Baby Juice

[Terri]

Ok, maybe this is terribly off-topic and totally beneath everyone's know-how, but I'll give it a shot anyway!
I'm the happy and horrified owner of a food processor that has a juicer thingy. If I'm going to try out this juicer, I'm going to make a big batch and freeze it in ice cube portions like I do with breast milk. My baby is now at an age that I can introduce her to juices, but the only one that comes to mind is apple juice. (I think OJ isn't a good idea at 9 months, but I may be wrong) Anyone know how long frozen juice keeps? Any other juice ideas? TIA!

I am an old man who is surrounded by babies and baby boomers
If I were you, I would ask the pediatrician. I know it's tradition in Germany to experiment with people but it's better to ask the doctor.

Frozen juices don't last , if you freeze them they have not a nutritional value at all. I can guarantee you that.

Where I work, people have made endless experiments on this one.

[CalicoSkies]

Be careful with the juices, your baby doesnt need them right now and once they taste the sweetness of juice, you wont get as much milk in. When my boys were little (less than 10yrs ago) my pediatrician said juice not necessary at all till 18mon and to use water instead before then. He said even as toddler to give juice sparingly, so I only gave juice at snack time. Milk/water all other times. As a result, my kids are not big juice drinkers (they drink tons of water and love it!)and I am glad cuz too much juice makes them not eat other good stuff they need and its very bad on baby's teeth. Even 100% juices are very high in natural sugars. Ask your doctor for his opinion. Be sure not to let baby sleep with bottle of any kind...my brother is a dentist!

[roon]

I have to agree- not that I think juices are bad, but you're probably better off giving baby water for now.

My four year old asks for water all the time. If I don't have any filtered water on hand, sometimes I'll offer her juice or (bad mommy!) kool aid, just cause it's easier. She's very cool- she says "No! I want WATER." I've never met another kid who turned down juice or Koolaid for water. I love it.

[Terri]

*sigh* I was sooo looking forward to playing with my new toy. What else can I use a juicer for?

[Isa]

So glad you ask that question Terri. I received a juice extractor for Christmas and beside making a variety of, sometime weird, juice I also have been using the leftover pulp. You can dry the pulp in a low oven, and once dry grind it to a fine powder. So far I have carrot and celery. I hope to make beet powder this weekend to be used as a die.

You must wonder what you can do with all that powder. I have used the carrot powder to sweeten tomato sauce. Mushroom powder is fantastic to give taste to stock. Celery powder is very flavourful, specially if you use the leaves. it's good in stock and sauce.

To make powder, I spread the pulp as thinly as possible on a silpat and put it in a 200°F for about 40 minutes then reduce to heat to 150°F for about 60 to 90 minutes.


I should say the idea comes from Thomas Keller's The French Laundry. Of powder he says:

Powders are primarily a visual device, to make a dish look more appealing. They're typically a by-product related to the dish - tomato powder for tomato salad, beet powder when we're serving beets. But some of our powders have a more pronounced effects on the finished dish...

During a typical dinner service, I will have squab spice, mushroom powder, dried horseradish powder, paprika, carrot powder, yellow and black mustard, beet powder, red onion powder, pepper and fennel powder at my station. Powders are fun.

[mudbug]

Homemade Juice: Safe for Toddlers?

I have a two-year-old daughter. She won't touch any vegetables. As a result, I have dusted off the juicer and have made her a variety of juices, such as carrot and apple juice. I just want to make sure this is safe, given the fact that it is non-pasteurized. Is homemade juice safe for toddlers?

I think it is wonderful that your daughter can experience the fresh flavor and superior nutrition of fresh juice, and I think you have come up with a creative way to help your daughter overcome her lack of vegetable intake.

Your concern for safety is wise. In the past few years there have been outbreaks of bacterial food poisoning from non-pasteurized, fresh pressed juices. These outbreaks were traced to juices made at companies where the equipment and or ingredients were contaminated.

