How to get frozen baby food out of tray

How to Freeze and Store Baby Food

On November 15, 2011 by Kelly

If you follow the instructions provided with the baby food meal plans, you’ll notice that they instruct you to place your purees in non-freezer gallon sized storage bags for pouring into ice cube trays. Then you put your purees into the refrigerator and fill your ice cube trays later in the OAMM big cooking day. What is this all about? I thought a quick run through of what this means might be helpful – especially with some pictures. I’m a visual person, so I always like to see pictures.

How exactly you freeze your baby food depends somewhat on your resources. If you have a limited number of ice cube trays (if you don’t have enough yourself you might consider borrowing some from a friend), you may want to spread this task throughout the day. On the other hand, if you have enough ice cube trays for all of your baby food you can save this step for the end of the day. So, what do you do? Note: I’m making the assumption that you are freezing all your baby food at the end of your OAMM Big Cooking Day.

Pour your puree into a gallon freezer bag. For this step you can use a storage bag instead of a freezer bag since this bag will not be going into the fridge. Squeeze out as much air as possible and lay flat in your refrigerator.
Continue to place all your purees in storage bags in the refrigerator until you have completed all your recipes. Label each bag (a sharpie works great) so you remember which bag contains which puree. Many purees look similar so you do not want to forget this step!
Place all your ice cube trays on a flat surface. Pull the first puree out of the refrigerator and snip a small hole in the bottom corner.
Use the snipped hole to pour the puree into the ice cube tray. If you’ve ever done any cake decorating, you use the gallon bag just like you would a decorating bag. Carefully squeeze the bag to pour your puree into each cube. Be careful not to overfill your tray. Only fill each cube up to the sides and not overflowing the sides. Overfilling your tray will cause the baby food cubes will freeze together and they will be more difficult to separate and remove from the ice cube tray.
Cover each tray with aluminum foil and label. Place in the freezer, making sure that your trays are level. Sometimes I use a cookie sheet to put my ice cube trays on to keep them nice and level. You don’t want your carefully prepared purees to spill!
Freeze for at least 24 hours before transferring to quart or gallon freezer bags for long-term storage. Your baby food should keep for 3-6 months. Beyond this point your food will start to lose quality and taste.

My baby food cubes are stuck in my ice cube trays, how do I get them out?

A common difficulty involves removing your frozen cubes from the ice cube trays to transfer them to bags. The simplest solution is to run a little warm water over the bottom of your ice cube tray until your cubes loosen enough. After a few seconds they should pop right out.

My baby food is frozen and stored in the freezer, how do I prepare it when mealtime comes for my baby?

Frozen baby food cubes need to be thawed either in the fridge overnight, in a hot water bath, or in the microwave. If you use the microwave be sure to stir completely to distribute any hot spots and test for temperature before serving the food to your baby.

Tips on Freezing and Best Containers

Learn the secrets to storing and freezing homemade baby food for ultimate freshness—AND the best baby food storage containers to use to ensure that you never waste what you make!

Baby Food Storage

Going through the effort to make homemade baby food really only works if you have a good plan for how to store the food to ensure that it stays fresh and that baby has plenty of opportunities to enjoy it. After making a LOT of baby food for my third kiddo to send with him to daycare, I got into a good routine of making and storing baby food—both in the fridge and freezer. Here’s how you can do it too.

TIP: You can find my favorite baby food recipes here.

Homemade Baby Food Storage: In the Fridge

You can store baby food in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. You can use masking tape and a Sharpie to label the containers with the contents and the date if you have a hard time keeping track of when you made something. (It’s definitely helpful to do that!)

Best Baby Food Storage Containers

I have a four favorite baby food storage containers that I use regularly.

