Baby porridge is great to freeze in advance. This saves you a lot of time and effort. We tell you what you should consider when freezing.
Freeze baby food: Here’s how
The homemade baby food should be frozen as fresh as possible, but completely cooled. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the porridge in a cold water bath.
Boil the freezer containers before you fill them with the baby food.
All containers that are expressly declared as freezer-safe are suitable for freezing. This could be Emsa glass food storage containers, for example, available from **memolife – they are certified as suitable for baby food. Or frozen cans made of bioplastics, available at **Avocadostore.
Freeze the porridge in portions that match your baby’s typical food intake. That way you won’t defrost too much porridge at once later. If your baby eats very little porridge at first, you can also freeze the baby porridge in ice cube trays and then store the frozen cubes in a freezer box.
Freeze leftovers from the jar
If you fed jars of food from the supermarket and have some leftovers, you can also freeze the rest.
It is important that the porridge in the glass has not come into contact with a used spoon. Scoop out a portion of the porridge from the jar with a clean spoon. Pour the rest into a freezer-safe container and freeze.
Tips and hints for freezing baby food
Always work with clean utensils.
Do not fill the freezer containers completely, especially if they are made of glass. The contents expand when it is cold.
Label the containers so you can keep track of the contents and shelf life. Homemade porridge can be kept for up to two months at -18 degrees Celsius.
Be sure to seal the containers tightly before freezing them.
Porridges with avocado, melon, banana and potatoes do not freeze well. After defrosting, the consistency and/or the taste change. You should prepare these foods fresh.
Even cooked spinach should not be refrozen and thawed if it is baby food. When warming up, bacteria could convert the nitrate contained in it into nitrite, to which babies could be sensitive.
You should only add other ingredients such as oil and (mild) spices after defrosting.
Defrost frozen baby food
Only thaw the pulp just before you are about to give it. It should not be left in the fridge overnight to thaw as bacteria can grow and multiply there.
Instead, thaw it in a hot water bath. Make sure it is evenly warm all over before giving it to your baby.
Once thawed, you should not refreeze it.
Why freezing baby food is worthwhile
Homemade baby porridge only contains ingredients that you have selected and are familiar with. If you cook in advance and freeze the porridge, you can always offer your baby baby porridge that you have cooked yourself – even if time is short. If necessary, all you have to do is gently heat the frozen portion.
By freezing, you make the baby food durable and safe without artificial preservatives, because bacteria don’t stand a chance in the cold. In addition, the good nutrients are retained. What’s more, you don’t have to throw away good food. You can freeze the porridge in suitable portion sizes and don’t have to dispose of valuable food (leftovers).
