Then cook the powder in water for 15 minutes until you get a thin, soupy consistency. You can also cook the raw grain whole, as you normally would for yourself, and then puree or mash. But this method can sometimes create a pasty consistency.

Try one of these homemade cereal recipes: Whole Ancient Grain Baby Cereal or Strawberry Quinoa Cereal

Meat

Yes, you can even puree meat for your baby using a food mill or blender. Cook the meat to well-done before pureeing (but avoid luncheon, cured, and smoked meats at this stage due to the high salt and additive content).⁹

Try one of these meat based baby food recipes: Avocado and Chopped Chicken or Ginger Carrot, Sweet Potato Mash and Lean Beef

If you have questions on how to make these recipes, or are looking for more ideas, reach out to our team of registered dietitian nutritionists and lactation consultants for free! They’re here to help on our free to live chat from Monday through Friday, from 8am–6pm (ET). Chat now!

Tips for preparing homemade baby food

Avoid adding salt or sugar to baby food

Our little one’s food preferences are formed early in life, so avoiding or severely limiting these strong added flavors before the age of one is important. In fact, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for American recommends no added sugar at all before the age of 2 years.¹²

Additionally, you want your baby to experience and get used to the true flavors of food so that they are more likely to accept them in the future!¹¹

For more on this topic, check out the following articles:

Introducing Solids – Signs of Readiness

Introducing Major Food Allergens to your Infant

Introducing Solids: Baby Led Weaning

Steaming vs Boiling; Are you cooking your baby' food in the right way?

Steaning food in right way

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Porridges, sago, dalia, dal khichdi, vegetable puree and all other baby food preparations requires the steaming process. Somehow, we are using the boiling method which is not wholly good for health of the tiny ones. Hey guys, today we will be telling you the right way to cook baby’s food.

This article will cover the following topics-

Difference between steaming and boiling
Boiling and softening food in olden days
Which one is better; boiling or steaming
Bad effects of boiling
What can be the alternative

So let’s proceed. Many of you must be thinking the post as normal and uninformative one. But only a mother will understand the importance of the topic and how it can be helpful for your child.

When you pressure cook potatoes for aalu parathas, its called Boiling it. Whereas when you steam Idlis, its called the Steaming process.

Still confusing! Why we use pressure cookers? As it cooks the food fast and softens hard things like yam, potatoes, pulses, rice easily.

When you directly boil something in the pressure cooker, its called boiling it. Whereas when you put some vessel like the bowl with the food into it its called Steaming method. Both are almost same but has huge differences.

‘Old is Gold’! This is the line which goes with everything. Same as with cooking food in our grandma’s times. Cooking food was a big thing, as they used to cook in earthen chulhas, with the burning flames of wood and cow dung cakes beneath it.

They just used earthen vessels and pots to cook food, later on, copper, iron, and steel came into existence. They used to cook dal, rice everything in the same pot which took a lot of time and patience as well.

Steaming food in the right way

In the busy schedule of today’s generations, we have to opt for these fast cooking methods. According to experts and researches were done, it has been proved that steaming food is the much healthier option than boiling it.

Although we can’t put all the food articles in the steaming method. But of course, for the baby food, we should opt for this method. It may make you feel little new, but it will have no difference in the taste and you will be satisfactory to choose best for your little angel.

Also Read: How to protect kids from Heat Bubbles and Rashes in Summer

Bad effects of Boiling:

As we said, you can undoubtedly go for the steaming method in the cooking of baby food. Now let us tell you what can be the bad effects of boiling the food

Pressure cook of the baby food takes half of its nutrients, as it is not cooked; it is just pressurized to get soft.
Aluminum has bad effects on health and regular usage of pressure cooker may lead to future health problems in tiny babies.
When you boil the food, the remaining water is thrown away which actually contains most of the nutrients in it.

How to steam the food?

From now onwards, whenever you need to prepare porridges, soups, dalia, khichdi, boiled veggies etc, go with the steaming process. Let us tell you how to steam the food. Let us suppose you have to cook sweet potato porridge for the baby.

Take a plain steel bowl and put, chopped sweet potato, a cup of milk and 5-6 raisins into it.
Now take a pressure cooker and put 3 cups of water and boil it.
As it comes to put, slowly put the bowl over it so it doesn’t sink.
Cover the lid and in medium flame cook for about 2 whistles.

baby food

What will you get after steaming?

