Skip to main content

Are baby food steamers safe?

Parents often wonder if they need to warm up baby food, which is typically first introduced around 4 to 6 months of age. Some worry that it must be heated before serving to make sure it is easier to digest or more palatable. Others believe that heating is necessary to kill any lurking organisms in the food that could make your baby sick. However, medically speaking, none of these concerned is warranted. Whether you heat your baby’s food or serve it cold is not so much a matter of health as it is one of preference.

Modern food safety standards for commercial foods, including baby food, ensure that it’s perfectly safe to take packaged baby food straight from the grocery shelf and feed it to your baby. The same applies to any prepared food you make so long as it has been thoroughly cooked and properly stored. You’ll simply want to follow the same rules you use for any food you serve, including refrigerating perishable items, wrapping food properly, avoiding cross-contamination, cooking meats thoroughly, and discarding unused items when they are no longer fresh.

Steaming is seen as the best way of cooking if your intentions are to reserve many nutrients in the food. The steamer works by allowing the water to boil up to a point where it vaporizes into steam. The steam is then used to heat and cook the food without removing any nutrients. The food will be separated from water during the whole time, which will result in a fine texture of your food. It is not the same when you boil the food in water and you end up leaching the food nutrients. It is now time to switch to a baby food steamer. The following are the benefit of baby food steamers.

Nutrient preservation

Nutrients are important to the baby’s growth, so you would want a product that guarantees that the baby will always eat healthy food. The baby food steamers will help in doing so. The steamers will preserve the water-soluble vitamins that would naturally occur in the food such as Vitamin B1, mineral salts, and Vitamin C maintain the food texture

feeding baby
goodluz/Shutterstock

Each fruit or vegetable will have a unique texture, and it is often lost when boiling it in water. All that can change when you pick to steam the food starting today. Many baby food makers have the steamer function, so steaming should not be a problem.

Great for purees

You can make great purees without having to crush all the fruits by using a blender or juicer. Simply steam the fruits and create a sauce from the steamed fruits.

The other ways of heating baby food

Microwave Heating

Many parents love the ease and convenience of the microwave for both heating and thawing homemade baby food. Whether or not you use the microwave to heat or thaw your homemade baby food is a decision only you can make.

To heat the baby food in the microwave, always transfer the amount of food you will be heating to a glass microwave-safe container. You should not use plastic to heat foods in the microwave. Heat the food in 15-second increments and stir after each heating. When the food has reached the temperature you desire, be sure to give one final stir so that no hot pockets are left to burn baby’s mouth.

Stove Top Heating of Homemade Baby Food

When heating baby food on the stovetop, choose a smaller saucepan and place the food into the saucepan. Gently heat the food using a low setting. Using the lower heat setting will ensure that you do not burn the food.

Do NOT store leftover food from a container that your baby has been eating from. Saliva will contaminate the food, and storing leftovers may cause food poisoning.

baby food puree

How do you cook frozen baby food?

According to the Partnership for Food Safety Education, you should choose one of the following three ways to thaw food that’s been previously cooked and frozen:

Microwave.

Refrigerator.

Placing the frozen jar in cold water.

Once food is defrosted, it should be cooked in the ways recommended above and then cooled to a lukewarm temperature before it is served.

What temperature should baby food be?

Bacteria have been killed once the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to ensure refrigerated or frozen food has been sufficiently reheated is to check it with a food thermometer.

Can you save leftover baby food?

Storing baby food once it’s been opened or freshly made depends on both the ingredients and how it’s been prepared. Typically, store-bought food lasts a bit longer than any foods you make from scratch.

Once you open a jar of baby food, place the unused portion in the fridge quickly. According to the Food and Drug Administration, baby food that has been opened but not refrigerated should be consumed within two hours — possibly less, depending on the food.

“Fruits and vegetables may stay out a bit longer, but meat and poultry should be placed immediately in the fridge to avoid bacterial overgrowth at room temperatures,” says Dr. Sara Siddiqui, a pediatrician and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York.

Is it OK to reheat baby food?

Experts advise against reheating cooked food more than once, which they say can increase the risk of food poisoning.

So after heating food up for your baby once, toss whatever goes uneaten.

baby food puree
MaraZe/Shutterstock

What are the other basics of baby food safety?

Every parent and caregiver making, handling or serving baby food should be aware of these standard safety rules.

Keep things clean

Whether you’re making your own baby food or serving up store-bought goodness, it’s important to be sure everything — and we do mean everything — is clean for baby’s mealtime.

“Parents need to make sure all food prep surfaces, utensils, cutting boards and storage jars are clean and have been washed with hot, soapy water,” says Siddiqui. “Washing hands thoroughly and frequently during food prep and storage will reduce potential contamination, as well.”

The Partnership for Food Safety Education, a nonprofit food safety organization, also stresses the importance of having a designated spot for diaper changing, which — need we even tell you? — should never be the kitchen. And scrubbing up after a diaper change (pee or poo) should always be a nonnegotiable since — brace yourself — “hands contaminated with feces play a significant role in the spread of many bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning.”