Improper sanitary practices allows the contamination to occur. Pasteurizing is a high temperature treatment that compensates for lack of sanitary practices by killing the pathogen. For those companies that are scrupulously clean, pasteurization is an insurance measure.

I don't see any problem with your juice making so long as you practice safe food handling techniques to make sure that your daughter's juice is safe for her to drink. First of all, be sure your equipment is always clean and sanitary. You don't need to boil it, but putting the different parts that come apart into the dishwasher is a safe way to keep them clean.

Secondly, make sure the ingredients you are using have been thoroughly washed. For those fruits and veggies where you can remove the skin first, you should, as most contamination is on the surface. For juices that contain berries, grapes and leafy greens, be sure they have been double or triple rinsed. Finally, buy your ingredients from a reputable place, where you are confident that foods have been stored in a sanitary manner. Once you have those foods at home, store them appropriately and use them quickly, before time has allowed any bacteria to multiply.

The same practices apply to serving any fresh fruit or vegetable to your daughter, juiced or not.

Sue Gilbert

(Sue is a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and product development. She has written numerous articles on children's health and nutrition for parenting publications.)

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Introduce Diluted, Strained Mild Fruit Juices at 7 Months

At about this time, you can begin giving your baby diluted, mild fruit juice. Your pediatrician may advise the introduction of juice several months earlier.

WARNING: Make sure that you give your baby only commercial baby juices or juice that has been pasteurized to kill any dangerous bacteria.

Start with mild juices, such as apple, apricot, grape, papaya, pear, peach, and prune, remembering to use the 4-Day Wait Rule (page 31). Although some experts recommend orange juice and other citrus juices at 6 months, others recommend waiting until 12 months, especially if allergy to citrus runs in the family. Citrus is one of the foods that is a common allergen (page 35). Ask your pediatrician when you should start giving your baby orange juice.

Apple juice seems to be very popular because it has a low chance of allergy, although a friend of mine uses it because it doesn't stain the carpet. It certainly is no more nutritious than other non-citrus juices, unless it is vitamin C-fortified. If you're going to give your baby apple juice, infant juice is probably your best bet because adult apple juice may still contain the pesticide alar. Although alar is no longer used on apple crops, there may be some still remaining in stored apples or juice concentrates somewhere. Why take the chance? Use apple juice that is purposely for babies and more carefully screened for alar.

Juice Should Be Diluted When First Introduced
If you buy commercial baby juices, they do not need dilution. Again, you are paying a lot for water, as with jarred baby foods. If your pediatrician OKs it, you can save money and use regular adult juices and dilute them yourself. Buy those juices that are only 100% juice and make sure they are pasteurized. Do not feed your baby juice drinks, which have added sugar. Read the label and watch out for the OSE's (pages 230-231). Although natural juice does contain a lot of sugar, it also contains many other nutrients.

When you first introduce juices to your baby, dilute 1 ounce of juice to 3 ounces of water, giving a 4-ounce serving. Over a month's time, gradually increase to half juice and half water. In subsequent months as your baby grows older, gradually increase to 100% juice with no added water, as directed in the individual chapters in this book.

Some Juices Must Be Strained to Prevent Choking
Most natural foods stores have a nice selection of organic fruit juices which I highly recommend, but they sometimes have solid particles that should be strained out to prevent choking. See how to strain on page 144. If you have a juice extractor, use it to make fresh juices from organically grown fruits for your baby and strain them very well. Juice for your baby should be pasteurized: if it is not, boil to kill any bacteria and cool, of course, before feeding to baby. Keep in the refrigerator for only 2-3 days.

It's Important that Juice Not Replace Baby Milk
To keep your baby's breast milk/formula intake up, limit your baby's juice intake to 3-4 ounces of juice per day. Babies who drink too much juice may not be drinking enough breast milk or formula to obtain the fat, calories, and protein they need for proper development. Juice also contains large amounts of sugar, and natural or not, too much sugar is not good for your baby.

Please read the warning about diaper rash and too much fruit and/or fruit juice on page 30.