You will get the cooked potatoes combined with milk and raisins. If you want sweeter, put a teaspoon of jaggery into it. For a fine consistency, use a hand blender to blend the food or grind in a mixer grinder.

Doing this will keep you away from the harmful microparticles of the aluminum vessel.

Hope you find this post useful. Share this with all your friends and relatives and do share your comments with us. Take care and live well!

Also, Read :

Do Pocket friendly Homemade Facial for Glowing Skin
Top 5 First Foods to start Solids to your little angel
Top 10 Superfoods to Fight Indigestion
5 Natural Ways to Lower High Blood Pressure
5 Important Health To-Dos for Pregnant Women
6 Everyday Foods That Boost the Immune System
Top 10 Health Benefits of Sweet Potato

Water for preparing infant formula: do I need to boil baby water for formula?

Glinskikh Elena

Published: 01/15/2023

Reading time:

1312

Some people tend to think that the "baby food" label on a water bottle is just a marketing ploy. However, in reality this is not the case, "children's" water is really very different from "adult". Why it is better to buy special water for the preparation of infant formula, and not to use filtered and boiled, read in this article.

What kind of water should I use to prepare infant formula? To prepare the mixture, it is recommended to use high-quality bottled water, on the packaging of which is marked "Children's". This means that the manufacturer guarantees the quality and compliance with the requirements of SanPiN 2.1.4.1116-02 *. What is included in these requirements?

The presence of visible inclusions in the water is not allowed.

The harmlessness of water is determined by its chemical composition (the content of toxic metals, non-metallic elements and halogens, salt components and organic substances of anthropogenic or natural origin).

Water safety and quality indicators are set individually for each source.

The same SanPiN notes that water can be either artesian, extracted from a well, or tap water, which has undergone additional purification. Of course, the second option is definitely not suitable for baby food (and for an adult, in general, it is also not recommended).

How baby water marked “from birth” differs from ordinary bottled water

First of all, baby water is characterized by low mineralization. This means that it contains less salts and minerals than “adult” water, in accordance with the needs of very young children. Children's water of the highest category has a constant mineral composition and undergoes the strictest quality control. You can always find out about the availability of relevant certificates on the official website of any manufacturer. If there are none, then this is an occasion to think about the quality of the product. Of course, it is better to choose the water that meets all the standards of GOST and SanPiN. The second common question from moms is: “Should I boil baby water for formula?”. In fact, baby water does not require boiling and can be used within 1-2 days after opening the bottle. Therefore, it is best to purchase water in containers with a volume of no more than 1.5 liters. Of course, in the event that for some reason you cannot get a bottle of baby water and are forced to make do with filtered water, the answer will be just the opposite: you need to boil it. It is necessary that:

reduce water hardness;

destroy all pathogenic bacteria;

reduce the chlorine concentration.

Ideally, boil water for about ten minutes to ensure that any harmful microbes are eliminated. However, most of them die already at 98 degrees, so two minutes, which are usually spent on boiling water, may be enough.

Tap water

It's not bad if your house has a direct water filter and you can get good water directly from the tap. Otherwise, you should get a filter with high-quality cassettes against hard water. So you can be sure of sufficient water purification from heavy impurities.

If you have the opportunity to purchase bottles of baby water, it is not recommended to use tap water, as well as spring water or self-collected water from other natural sources. In this case, it is impossible to guarantee the high quality of water and its safety for the health of the baby, even if it is boiled for a long time.

Infant formula water must be labeled with date of manufacture and recommended shelf life.

Potable or mix

Baby water labeled “for drinking” may not be suitable for powdered milk formula. The fact is that it contains more minerals than water produced specifically for the preparation of children's food. Such components are really needed by the children's body, but they can upset the balance of the mixture itself. Therefore, manufacturers can produce baby water for drinking and cooking or universal. The good news is that it’s almost impossible to find low-quality baby water on store shelves these days. Most of the brands do indeed meet the stated requirements, which was confirmed by the employees of Roskachestvo by conducting a test purchase and a series of tests**. However, pediatricians still recommend purchasing baby food in appropriate stores, dedicated departments of supermarkets or pharmacies. In addition, you should not take the cheapest water of an unknown brand, because in this case the marking may not correspond to reality.

Quality requirements

Recently, standards for baby water have been tightened:

It can only be produced from table natural mineral or natural drinking water.

Do not use preservatives or chlorine disinfectants during production.

Do not use production lines for the production of other drinks to fill baby water.

For children from 0 to 3 years old, it is forbidden to manufacture products enriched with iodine and fluorine preparations***.

