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Cooking Baby Food - Cooking Methods Explained
When venturing into the world of baby food making, one of the most often
asked questions is,
"How should I cook the foods that I will be making for my baby to maintain the most nutrients and flavor?"
Cooking Fruits and Veggies for Homemade Baby Food
Baking and Steaming are the most preferred method with boiling in scant amounts of water
being the second method.
Foods such as sweet potato, white potato, carrots, parsnips and
squash are wonderfully flavorful when baked!
Cooking Meats for Homemade Baby Food
Baking is preferred as the most nutrients are retained. Typically, meat purees
are best made with plain water as using the natural juices may make the
taste too strong for baby. If you poach or use a crock-pot (cook meats in
liquids) and then throw away the juices, you are tossing out some nutrients
as well.
We include information regarding microwaving due to the fact that many
parents prefer to cook their foods that way. We do feel that baking and
steaming are the best cooking methods for optimal nutrient retention; microwaving food should be a last option whenever possible.
We have composed an outline of the different methods of cooking food and
how nutritional content is affected. It covers all forms of cooking.
Methods of Cooking
Steaming - This is one of the most preferred methods of cooking. By this
method, nutrient loss in minimal. Left over water may be used as stock and
for pureeing.
The longer any type of food is exposed to high temperatures and immersed in water, the higher the nutrient loss! (Can you imagine the nutrient loss in commercial baby foods that are cooked at sky-high temperatures to help prolong shelf life?!) Steaming as a cooking method helps foods retain their levels of water soluable vitamins too! Vitamin C is an important water soluble vitamin that helps aid in the absorption of iron! Steaming allows the foods to be surrounded by steam rather than soaked in water!
Boiling and stewing - The disadvantage; it leads to loss of nutrients (esp. water soluble vitamins (B&C) and minerals). Loss can be limited by using the needed amount of water for cooking/for required time. Left over water could be used as stock and for pureeing.
Baking or Roasting - Baking or Roasting is cooking by dry heat in the oven. The advantage - large
quantities of food can be cooked. Limited loss of nutrients and the food is
easily digestible.
Microwave Cooking - The disadvantages of microwave cooking are that food is cooked in small quantities and some foods may lose nutrients at a very high rate. The flavor and nutritive values of most vegetables are good in comparison with other methods.
You may use a microwave for cooking if you
prefer - the main disadvantage to this is that large batches of foods typically
cannot be made at one time; many people find that the use of a microwave is
unhealthy and potentially dangerous.
The amount of nutrients that are "destroyed" by a microwave varies by the
type of food that you are cooking. There are some foods whose nutrients are
retained better when microwaved than when steamed or boiled for example!
Broccoli is one food that may lose a vast majority of its nutrients when
microwaved, more so than any other vegetable. However the study done on broccoli and the microwave is being negated due to the methodology used.
Pressure Cooking - Loss of nutrient is less in this method since only little
water is used.
Frying - Do frying only if required. Shallow frying is preferable compared to
deep frying. Deep frying at high temperature can produce toxic chemicals such as peroxides, aldehydes, ketones, hydroperoxidases, cyclic monomeres etc. Preferably avoid reusing the fried oil.
Grilling - In this method, if the food is burnt with coals and fire, it can cause
carcinogenic effect. Babies and small children should not be served grilled foods constantly!
