Ok, this is not a recipe, but I really hope the video will be helpful to a lot of first time moms 😉
I’ve been frequently asked a lot of questions not about a specific recipe, but about baby food in general: how to store it, which tools to use, what to do with leftovers, ingredient substitutions….so I decided to work on short, simple and easy video tutorials in reply to your questions. Today I will share with you the first one: how to thaw frozen baby food.
Well, there is not only one way. I would love to share with you the three ways that I use, all safe and tested tons of times with my babies. They only differ in the amount of time you will need to take the baby food back to room temperature.
1 ) REFRIGERATOR – 10/12 hours
Place the frozen baby food from the freezer in the refrigerator and let it slowly thaw in 10/12 hours. The best way to do it is moving the frozen container in the refrigerator in the evening, so that the baby food will be ready to use the following morning. The baby food should stay in the refrigerator in a container with a lid.
2 ) IMMERSION IN HOT WATER – 10/20 minutes
Fill a bowl with hot water. Place the baby food in a container with a lid and than in a plastic bag (you do not want the lid to accidentally open..). Let the bag float in the water. The heat of the water will gradually thaw the baby food. Pending the amount of baby food in the bag, it will be defrosted in 10/2o minutes.
3 ) MICROWAVE – 2 minutes max
It happens, your baby is hungry and you forgot to thaw the baby food…that’s when the microwave can help you! Using either a glass or a ceramic container (I prefer not to use plastic ones) place the baby food in the microwave for 20 seconds. Open, stir, place it back for another 20 seconds. Keep doing it up until the baby food will be thawed.
Just few suggestions about the microwave: use a glass or ceramic container and remember to stir very well the baby food before serving it to your baby. That’s how you will avoid hot spots.
Ciao! b
15 Comments
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RC
April 24, 2016 at 12:39 pmI used glass bowls until one broke while heating up the food, so now I don’t trust them either. I found microwave safe, BPA free, plastic bowls and small ceramic food preparation bowls work best for us.
Barbara Lamperti
April 27, 2016 at 10:08 pmHi! I totally understand that once you have a bad experience with a product it’s hard to give trust again. My personal opinion is that if a glass container breaks, you can see it and you can simply throw away everything and try with a new one (maybe the glass was not well tempered in that batch of production). With plastic you will never see and know if some of it contaminates the food through heating. I love ceramic too, has been used for centuries in the kitchen and – so far – it seems 100% safe to heat or freeze 🙂 Thanks for watching BuonaPappa!!! ciao, b
Barbara Lamperti
April 27, 2016 at 10:08 pmHi! I totally understand that once you have a bad experience with a product it’s hard to give trust again. My personal opinion is that if a glass container breaks, you can see it and you can simply throw away everything and try with a new one (maybe the glass was not well tempered in that batch of production). With plastic you will never see and know if some of it contaminates the food through heating. I love ceramic too, has been used for centuries in the kitchen and – so far – it seems 100% safe to heat or freeze 🙂 Thanks for watching BuonaPappa!!! ciao, b
Bina
June 11, 2019 at 12:28 amHi i usually store my baby food in a big glass container and freeze it then i put in dwn in the fridege 24 hrs before feeding time and obviously my 15mths old todd cant finish all of it on that day, may i knw how long can i keep the thawed baby food in the fridge? Thku bab
Barbara Lamperti
September 25, 2019 at 6:20 pmHi Bina! Have you tried freezing the baby food in smaller containers, ice cube trays are an easy solution. In this way you will only thaw the needed quantity. To reply to your question, thawed baby food can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2/3 days pending the ingredients (meat and fish 2 days, veggies and fruit 3 days).I hope I was helpful, thank you! B
Lauren
June 26, 2016 at 6:00 pmHow long is the baby food good for once you thaw it? Like in the fridge for example?
Barbara Lamperti
July 9, 2016 at 2:06 pmHi Lauren! After you thaw a baby puree you can leave it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Always in an air tight container with a lid.Let me know should you have any more questions! ciao!! b
How to thaw frozen baby food - BabyVideos
January 23, 2017 at 9:19 am[…] How to thaw baby food – Baby food basics […]
Kalene Holman
November 5, 2018 at 3:16 amYou forgot a method. One that I use and is very quick! The stove top! I like to think this method is better at keeping the nutrients in the food in tact.
Of course this method only works if you store your food in frozen cubes that can be taken out separately.
I’ve been making purées that are single foods and then I can combine them when I thaw them to make fun and tasty combos after I’ve ruled out allergies.
Barbara Lamperti
January 7, 2019 at 11:27 pmThat’s another lovely method, thanks for mentioning it!! ciao, b
How to thaw baby food – Baby food basics | Buona Pappa – Pinterest
April 26, 2020 at 12:09 am[…] READ FULL INSTRUCTIONS […]
Kae Jan
October 13, 2021 at 4:52 pmCan you serve meat purées straight from the fridge after its defrosted over night? Or does meat have to be warmed up?
Barbara Lamperti
January 6, 2022 at 2:48 amHi! I would suggest to reheat meat purees, the taste is way better if warm. If you thaw the puree in the fridge overnight you can reheat it on the stove (one minute) or in the microwave (30 sec). You don’t need to cook it again, just to make it warm, a quick reheat. Ciao! B
Darya S
June 6, 2024 at 9:14 pmWhat about freezing raw meat to speed up cooking? Can I, for instance, buy a chicken breast, wash it, cut it into cubes, divide the cubes into bags, and freeze them? Then, when cooking time comes, take one of the bags out and cook the meat? What are the guidelines for this method? Do I need to wash the meat before cutting and freezing? Do I need to defrost it overnight in the fridge, or can I use the water bowl method or even put frozen pieces directly into the pot? Can I use frozen vegetables sold in packs at the stores for cooking baby soups? Basically, I’m trying to save time on going to the store and buying small portions. Many thanks in advance for your advice!
Barbara Lamperti
August 14, 2024 at 5:38 pmHi Darya, all good questions!
– yes, you can freeze raw meat and thaw it when you need to cook it.
– When handling raw poultry I recommend to do it in a contained area of your countertop with just the tools you need to do that to avoid cross contamination. Wash your hands, the knife, the countertop and the cutting board well after.
– I usually do not wash the meat before freezing, I pat the surface with a paper towel to remove extra moist.
– Thaw. You can thaw it overnight or cook it directly from frozen pending the recipe.
– Yes, frozen vegetables are great for babies (and adults) as their life time between being picked and frozen is minimal and that is a guarantee of freshness. If I can’t find good looking vegetables at the grocery store I prefer frozen ones.
Your saving time strategy is essential! Good thought. Let me know if you have more questions,
Ciao