Homemade baby food- what have I done wrong?

[Lolli]

Hi all,
I made up some potato for ds- steamed it, then added a bit of boiled water and blended it. Then I popped it in ice cube trays and froze it. All the starch seems to have risen to the top. But when I nuke it to defrst and warm it up, it ends up lumpy and chunky again, as if I didn't blend it properley in the first place. It was very liquid when I froze it- I was worried it was too runny. What have I done wrong here?

[aussienic]

hmm.. I'm not sure!

Does it mix up well when we reheated and remashed? Do you often blend it? I used to just fork mash it. not sure if that makes any difference.. But my boys never ate frozen stuff i always had to make it fresh.. Fussy little buggers they were

[kitten2b]

blending potato never seemed to work for me as well, always ended up like glue.

[Karina]

Potato on its own never worked well for me either. It always went funny when I defrosted it as well. I think its just cause it seperates and goes yukky.
Butternut pumpkin mixed with a little bit of potato semmed to work well though. Mostly pumpkin and just small bit of potato.

[Lolli]

Hmmm.. yes Nic it is ok once I remash it with a fork. Just didn't think I'd have to do that once I'd blended it! Oh well, lesson learned. Won't try potato on it's own again. Now I just have` to work my way through the mammoth amount left in the freezer (note to self- am cooking for one baby, not an army of them).

[aussienic]

(note to self- am cooking for one baby, not an army of them).

thats funny.. I am always telling my dh there are only 5 of us eating i n the house not 25...

You could use it as a filler like rice cereal or other veges.. kwim?

[Salsa]

hi. (newbie here - just noseying your thread),
I was wondering if the variety of potatoe used affects the outcome of the mashing/blending and freezing....? Waxy types are more likey to go lumpy.

[{sarah}]

I always had problems with potato when freezing as well. I found though that mixing it with something else helped.

[JordieC]

I've mixed potato with pureed apple to make it smoother - not that DD ate it! but it was a nicer consistency!

[BhoysGirl]

Using a blender to mash potatoes releases the starches in them, which turn it to glue. Best always to simply mash it, either with a masher, or a fork. I've successfully frozen mashed potato (no butter or milk in the mix), and it has reheated without problems. And I generally use the standard brushed/coliban type that are usually the cheapest anyway. Using a blender is fine for all other vegies. I make potato only cubes, and then a mixed vegie cube (pumpkin/sweet potato/corn/peas/brocolli/cauliflower/carrot etc), then reheat & mix it all up just as I'm serving it.

The other thing you can do is to microwave potatoes in their jackets for a few minutes (my microwave takes between 5-7 minutes to get to the desired softness, depending on the size of the spud obviously). The red skinned ones like pontiacs work a treat,as do desiree, they go really "fluffy" and just do these as you're preparing their dinners. Not quite the convenience of taking a cube from the freezer, but not that much more effort. I just scoop the flesh out, and do a little fork mash. If I can be bothered, then I also finely chop the skin up, so that he gets the goodness from this too, but that's not often....

but - never use a machine on your tatties, unless you want the glue..

[Ozziehoffy]

I've always mixed my potatoes with sweet potato, cauliflower, brocolli and now zucchini and freeze it all mixed together. I do pumpkin separate and carrot separate, that way I can vary if I put more or whichever in his dinner. I used to whizz it all up in the food processor, but these days it's just a mash or a fork.