Protect Your Baby's Teeth from the Sugar in Juice
Use a baby cup instead of the bottle to feed your baby juice in order to minimize the time the juice remains in his mouth. (Introducing the cup is discussed on page 71.) Don't let your baby sip from a bottle or cup of juice throughout the day--the natural sugar in the juice will remain for extended periods on his teeth and may cause dental caries. For more information on protecting your baby's teeth, see page 47. Please re-read the section Juice on page 60. Your 7-month old probably will be awkward when it comes to drinking from the cup, so fill it with small amounts of water or juice to minimize spilling.

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Do Babies Need "Baby Juice"?

My son is eight months old. The small four ounce jars of "baby juice" are not very cost effective. When can I start giving him regular (100 percent) juice?

At no time is "baby juice" necessary to feed your baby. The 100 percent juice in the small baby jars are designed primarily for convenience. These jars are good for those houses where not a lot of juice is consumed and a large jar may go to waste. The small jars are also designed so that a baby nipple can be attached. For travelers, or day care centers, this is usually a safe and sanitary way to go.

From a nutritional standpoint, the baby juices are almost all fortified with vitamin C. The vitamin C is an important nutrient and can be used to supplement a baby's diet.

If you would rather purchase a larger, more economical size jar for your baby, you may either buy the larger size jars now available with the baby food, or buy any other brand of 100 percent juice that has been vitamin C fortified.

As with any juice, it is best to limit intake to no more than four ounces a day so your baby does not fill up on juice and is not able to eat other essential foods.

Sue Gilbert

(Sue is a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and product development. She has written numerous articles on children's health and nutrition for parenting publications.)

What else can I use a juicer for?

Terri,

You can make hundreds of fabulous juice recipes (start with fresh orange juice!), look here to browse recipes. Or stop by a local bookstore and browse thru a juicer recipe book.

[Terri]

Wow! You guys are great! Thank you so much!

Question: what's a silpat? Maybe I already have it and just know the German term, otherwise I'll need to know what I'm looking for.

[Isa]

Originally posted by Terri
Question: what's a silpat? Maybe I already have it and just know the German term, otherwise I'll need to know what I'm looking for.

A silpat is a silicone mat that is place on the bottom of a baking sheet or mould. It is a non stick surface. If you don't have one, try using parchement paper.

[Ruth]

there is a book by dr walker he is the man on juice.remember that your baby does not have all the digestive acids present and in the quantity needed so use only alkaline based ones and mix them carefully. freezing them is ok but it no longer has all those wonderful qualities present when freshly pressed . good luck.

[mudbug]

Silpats are wonderful, they come in many different sizes and I've seen them from $15.00 to $30.00. I love mine.

SILPAT® Non stick pan liner, it is made of glass fabric covered with F.D.A., conformed food graded silicone. Silpat® can be used either in oven, freezer or microwave, it replaces the paper or fat in a tray or a pan, and last about 2000 bakes at a maximum temperature of -40F to 500F. It can also be used on a board to make pastries, chocolate decor, and it is a must with sugar work.

From here.

Click here to visit the website of the maker of Silpats.

Solutions to Sticky Situations
By Christopher Kimball, editor of Cook's Illustrated

One of the biggest problems in baking is getting a cookie (especially a sticky one such as a lace cookie) off a baking sheet or a cake out of a pan all in one piece. Most of us blithely use butter and flour as our all-purpose solution to this problem, but a variety of new products have made this choice more complicated and also more interesting. Sprays, papers and reusable liners are all possibilities, but I wondered which product would work best; so I set out to perform a series of tests. First, a bit about each of the items tested:

Unsalted Butter: the classic choice and the one that carries the most flavor. $2-$3 per pound.

Crisco: hydrogenated vegetable oil, which remains in a solid state at room temperature. It is available in packs of three one-cup sticks which cost about $2.

Baker's Joy: a spray made from soybean oil, propellant, soy lecithin, flour and assorted chemicals. A five-ounce spray can costs $2.

Pam: also a spray made from canola oil, grain alcohol, lecithin and propellant. A six-ounce can costs $2.