1. Wean Green Baby Food Cubes

These are small, incredibly durable, and made from glass. They’re easy to clean and last forever. (Seriously, I’ve been using the same set for 7 years and they’re still as good as new!) $19.99 for a set of 4

2. Easy Lunchboxes Mini Dippers

These small containers are a perfect size for 1-2 frozen baby food cubes and they’re my go to for packing food for a baby to take to daycare. They also nest nicely when stored in the cabinet. $7.95 for a set of 8

3. Beaba Food Storage Containers

I have two sets of these and I use them regularly for larger amounts of baby food (you could probably fit 4 cubes of frozen food) and for toddler snacks. When assembled, they snap together, so they’re an easy way to stay organized. $14.95 for a set of 6

4. Oxo Tot Baby Food Blocks

This neat system is easy to keep contained in the fridge and is also made from a polypropylene body that is PVC, BPA, and phthalate free. They are dishwasher and microwave safe. $9.99 for a set of 6

Homemade Baby Food Storage: For Freezing

Storing homemade baby food in the freezer allows you to make a bigger batch at once, and then serve it to baby over the course of a few weeks or months.The easiest way is to use an ice cube tray, which has the added benefit of portioning out the baby food nicely.

TIP: Any ice cube tray will do. You can use silicone ice cube trays if you prefer a non-plastic option.

Baby Food Storage Without An Ice Cube Tray

If you don’t have an ice cube tray or you’d just rather not use one, you can place a predetermined amount of baby food into a pint-size freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, press flat, and seal. Place flat in the freezer to freeze. Then you can thaw the entire bag in the fridge overnight, or break off a portion of it to thaw.

How to Store Baby Food in the Freezer Step by Step

Place baby food into each compartment of the ice cube tray, or fill as many as you need to with the amount of baby food you have.
Cover (if your ice cube tray has a cover) and freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Pop out frozen cubes and transfer to freezer storage bags. Label as desired with the type of baby food and the date.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

TIP: I like to have a bag of sweet fruit purees and more savory vegetable purees to avoid having too many separate bags in the freezer at any given time. Then you can combine them into baby food combinations easily!

How to Thaw Baby Food

To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve. 1 cube may be plenty for a baby aged 6-7 months and older babies may enjoy two cubes.

Tips for the Best Baby Food Storage

Keep fresh baby food in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Use a regular ice cube tray to freeze, a silicone ice cube tray with a lid, or a small freezer bag with the contents pressed flat.
Store frozen baby food in a freezer storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To avoid freezer burn, try to remove as much air as possible from the storage bags.
Label your bags with the contents and the date.
To thaw baby food, simply remove a cube (or as many as you need) and place into airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Use leftover baby food to flavor yogurt, baby oatmeal, baby rice cereal, smoothies, or cottage cheese.
See some of my favorite Baby Food Pouch recipes here for more ideas on how to serve your baby food!

I’d love to hear your feedback if you have another storage technique or container that you love, so please comment below!

How to freeze baby food - Encyclopedia Baby food

Levchuk Victoria©

Knowing how to freeze baby food, you can cook and store whole batches of homemade food for a child, because this is a real find for busy parents.

Table of Contents:

There are several ways to freeze baby food - they all work equally well - but may take up varying amounts of freezer space.

All ways …

…you should prepare homemade baby food and then refrigerate it as quickly as possible to prevent bacterial growth. Any food left at room temperature for more than two hours is not safe for a child to consume and should be thrown away.

To cool cooked food quickly, you can try putting it in a shallow container - you can even dip the container in a pot of cold water to help speed up the process.

How to freeze baby food - Method 1

Thoroughly clean the ice mold and the spoon that will be used in filling each section. An ice tin with a resealable lid is ideal as it protects food from frostbite or picking up any odors from the freezer. If there is no mold with a lid, you can cover with food-safe plastic wrap. Some people use foil, although we don't recommend it as some of the foil will remain in the food!

Place the filled ice cube tray in the freezer, and - once completely frozen - place them in ZIP bags that take up less space in the freezer.

