My scorching take: Nobody wants a child meals maker. Whereas advertising and social media messaging promise straightforward, selfmade child meals on the push of a button, they’re the truth is costly (anyplace from $70 to $300), take up counter area, have short-term use, and are simply pointless. Most child meals makers are primarily a steamer and blender multi function gadget. With a steaming basket, a blender, and a silicone ice dice tray, you can also make small-batch child meals at residence, and it’s simply as straightforward—if not simpler—than buying and utilizing a cumbersome single-use equipment. Right here’s how one can make your personal child meals.
What you want
A couple of easy instruments help you customise the flavors and textures to fit your child’s preferences with out breaking the financial institution. First, a blender: I like this Cuisinart immersion blender (and extra suggestions proper right here), however no matter blender you have already got can do the trick.
You’re additionally going to wish a steamer basket. I really like this OXO basket due to its extendable deal with—no burns right here! It’s compact, folds up, so it would not take up a lot area, and has tall legs so you’ll be able to steam meals for fairly a while with out operating out of water. (When you don’t have a steamer basket, let this be the place I persuade you that you simply want one. After you have it, you’ll end up utilizing it for child and grownup meals: all the things from fluffy Candy Potatoes With Tahini Butter, to Silky Steamed Eggs, to steamed Greens with Rice and Miso-Ginger Dressing.)
Final, you’re going to need a big, silicone ice dice tray—these easy-release whiskey ice dice trays are my favourite, however something versatile that means that you can portion out your child meals into single servings will do.
How one can make child meals
Step one: Pick your fruits and veggies. It is a true choose-your-own-adventure of what your child enjoys and what you’ve on-hand. On the lookout for inspiration? These have been the mixtures that my daughter, Elara, loved probably the most:
Apple + spinach
Pear + fennel
Pumpkin + kale
Apple + carrot
Corn + cauliflower
Candy potato + kale
Subsequent, let’s get to steaming. The good information is there may be nearly zero precision required right here. Peel and minimize your hardier vegetables and fruit into roughly 1″ items (leafy greens can go in as-is), place in your steamer basket over some simmering water, and steam the components for 10–20 minutes, or till they’re fork-tender and simply mashable together with your fingers. There’s no have to stress about overcooking—it’s all ending up within the blender anyway.
Whereas I choose steaming vegetables and fruit on the range (for the silkiest texture), you can provide the microwave a go too. You’ll first want to cut the greens into items which can be 1/2″ or smaller. This helps them steam faster. Wash and place them right into a microwave-safe bowl and add 2–3 Tbsp. water to the bowl and canopy with plastic wrap. Poke a number of vent holes and microwave for 3–5 minutes, till the fruits or greens are fork-tender.
Final, it’s time to mix. As soon as your fruits and veggies are cooked by means of, mix the cooked vegetables and fruit together with a little bit of water, breast milk, or components to assist obtain the precise consistency in your child’s stage of growth. I choose to make use of an immersion blender to mix child meals. It’s environment friendly, simply blends small quantities of meals easily and you’ll management the consistency of the meals. When you’re making massive batches of child meals—greater than 2 cups at a time—you could choose to go along with a big blender as an alternative.
How one can retailer selfmade child meals
Let the infant meals cool to room temperature, after which fill a silicone ice dice tray with the purée and pop into the freezer. This not solely makes it handy to serve the correct amount in your child but additionally makes it straightforward to retailer. As soon as the puree is frozen, switch the cubes into labeled freezer baggage for longer-term storage. A bonus: This helps cut back any meals waste because you thaw solely the quantity wanted for every meal. As soon as it’s all mentioned and executed, your child is properly fed, and your countertop has one much less equipment taking over area.