If you have an older child who’s able to use utensils or pick up food on their own, make sure they clean their hands, as well. If possible, have them use warm water with soap, which has been proven to be more effective than hand sanitizers.

Carefully Inspect

In addition to taking care to properly prepare, store and reheat food, read labels. When using store-bought baby food, be sure to both check the expiration date and make sure the jar lid “pops” when opening it. If it doesn’t, or if you notice chipped glass or rust under the lid, the FDA advises discarding the food. For baby food pouches, make sure the seal isn’t broken.

Conclusively, it is seen that baby food steamers are safe and a great tool for baby care. Endeavour to get a quality baby food steamers from a verified store. More so, stay hygienic in the care of your precious baby.

Editors' Recommendations

NewFolks
Easy Easter desserts kids will hop over
Whip up these easy Easter desserts in no time
Table full of Easter desserts

The Easter Bunny will soon be hopping down the bunny trail with treats in tow. Sure, those Easter baskets will be filled with chocolates, but it's Easter desserts that the kiddos get hopping over. Let's face it. It's not just the kids who love the Easter dessert table. Whether you're hosting or attending an Easter gathering, bringing a deliciously adorable dessert is always a win.

Now you don't have to be Martha Stewart to make an Easter dessert that hops. There are plenty of easy Easter desserts that don't take a lot of time to make. Let these ideas inspire you.
Easter dessert ideas
You won't spend a lot of time in the kitchen whipping up these simple-to-make Easter desserts. The results will still be cute, and of course, yummy.
Peep cupcakes
Many people have a love-hate relationship with marshmallow Peeps. The truth is; those sticky sweet Peeps make for an extremely simple Easter dessert. All you need is your favorite boxed cake mix and icing along with a package of Peeps. Dress up your cupcakes by using Easter-inspired wrappers. To make, just follow the package directions for two dozen cupcakes. Icing can be chocolate, but an Easter pastel, like yellow, is always a nice touch. With a container of vanilla icing and food coloring, you can make yellow, orange, or green icing. Apply a healthy coating of icing and top with a Peep.
Peep cake
Another super simple Easter dessert is a Peep-inspired cake. Using a boxed cake mix, make a round or a rectangle cake. Once it cools, apply a liberal amount of icing. Easter colors make for a fun seasonal icing and all you need is food coloring to create a bright color. Along the sides of the cake, place Peeps to make a border. Be sure the Peep is facing outward. Then top off the cake with a layer of rainbow sprinkles.
Easter Bunny cupcakes
If you're looking to make an easy Easter dessert from scratch, try this tasty recipe from Desserts on a Dime. These Easter Bunny cupcakes are super cute and are stress-free to make.
Carrot cake mix cookies
Carrot cake is an Easter staple, but if you don't have time to make one, try these carrot cake mix cookies from Desserts on a Dime. All you need is a box of carrot cake mix and a few other simple ingredients. The cream cheese icing really makes this delish Easter dessert a must-make treat.
No-bake mini egg Easter nests
Rice Krispies Treats are always a hit with kids. If you're looking for a no-bake Easter dessert, these no-bake mini egg Easter nests from Sugar Spice and Glitter are a perfect pick. The mini nest Rice Krispies Treats need to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Bunny tails
For a fun recipe you and the kiddos can make for Easter, try these coconut chocolate bunny tails from Kids Activities. Leave the nuts out of the recipe if there are any allergies.

Read more
Tasty Easter side dishes to bring to the table that will get the kids excited
Dish out these delish Easter sides this spring! Even the kids will like them
Table set with side dishes for Easter

Not everyone is a fan of ham, which is what makes Easter side dishes a big part of any holiday dinner this spring. Like Thanksgiving, Easter sides are usually the most sought-after dishes on the table. Unlike Turkey Day though, side dishes for Easter Sunday aren't always traditional like cranberry stuffing or a green bean casserole.

It's spring, which means Easter sides can go in a lot of different directions. It's also important to have some Easter sides the kiddos won't turn their nose up at. So, what side dishes do you need to have on your table this Easter? Let's hop into the kitchen.

Read more
Save money and avoid food waste: This site finds family dinner ideas using what you already have
This website helps eliminate food waste by creating meals from ingredients your kids love
Family cooking together

Nothing is more frustrating than throwing away food because you didn't prepare it before it expired. With the increased cost of groceries, not only is this wasteful but it can get expensive, too. According to Feeding America, approximately 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. each year, with 39% of that total coming from homes across the country.

Not everyone has the ability to plan their meals and shop for specific groceries every week, which often leads to food waste, especially if your schedule only allows for one big grocery order every week or two. A new website is offering some hope for families that struggle with finding recipes and family dinner ideas that not only will their kids love, but this site also helps combat food waste.

Read more