This method produces small portions of baby food that are ideally sized - typically around 30 grams or so. One cube per meal may be enough for a child to start with, but as they grow, you may need to increase the number of cubes at a time or increase the ice cube tray.

You can also make many different flavors of baby food by mixing and matching different fruit and vegetable cubes, for example, the combination of cubed apple puree with cubed carrot puree, delicious!

Which ice mold should I choose?

Some ice cube trays are specifically made for baby food and do not contain potentially harmful chemicals - but you can use a regular ice cube tray, or you might be advised to try a silicone mold, or even stainless steel trays, although the regular plastic version will do. if there is confidence in the quality of the workmanship.

How to freeze baby food - Method 2

Same as method 1, since the process of freezing baby food is the same, only silicone cake molds are used instead of an ice mold! Their flexibility makes it easy to remove food portions - plus, of course, their use is beneficial when the baby starts to eat more baby food!

How to Freeze Baby Food - Method 3

If no suitable freezer containers are available for baby food, baking paper can be used (although a little more freezer space will be needed initially).

Simply spoon the cooked baby puree onto the baking sheet to form small mounds (though note that this will not work if the puree is too thin). We cover the baking paper with cling film, freeze, and then mix the servings of food into bags, as before.

How to Freeze Baby Food - Method 4

Another good way to freeze homemade baby food is to divide the puree into freezer-safe glass jars and place them in the freezer.

However, please note that you should never freeze baby food in glass jars unless the jar manufacturer has specifically stated that freezing is safe and possible.

Jars that are freezer safe must be properly labeled and distinguished from other tins (including commercial baby food tins) that are not strong enough to withstand the expansion of food that occurs during the freezing process.

This means that the jar may burst or, even worse, there may be small microcracks that cannot be seen with the eyes, but which will allow tiny pieces of glass to get into the baby's food.

How to Freeze Baby Food Method 5

Probably the most popular way to freeze homemade baby food is to use freezer trays or jars for baby food, there are so many options to choose from!

Manufacturers, recognizing the growing trend of parents to freeze baby puree, offer special forms of baby food that make life easier, well, because there is a lid! What's more, these molds are free of potentially harmful chemicals, which is something some plastic trays for general consumption are guilty of.

Tracking the finished product

Most types of baby food - especially puree - freeze perfectly. Sometimes you will have to experiment with texture, since the freezing process itself consists in the fact that the water in the product expands when it freezes, destroying the cell walls. This is especially noticeable when the whole food is frozen, for example a frozen banana will be very soft when thawed.

To reduce the hassle of freezing baby food here are some helpful tips...

- Do not puree too thin before freezing. Keep in mind that many foods become watery when thawed (especially fruits and vegetables), adding extra liquid before freezing will then add too much cereal to thicken!

- Herbs and spices tend to lose their flavor in the freezer. If a baby food recipe calls for them, it is best to add them after after the food is defrosted, just before heating.

- Baked foods - like homemade nuggets or fish fingers - are best frozen when almost cooked but not fully done. This is because the structure of the food when frozen and thawed can behave negatively.

— When freezing yogurt, remember that it may be too thin when defrosted. Sometimes stirring it well is enough to solve this problem - but in some cases, the resulting yogurt is too thin to eat with a spoon, so such yogurt can be used in a smoothie!

- A good result is obtained from freezing rice and oatmeal, which is good if the morning is like a nightmare and there is no time to organize a full breakfast. Only cereals should not be made too thin before they are frozen .

- Many fruits - especially apples and pears - can look very brown when frozen and thawed. This discoloration is a natural and harmless result of the fruit being exposed to air, but if it's a concern, mixing lemon juice and fruit puree before freezing can solve the problem. Please note that citrus fruits can cause an allergic reaction in babies, so you can use it with a changed color!

- If you want to make your own stock of vegetable or meat broth, which is convenient, you just need to prepare a large batch at a time and freeze. It's worth trying freezing in ice cube trays or baby food trays, as discussed above - then the ideal size of small portions will be in the freezer to use as needed.

