How to Cook Sweet Potato for Baby Food
Learn how to cook sweet potato for baby food with this easy recipe. Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins and nutrients, so they’re an excellent choice of food to give your little one. These tasty treats will satisfy your baby’s sweet tooth, too! The only things you need to start cooking are three large sweet potatoes and a kitchen knife. Follow the instructions below to learn how to cook sweet potato for baby food. Have fun!
Get a sweet potato
A white sweet potato will give you a sweeter puree and a bright orange one will make it taste more like pumpkin. Either way, don’t choose sweet potatoes that are too big or old because they can have tough skins and hard flesh that’s difficult to mash. Scrub your sweet potato before use. If you want, you can bake your sweet potato instead of boiling it in order to add some extra flavor. You’ll need about four cups of puree from a medium-sized (5-7 ounces) sweet potato for one serving of baby food, which is usually enough puree for 4-6 servings depending on how much baby eats at each meal.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Cooking sweet potatoes is a simple process, but when making baby food, it’s important to remember that cooking them too long will make them harder for babies to digest. That’s why we start with preheating our oven. Once it’s fully heated, line a baking sheet with foil and arrange your sweet potatoes on top—you want them as close together as possible, with at least an inch of breathing room between each one. Then place in the oven and let cook until they become very soft (about 20 minutes). When they're done cooking, remove from heat and use your hands or a fork to scoop out flesh into small pieces—your goal is roughly 1/2-inch cubes.
Wash and then peel the sweet potatoes
You should wash them thoroughly in warm water and then peel them. Avoid using a knife or potato peeler as these can cause small cuts in your sweet potatoes, leaving an open door for bacteria. Instead, remove each skin with your hands. Washing them first will help you avoid cutting yourself while trying to peel away their tough outer layer. Cut into small pieces: Once they’re peeled, cut each sweet potato into small pieces by quartering them and then slicing lengthwise. You want to make sure that all of your pieces are roughly uniform in size so that they cook evenly.
Chop the cooked potatoes into 1 pieces
Once your potatoes are fully cooked, cut them into pieces that your baby can easily chew and swallow. If you’re cooking sweet potatoes, try using a potato masher or ricer instead of cutting them up with a knife. That will keep them soft and easier to mash up into small pieces when they’re still warm. If you're making sweet potato puree, scoop out a small spoonful of baby food and pop it in your mouth; if it's soft enough that you can swallow it without chewing, it's ready. It should be slightly warm or at room temperature -- never cook sweet potato until it's piping hot because that makes it harder for babies (and adults) to digest.
Steam until soft (about 10 minutes)
Steam sweet potatoes in a steamer basket or vegetable steamer until soft. To do so, put 1 cup of water in a pot, place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Place 1 or 2 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes in your steamer basket and cover with lid. Steam until soft. Test by inserting fork into center of sweet potato; if fork goes through easily it is done. If you prefer firmer texture leave them on stove-top an additional 5 minutes after steam has stopped rising from pot and fork inserts easily into sweet potato cubes. Store cooked sweet potatoes airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze up to 4 months (thaw slightly before serving).
Let cool, then store in an airtight container
Potatoes and other root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and parsnips should always be cooked before being stored. Potatoes that are allowed to sit at room temperature may turn green or begin sprouting. To store them, place them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. To cook sweet potatoes without peeling them, pierce each one several times with a fork or paring knife and place directly on an oven rack in a 400-degree-Fahrenheit oven. For crispier edges and moist interiors, wrap each potato individually in aluminum foil first. Roast until they yield easily when squeezed (15 to 30 minutes), then remove from oven and let cool slightly before handling.
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