Make Apple Puree

When babies are moving from the bottle to solid food, fruit and vegetable purees are great transition foods. Luckily for parents, making these isn’t too difficult. Since apples are sold at every grocery store and pretty widely enjoyed, apple puree is a perfect food for babies to try. All you’ll need are some apples and water, and you’re ready to go!

Ingredients

• Medium sized apples (1 apple yields 5 oz of puree)
• Water

Steps

Prepping the Apples

1. Wash and peel your apples. You can use whatever kinds of apples you’d like for this recipe, although sweeter, less tart apples are typically better for baby food. Fuji and Gala apples are both sweet and cook great, and Granny Smith apples actually sweeten when you cook them. Although you’re going to be removing the peel from the apples, it’s best to wash them thoroughly first just so you start with a clean piece of fruit. After they are washed and dried, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. If you don’t have a peeler, you can always use a knife.
   • You can rinse your apples under water, or use a mixture of three parts water and one part vinegar. This will help to kill any bacteria on your apples.
   • You can use as many apples as you like for this recipe. One apple yields approximately five ounces of puree, so you can plan accordingly.
2. Core your apples. You don’t want to include the apple seeds and tough core in your puree. You can core your apple by using a tool made specifically for this task, which goes through the apple and removes the entire center. If you don’t have this tool, keep it simple and just use a knife.
   • To remove the core with a knife, first cut your apple into slices. Then, grab each slice individually and trim off the tough part along the inner edge.
   • Your apple slices don’t need to look picture perfect. Just make sure you’ve successfully removed all of the core and seeds from the good “meat” of the apple.
   • Make sure you do this part slowly and carefully, to avoid cutting yourself on a sharp knife or apple coring tool.
3. Slice into chunks. By chopping up your slices into small chunks, you’ll make it easier to eventually blend and mash together. Aim to cut your apple into pieces about the size of dice. Once you’ve washed, peeled, sliced, and chopped your apples, you’ve done all the prep work necessary for this recipe.

Boiling the Apples

1. Put the apple chunks and water in a pot. Make sure you use a pot that is large enough to fit all of your apple chunks, enough water to cover them all, and enough extra space to allow the water to boil without spilling over. Dump all of your prepared chunks of apple into the pot, and then add enough water so that they are all submerged.You can use tap water or filtered water – whichever you prefer. Place a lid on top of your pot.
2. Heat the mixture to boiling. Turn your stovetop on to medium heat. Make sure you stay close by your pot or check on its status regularly. As soon as the water begins to boil, you will be reducing the heat.
3. Let your water and apples simmer. After it reaches a boil, turn the heat on your stovetop down to low heat. Then, let it simmer uncovered for ten minutes. Set a timer or keep your eye on the clock to make sure you double-check them as soon as ten minutes have passed. Use a spoon to fish out an apple chunk and check it’s texture. You want the apple chunks to be soft enough that they will be mashed or blended easily.
   • If the apples aren’t tender after ten minutes, continue checking them every five minutes until they are soft enough.
   • The longer your apples simmer, the more likely they are to lose precious vitamins. It’s best to remove them from the heat as soon as they are tender in order to preserve their health benefits.

Mashing the Apples

1. Drain the water from the pot. It is easiest to do this by pouring the contents of the pot into a strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, put the lid into the pot at an angle, leaving a small space for water to drain out while catching the apple chunks. Once you’ve drained all of the water from the pot, place it back down on a non-heated surface.
2. Rinse your apple chunks with cool water. If you skip this step, the apples will remain hot from the water. When they’re this hot, they will continue cooking and losing vitamins and minerals. By rinsing the apples with cool water, you will stop the cooking process and the apples will stay “as is.”
3. Mash your apple chunks. Use a potato masher to mash the tender apple chunks into the puree. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can use a large fork to do this, although you may end up with a chunkier puree. For a super smooth apple puree, feel free to put your soft apple chunks into a blender or a food processor.
   • Many blenders have a "puree" setting, which is what you will use for this step. If your blender has speeds, use the fastest setting.
   • For very young babies, you can add a bit of water to thin your puree as needed.
4. Store your apple puree in the refrigerator. This will keep it fresh for longer. When it is time to serve it to your baby, you can warm it in the microwave for a few seconds or simply serve it cold. You can also combine it with other fruit and vegetable purees to create delicious combinations.
   • If you aren’t going to finish the puree within three days, pop it in the freezer. It can last in there for up to three months.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Vegetable peeler (optional)
• Apple coring tool (optional)
• Medium sized saucepan
• Potato masher/fork
• Blender/food processor (optional)

Tips

• Apple puree is a great food for babies, but it can certainly be used in other ways. It can be used in many different desserts. Sweeten it a bit with granulated sugar or sugar substitute and use it as a delicious topping for ice cream, yogurt, or a biscuit. You can also use apple puree to add some necessary sweetness to savory dishes.
• When you're introducing your baby to pureed fruits and vegetables, stick to one type for awhile. If you are going to feed them an apple puree, don't feed them any other type for a couple of days. This will let you know if they have an allergy or sensitivity to particular things.

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