What is the Best Way to Sterilize my Kitchen and Tools While Making Baby Food?

This step can seem really overwhelming when you first start making your own baby food, especially if you don’t like to be in the kitchen anyway. Don’t let it be. It really only takes a couple more steps to have a clean and sterilized space while making baby food. As eager as I am to start with the fun part of making [and then tasting] the recipes, I always take the time to follow the steps below. They are that important. Bacteria can spread very fast in food when you are heating and then cooling it very rapidly. It is also harder for babies to get rid of small amounts of germs and bacteria.

  • Wash hands with soap and hot water before you start making your baby food and anytime your hands come in contact with raw meat, poultry or seafood.
  • Before you start, give your blender, food processor, cutting board and utensils a good cleaning with soap and hot water. Let air dry on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
  • To make things simpler for me, I clean my sink, then make a bath of hot soapy water to clean off all my tools while I am cooking.  You can also have a large pot of slowly boiling water on the stove throughout your cooking time to be able toss in any utensils or small parts to sterilize them. This is my moms old school canning technique.
  • Make sure you wash all produce thoroughly before cooking, this goes for organic produce as well.
  • As you start cooking, keep your kitchen clean and tidy. This is very important if you are making more then recipe at a time. Plus, it makes clean up not as daunting.
  • Change kitchen towels and tea towels often. Soak sponges, dishcloths and scrubbers in hot soapy water before and during your cooking.
  • Thoroughly wash any chopping boards and any utensils you’ve used for raw meat, poultry, seafood or dark leafy vegetables right after use. This prevents cross contamination.
  • When you are finished making your baby food, promptly refrigerate or freeze it.
  • Clean all work surfaces, tools, cutting boards and utensils with hot soapy water.