These stringent requirements guarantee the high quality and safety of children's products.

Helpful Hints

Do not boil infant formula. Water must be cooled to a temperature of 37 degrees or diluted with pre-prepared cool water.

Purchased water is in any case better in quality than several times filtered tap water. It has less salt and no chlorine. Therefore, whenever possible, even if you live outside the city, you should purchase a bottle for baby food.

If you can't buy water, find a special baby water filter in the store. They are rare for sale, but they do happen. Such filters usually achieve maximum water purification and make it suitable for baby food.

Shop-bought water should only be stored in the refrigerator. Expiration dates before and after opening are indicated on the package. Some water cannot be used without boiling within a day after the bottle was sealed, so pay close attention to this label!

Choose your bottle wisely: it is best to buy water in glass or polycarbonate bottles (marked with the number 7). It's not even about ecology, but about the safety of plastic for a child. It is the container marked with the seven that does not emit harmful substances into the water, even after being under the direct rays of the sun.

Choosing high-quality water for your baby, you can not only ensure his safety and the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, but also make life easier for yourself: you do not have to filter, boil and cool water, since bottled water can simply be heated to optimum temperature.

*SanPiN 2.1.4.1116-02 Drinking water. Hygienic requirements for the quality of water packaged in containers. Quality control

**Study of baby water. Roskachestvo

*** Drinking water for baby food. Standards and research

Author of article

Glinskikh Elena

Pediatrician

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Article contents

What water to use for infant formula
How baby water labeled “from birth” differs from ordinary bottled water
Tap water
Drinkable or for mixtures
Quality requirements
Helpful Hints

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MBDOU "Kindergarten "Smile".

Catering in MBDOU "Kindergarten "Smile"

Four meals a day are organized in the kindergarten: breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, dinner, according to the approved 10-day sample menu.

When preparing menu , very important conditions are taken into account - the maximum variety of dishes with the obligatory introduction of all food groups into it, including meat, fish, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables in their natural form, in the form of salads, etc., as well as an exception frequent repetition of dishes during the validity period of the menu. Nutrition should meet the physiological needs of children for basic nutrients and energy.

Between breakfast and lunch, an additional meal is organized - a second breakfast, including juice or fresh fruit.

Food products supplied to the kindergarten have documents confirming their origin, quality and safety. The quality of the products is checked by the storekeeper and makes an entry in the log "journal of rejection of perishable food products". Food products with an expired shelf life and signs of spoilage are not allowed to be accepted.

Vegetables are accepted from the population. Fruits, dairy products, fish, meat are purchased at the store. Meat is also purchased from the population only with a veterinary certificate. Registration of veterinary accompanying documents passes through the FGIS "Mercury".

For the supply of bakery products, an agreement was signed with PO Mezen. Bread is delivered to the kindergarten in the morning every day.

For the supply of food products, an agreement was concluded with U Rebye LLC. All products have quality certificates. Upon acceptance, the products are reweighed and checked against invoices.

Drinking regime is organized in the groups. Boiled water is used (shelf life is not more than 3 hours). Drinking water is within the reach of children.

In order to improve vitamin status, normalize metabolism, reduce morbidity, improve the health of the younger generation, in kindergarten, in accordance with the requirements of regulatory documents (SanPiN 2. 3 / 2.4.3590-20) "C" is carried out - fortification. Vitaminization of third courses is carried out in accordance with the instructions for the use of premixes.

Vitamin preparations are introduced into the third dish (compote or jelly). After its cooling to a temperature of 15 ⁰ C. (for compote) and 35 ⁰ C. (for jelly) immediately before implementation. Reheating fortified meals is not allowed.

Every day, the storekeeper draws up a menu-requirement of the established sample, indicating the output of dishes for children of different ages.

Meal replacements for children with food allergies and diabetes.

Parents (legal representatives) are daily informed about the range of food for the child, a daily menu of the established sample is posted in each group cell.

Kitchen equipment.