- If baby food has been frostbitten, fortunately food safety is not affected - just thaw and then cut or spoon away the affected areas.

How to defrost baby food

The safest and easiest way to defrost baby food is to put it in the refrigerator overnight before feeding. Frozen baby food cubes take 8-12 hours to thaw in most refrigerators. Thawed baby food should be used within 24 hours.

Never, never re-freeze defrosted baby food as this creates a risk of food poisoning for the baby.

Preparing baby food for the winter - Encyclopedia Baby food

Preparing baby food for the winter, which can be more difficult. Every mother wants to feed her child with a variety of high-quality, good quality food during the feeding period. But what if it's winter?

Complementary foods need to be introduced, and usually the first product is vegetables, and where to get them in winter, and fresh fruits will be expensive. Many mothers are immediately lost, this issue has not been studied in our country, few people know that you can freeze baby purees, but almost everyone knows how to make homemade juice and twist it into 3 liter jars. So young mothers should not worry, now I will tell you how I was preparing baby food for the winter.

We were supposed to start complementary foods in May, so while still pregnant, I didn’t think about complementary foods, I was sure that I would definitely find zucchini or broccoli during this period, in extreme cases I thought to start complementary foods with cereals if the baby was born before the due date .

But as food was introduced into the child's diet, I realized that it was necessary to prepare food for the winter. Of course, you can buy everything now, who argues, but it’s either expensive, or greenhouse-grown and grown with fertilizers, and we have our own garden, so you can freeze everything that is homemade.

Contents:

Always, even before the baby was born, I always froze carrots (grated, in circles, rectangular cubes), bell peppers (cut into small cubes), herbs (parsley and dill, chopped and frozen in water trays) . My standard set consisted of these three ingredients, it is very convenient to boil soup or use them for various stews, meat casseroles, etc. But with the advent of the child, I had to think about whether I really need to freeze carrots, since it is not difficult to get them during the winter, you can freeze them a little once a week to facilitate and reduce cooking time. There was no question about bell pepper and herbs, they are from the home garden, they are difficult to find in decent condition in winter. By reducing the frozen carrots, increased the area of the freezer.

Frozen baby food

Frozen baby food can be divided into two types, frozen baby food and frozen food. What can be frozen? Almost all foods that you prefer to eat. But there are small nuances, so some vegetables are best blanched, for example, cauliflower, otherwise it starts to dry out when freshly frozen, which looks scary and tasteless, I didn’t like it.

Some fruits after freezing are intended only for compote, for example, cherries, it becomes too soft, loses its shape and spreads, although the taste in compote is normal.

But it is best to freeze baby purees, but then their shelf life decreases, read more about this here.

Frozen products for baby food My freeze!

Usually, for baby food, I freeze cauliflower (the links will describe how the product is frozen), broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, green peas, green beans, carrots, bell peppers. All products except pumpkin are harvested in season, but the pumpkin can not be immediately frozen, usually, if I do not plan to cut it, it lies whole in a cool place. But if the pumpkin is cut, I try to use it all at once, as I noticed that if something is left, it will definitely disappear. Therefore, the leftovers go either to freezing, or to pumpkin juice, pumpkin puree, which is frozen and then used to make baby food.

From fruits I freeze cherries with stones, raspberries, black and red currants, dogwood, plums, persimmons, gooseberries. Everything is frozen as the season progresses, fresh, washed and dried so that there is no extra weight in the form of ice.

I definitely freeze greens, namely dill and parsley, I froze spinach this year, but stew it only for taste in the dish. I make dill and parsley separately and mixes, since not all dishes can add parsley and dill. I also have these herbs in dry form, in case the freeze ends.

Volumes of frozen baby food

Do not freeze large amounts of food, you are afraid that there will not be enough. Have pity on your labor and money. The child is small, so he will not eat a lot of broccoli or cauliflower, and you will always have potatoes, carrots, cereals and meat for making soups.