Waxed paper: although this is usually used for storage and other kitchen tasks, I wondered if waxed paper had a place in baking, too.

Parchment paper: a silicon-coated paper made specifically for baking, you can purchase parchment paper in rounds for cake pans, in sheets or in rolls.

Super parchment: reusable light brown stick-resistant sheets measuring 13 x17 inches, they can be cut to fit cake pans or sheet pans. One set of sheets costs $8.50.

Teflon bakeware liners: black, non-stick reusable liners available in 9-inch rounds (two for $7), also sold in sheets. These can be cut to fit pans, if desired.

Silpat: the heaviest of the reusable liners, made from a silicon-covered fiber. The manufacturer recommends that it not be cut to fit a pan. A half sheet costs $12.50.

I tried three recipes: butter cookies, lace cookies and a sponge cake. Both cookies were baked on cookie sheets, and I tested each item based on (1) the final shape of the cookies, (2) what the bottoms looked like after baking and (3) how easy it was to take the cookies off the sheet. I also noted any difficulties with cleanup. For the cake, I was particularly interested in how well the bottom baked (was it too dark or too light?), and I judged the degree of difficulty in removing the cake from the pan.

I started with unsalted butter, which has an advantage in the taste department since it imparts flavor to the bottoms of cookies; but beware: butter is useless when baking something really sticky such as lace cookies, and for cakes, the pan also needs to be floured. Also, cleaning up a cookie sheet that has been buttered is difficult at best, requiring plenty of elbow grease.

Crisco performs in much the same manner as butter but has none of the flavor. Forget about it. Baker's Joy should be renamed Baker's Bane, since it sprays in clumps (it contains flour which does not spray evenly) and has a noticeable and unpleasant chemical flavor. It also did not do a good job with the lace cookies.

Pam performs about the same as Baker's Joy and also has a mildly unpleasant aftertaste. However, it does spray on evenly.

Waxed paper was a disaster. Wax melts when exposed to high heat, resulting in cookies that were bonded tightly to the paper. It was even difficult to remove the cake from the waxed paper. (I doubt that this application is recommended by the manufacturer.)

Parchment paper was a clear winner. Even the lace cookies did not stick to the paper (although it had to be discarded and could not be reused) and cleanup was a cinch, since the cookies and cake never actually touched the pan. Super parchment works nicely: note that it is reusable and therefore needs to be cleaned after each use. I found it easier simply to discard regular parchment paper rather than having to clean, dry and store super parchment.

The Telfon product is very dark, which made it difficult to tell when the lace cookies were done. (Dark cookies against a dark paper makes it difficult to tell when the edges are browning, a reliable sign that cookies are properly baked.) I also felt that the bottom of the cake became too brown. However, nothing stuck to it. As with super parchment, cleanup is a problem.

Finally, I tried Silpat, which works in a wide range of temperatures up to 800 degrees. The good news is that nothing sticks to this stuff; the bad news is that you are not supposed to cut the sheets, so it cannot be used in a round cake pan. Silpat, however, was the clear winner for cookie sheets: the bottoms of the cookies came out perfectly and the light color makes it easy to tell when the cookies are done.

So, what to buy?
The reusable liners (Silpat was best) are more troublesome to use, but they are good for extremely sticky baked goods such as lace cookies, caramel or chocolate. Keep in mind that these liners need to be washed and dried after using. Also, some of them are not supposed to be cut, which makes them impossible to use for anything other than cookie sheets.

The sprays are universally awful: they impart an unwelcome aftertaste. Butter or butter and flour for cake pans works well enough and does add a nice touch of flavor, but don't use Crisco - it performs about the same as butter, but it has no flavor. Butter will produce a cookie sheet that is very hard to clean. The winner was regular parchment paper: it is inexpensive, there is no cleanup and it can be cut to fit any size pan. You can also slide off a sheet of baked cookies and slide on a new sheet with fresh dough and pop the pan back in the oven. This makes baking large batches quick and easy.

[Isa]

Thank you CChiu!

[mudbug]

Always at your service...