The catering unit is provided with all the necessary technological equipment:

- PPU cooling chamber with a monoblock low-temperature MV 1089-1pc;

- PPU cooling chamber with a monoblock medium temperature MV 1089-1 PC;

- single-leaf medium-temperature refrigerating cabinet (volume 700 l) ШХ-0. 7-2 pcs;

- 1 refrigeration cabinet for waste;

- potato peeler complete with stand with sieve -PL-LC \ 8;

- wiping machine MPR-35OM-02 - 1 pc;

- vegetable cutter for raw vegetables MPR -350 - 1 piece;

Juicer with shredder -1 pc;

- industrial all-metal table (1200x600x850) -5 pcs;

- all-metal production table (950x600x850) -2 pcs;

- industrial all-metal table (1500x600x850) -4 pcs;

- refrigerating cabinet ШХ-1.4-1 pc;

- universal kitchen machine UKM 0.1 - 1 pc;

- cutting deck - 2 pcs;

- electronic scales - 3 pcs;

- 4-burner electric stove - 3 pcs;

- roasting cabinet - 1 piece;

- combi steamer - 1 pc;

- electric boiler - 1 piece;

- electric tilting frying pan - 1 piece;

- irradiator-air recirculator, ultraviolet bactericidal - 1 pc;

- table food warmer for first courses SB-6000 Convito-2pcs;

- table food warmer for second courses ZCK165A Convito-2pcs;

- electronic floor scales - 1 pc.

The catering unit is provided in full with kitchen utensils, inventory, and furniture.

The catering unit has: a hot shop, a cold shop, a meat and fish shop, a vegetable shop, a pantry of vegetables with primary processing, a room with refrigeration equipment for storing perishable products, a washing room for kitchen utensils, a room for cleaning equipment, a staff room, a bathroom, a pantry and a washing room containers, shower.

Production equipment, cutting equipment and utensils meet the following requirements:

- all-metal tables intended for food processing;

- for cutting raw and finished products there are separate cutting tables, knives and boards made of hardwood without cracks and gaps, smoothly planed. Cutting boards of plastics and pressed plywood are not to be used;

- boards and knives are marked: "CM" - raw meat, "SK" - raw chickens, "SR" - raw fish, "SO" - raw vegetables, "VM" - boiled meat, "VR" - boiled fish , "VO" - boiled vegetables, "gastronomy", "Herring", "X" - bread, "Greens";

- utensils used for preparing and storing food that are safe for children's health;

- compotes and kissels are prepared in stainless steel dishes. Separate dishes are allocated for boiling milk;

- the number of tableware and cutlery used at the same time corresponds to the list of children in the group. For staff there is a separate tableware. Dishes are stored in the buffet. The catering unit is equipped with a supply and exhaust ventilation system. Cleaning is carried out daily in the premises of the catering unit: mopping, dust removal, wiping radiators, window sills; weekly, with the use of detergents, washing of walls, lighting fittings, cleaning of glasses from dust and soot, etc. is carried out. Once a week, general cleaning is carried out, followed by disinfection of all premises, equipment and inventory. Children's nutrition follows the principles of gentle nutrition, which include the use of certain methods of cooking, such as boiling, steaming, stewing, baking and avoiding frying of dishes, as well as products with irritating properties. From the moment of preparation to the holiday, the first and second courses can be on a hot stove for no more than 2 hours. All dishes are homemade; are prepared in accordance with technological maps, sanitary standards.

When processing vegetables , the following requirements are met:

- Vegetables are sorted, washed and cleaned. Peeled vegetables are washed again in running drinking water for at least 5 minutes in small batches, using colanders, nets.

When cooking vegetables, to preserve vitamins, peel the peel with a thin layer, peel them immediately before cooking, put the vegetables only in boiling water, add fresh herbs to ready-made dishes during distribution. Vegetables intended for salads and vinaigrettes are boiled in their skins, cooled and cut into boiled vegetables. Salads are prepared and dressed immediately before distribution. Cooking vegetables on the eve of the cooking day is not allowed. Vegetables boiled for salads are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours.

Vegetable oil is used as salad dressing. The use of sour cream and mayonnaise for dressing salads is not allowed.

- Peeled potatoes, root crops and other vegetables can be stored in cold water for no more than 2 hours to avoid their darkening and drying.

- Vegetables harvested last year (cabbage, onions, root crops, etc.) in the period after March 1 may be used only after heat treatment.

Fruits, including citrus fruits, are thoroughly washed in the conditions of the primary vegetable processing shop (vegetable shop), and then again in the cold shop in washing baths.

Milk must be boiled before consumption.

Issuance of ready-made food is carried out after the acceptance control by a rejection commission consisting of a cook, a head nurse, and a senior nurse. The control results are recorded in a special journal.

Immediately after cooking, a daily sample of the finished product is taken. The daily sample is taken in volume: portioned dishes - in full; cold appetizers, first courses, side dishes, third and other dishes - at least 100 g.