When I’m cooking for my kids, I try to prepare several servings to keep in the the refrigerator and freeze the other half, if not more. It’s a lifesaver having 1 or 2 oz cubes in the freezer that I can pop out for a meal.
There are a few basic rules to follow that will make freezing much easier_
1. Prepare food and cool to room temperature.
2. Pour homemade baby food into clean ice cube trays or baby safe 1 or 2 oz. freezing cubes. I love using these because there’s no mess to clean up, they’re the perfect size for a meal and they come on a tray that keeps the freezer organized instead of having freezer bags everywhere.
*If pouring into ice cube trays, cover well with plastic wrap and when frozen (after several hours), pop them out and transfer to freezer bags.
*Environmental bonus_ The more food you keep in your freezer, the less energy it takes to keep at a low temperature. This can also be a financial savings every month.
3. Use masking tape and/or a permanent marker to label and date the bags.
4. Keep baby food in freezer for no longer than 3 months for fruit, vegetable and meat purees and 3 months for fish and grain purees.
5. I take a cube out of the freezer several hours before I need it and place it in the refrigerator to defrost.
6. Never refreeze meals that have already been frozen.
7. It’s fine to defrost food in the microwave, but first remove it from any plastic container and place it in a microwave safe container. Defrost it on a low setting. Make sure to stir it throughly to remove any hot spots. I usually taste the food first to make sure it is warm or room temperature before serving it to my baby.
Image by Maren Caruso
Mostly, it’s safe to freeze raw and processed foods, but foods that were frozen and thawed, like raw meat, are not safe for re-freezing. To keep food safe, cool freshly cooked dishes quickly before freezing.
Those are Wean Green containers! I have so many! https://weangreen.com/default.aspx
Hi where did you get those from I really would like to have some because I am now making my babies food and they could really come in handy 🙂
Those are Wean Green containers! I have so many! Yes, the come in different sizes and colors. https://weangreen.com/default.aspx
Hi Catherine,
What containers are those in the picture? Do they come in different sizes? They’re so cute! Thanks!