question about making carrots for baby food

O.k. I'm normally a pretty good cook, but I am a complete failure at making carrots for baby food. I never cook carrots because I don't especially care for them cooked and just eat them raw. Anyway, I've tried cooking two different batches of carrots to make into baby food and I cannot get them to turn out. The first batch I did in those microwave steam bags. They never really got soft enough and by the time they did, they were all shriveled up. Then I decided to try putting them in a small amount of water on the stove top. They cooked FOREVER and I kept having to add water to them and they never got soft enough. I thought maybe they were finally done, but when I put them in the food processor, they were just way too chunky for the babies. Obviously they weren't done. I did have them covered with a lid, but there was a lot of steam escaping. I don't have any pots with any really tight fitting lids. Maybe I need to invest in some better pots. How do you cook carrots? How long should it take? Why is this so difficult?

 

Hi Beth!

I cooked our carrots 2ways...the easiest way for me was a vegetable steamer. I would fill it full and it would steam for about 1 hour and it was fine. I also boil them in water...I would check to see if they needed more water and sometimes I would have to add some. When I checked the water level I would poke a carrot and see if they were getting softer and judged the time that way...just depends on how much you have in the pot!

When you put them in food processor, did you add a bit of water to make it more "pureed" texture? I always needed to add some water, and it worked fine!

I wish you luck!

There is a website www.wholesomebabyfood.com that had recipes and tips. I use this site often!

Let us know how it goes!!!

 

I'd suggest steaming them on the stove but it sounds like that's not an option. How about putting the carrots in a microwave safe bowl, adding 1/4 cup of water, covering tightly with plastic wrap and steaming them that way? You'll need to stir them a few times but that should work. If you cook veggies in the microwave for baby food then a little added water is a good thing. If you want to do large batches of carrots, however, I suggest getting a pot you can steam your veggies in or getting one of those countertop steamer baskets.

 

I steamed carrots. I put some water in the bottom of the pan, with the carrots in a wire basket, and put a lid on(a plate or pan of some sort over the top will work too).

wholesomebabyfood.com info on making carrots

 

QUOTE(Her Royal Jennyness @ Jul 16 2008, 01:12 PM) [snapback]879817[/snapback]
I'd suggest steaming them on the stove but it sounds like that's not an option. How about putting the carrots in a microwave safe bowl, adding 1/4 cup of water, covering tightly with plastic wrap and steaming them that way? You'll need to stir them a few times but that should work. If you cook veggies in the microwave for baby food then a little added water is a good thing. If you want to do large batches of carrots, however, I suggest getting a pot you can steam your veggies in or getting one of those countertop steamer baskets.


What's a countertop steamer basket? Is it something I can buy at Walmart?

 

Yeah, they're in the appliance section (with the toasters and blenders). They're basically a basket (or two if you feel fancy) over a reservoir. You fill the reservoir with water, put the basket on top and plug it in. Voila.

Steamer
Steamer
Steamer

Those are just 3 examples, but I found about 10.

 

I just took a metal strainer and put it over a pot of boiling water and steamed them that way. The lid wasn't tight fitting but it worked pretty well. It does take a long time though, I poke a bigger chunk of carrot with a fork and when it is tender (like a baked potato) I considered it done. Also I had to add a fair amount of water (vs. other veggies) with the carrots in the blender to puree them smooth.

 

I just used a wire steamer basket thingy (can be bought at walmart), they are specifically for steaming, they fit inside your pot, and they cost under $10! I had to cook my carrots for quite awhile though too. And, when using the food processor I had to use quite a bit of water. I did read tho that you should NOT use the water left over from steaming the carrots, something to do with nitrates in the group or something, the wholesomebaby website talks about it. So, I just used filtered water to add to the carrots. And, mine were just slightly lumpy, so we will see if the babies will actually eat them - will know in a few weeks!
I am on to peas next!