Should I Sterilize My Baby Bottles Every Time
It depends.
For a normal, healthy baby more than 3 months old, its not necessary.
However, according to the CDC, if your child is under 3 months of age or has a compromised immune system, sterilizing feeding equipment daily is highly recommended.
You should, of course, always wash the bottles after every feeding.
If you can wash the bottles out as soon as your baby is finished with them, its not necessary to sterilize them every time your baby uses them. However, if more than a few hours passes, or you forget to wash one out, I would definitely recommend sterilizing them.
Pressure Cooker Basics Part 3: Additional Functions
December 20, 2016 By Mandy
Welcome back to my Pressure Cooker Basics series. Today, in Part 3, Ill be sharing some additional functions that your Instant Pot pressure cooker can do beyond the basics weve already talked about in Part 1 and Part 2. In addition to pressure cooking, it also functions as a slow-cooker, a steamer, a rice cooker, a yogurt maker, a baby bottle sterilizer, and more! Ive included recipes for steel-cut oats, dulce de leche , and homemade Greek yogurt.
There are so many things that you can do in a pressure cooker. Dont limit yourself to only making dinners in it. There are plenty of great breakfast and dessert options too. You may have even seen some cheesecake recipes floating around cyberspace! Not to mention how wonderful it is to be able to make a big pot of steel cut oatmeal in no time on a cold wintery morning in December.
When Im pressure cooking, I almost always use the manual function. It worked really well for me when I was first getting used to pressure cooking to do it that way. For me, it helped me to know which pressure levels, times, and types of releases worked best for which recipes. Once I sort of grasped the basics, then I started trying out more of the preset functions. It might seem like a backwards way of doing things, but I didnt want to be tempted to limit myself to only the preset functions. There are several things you can do with your Instant Pot besides pressure cooking too. Its definitely not a unitasker .
How To Sterilize Bottles & Jars Using An Instant Pot
Being able to sterilise kitchen equipment and household items is an essential task to keep your kitchen safe and clean. Instant Pots make the task of sterilising jam jars, metal utensils and even baby bottles a quick and easy job with minimal mess and time.;
Washing containers before and after use in hot soapy water is a good way of cleaning. However, sometimes you do need to go that step further and sterilise jars and containers under a significantly higher temperature.;
Instant Pots are equipped to sterilise any household glass, silicone, and dishwasher safe plastics. You can either use the sterilise function available on newer models of the Instant Pot or pressure cook/steam for a short period of time on those without.
Do not use this method of sterilisation for any medical or industrial equipment.;
Also Check: What To Make In An Instant Pot
S To Sterilize Jars In Instant Pot
Glass Is The Best!
One of the most important parts of food storage and preservation is ensuring that the containers are spotlessly clean and germ-free. Glass jars are better than containers made of any other material for this and other storage purposes.
Changing from plastic to glass has benefits both for the environment and for your health. Using glass jars minimizes your exposure to harmful BPA and phthalates.
Plus, glass is completely nonporous, which means the jars will not stain or absorb odors. Sure, glass is a little more expensive than other forms of food storage, but it can be washed, sterilized, and reused over and over again and still look brand new.
Sterilizing Is Vital
Sterilizing is a crucial part of food preservation and serves to remove any bacteria, yeasts, or fungi, thus protecting the food you put into the jar from spoilage.
Dirty jars or even clean, unsterilized ones can infect the food inside, causing it to spoil very quickly and even causing you to get food poisoning if you eat it.;
Sterilizing is a quick and easy process that should never be omitted. After all, canning and preserving require a lot of time and effort, so dont let all your hard work go to waste.
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Here are simple ways to achieve proper sterilization and make all your efforts at jam making, bottling, and canning a success. Sounds like a difficult process? Dont worry.
Things you will need to sterilize jars in your Instant Pot
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How To Sterilize Bottles And Jars For Canning
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Fruit, vegetable, and meat preserves keep for a long time if properly prepared and canned. It’s important to sterilize the jars and bottles before canning so that the food doesn’t get contaminated with bacteria. See Step 1 to learn how to get your equipment ready by sterilizing it according to USDA standards.
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Sterilize Baby Bottles In An Instant Pot
Yes, you heard it right! You can even sterilize baby bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and even your breastfeed equipment. Just pot everything in the pot and fill it with water. Close lid and High Pressure for 2 minutes. It works like a charm.
Check out the list of Most Recommended Instant Pot Accessories that you’ll need to make Instant Pot Recipes.
I hope my 15 Instant Pot Tips & Tricks will help you in using Instant Pot more easily & efficiently. So don’t be scared and take out your Instant pot out of the box and start experimenting.
Manual Or Pressure Cook
Some people get confused between Manual & Pressure Cook. Both are the same, older models have a MANUAL BUTTON for pressure cooking. While newer models use PRESSURE COOK BUTTON. There are many Instant Pot recipes available. Some mention the Manual button while others mention Pressure Cook, so don’t get confused.
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How To Sterilise Jars In An Instant Pot
Storing food in glass is a great way to ensure that the food is properly covered, sealed, unexposed to air and therefore protected from contaminating germs. This will be even more effective if you sterilise the jars before using.;
Things like homemade jam or sauces need to be stored in clean sterilised containers otherwise there is a risk that they will quickly start to go mouldy. Also sterilizing jars for storing dry food such as rice, lentils or cereals also prevents them from being contaminated and will ensure they last much much longer.;
Here is the method for sterilizing jars in an Instant Pot.
First add some water to the bottom of your Instant Pot. This will vary depending on the size of your unit:
- 1 cup for a 3qt pot
- 2 cups for a 6qt pot
- 3 cups for a 8qt pot
Then insert the steam rack. This is very important because you dont want the jars to touch the base of the bowl. This may cause your Instant Pot to stop functioning and display errors.
Place your jars upside down on top of the steam rack. You can also add in the metal lids if needed. Once everything is in, secure the lid.
The settings you have available will depend on the Instant Pot model you have. The latest models have a specific Sterilise button, but with other models, you can simply select the Pressure Cook or Steam functions. Choose your available function, set the time for 15 mins and set the pressure to high. Press start and leave the Instant Pot to do its thing.
Alternatively You Can Use A Steamer Basket And Support Trivet Or Make One
If your pressure cooker came with one, you can use a steamer basket instead of the wire stand.; After I made my first wire metal basket contraption, I found the Fagor steamer basket that came with my unit.; This is actually ideal, since the basket is designed explicitly to hold the contents of the basket off the bottom of the pressure cooker pot.; ; Your pressure cooker uses steam, which is formed when water reaches its boiling point.; The steam is what is doing the sterilization, and therefore anything sitting in the water at the bottom of the pressure pot is not being sterilized. ;
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Cleaning The Lids And Rings
It is important NOT to boil the metal canning lids or their rings. The extreme heat of boiling water can harm the rubber sealing rings on;the;lids, which can result in a broken seal and contamination of the jar’s contents. Instead, most experts suggest that you simply place;the canning lids;and their rings into water that is simmering, but not boiling for 10 minutes to thoroughly clean them. You can use the same water that was used to boil the jars once it has cooled slightly.
Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Some may specifically call for different methods for handling the lids and rings.;
How To Sterilize Autoclavable Materials At Home Using A Pressure Cooker
This Instructable will cover the materials and methods necessary to sterilize things at home using a pressure cooker as an autoclave. ;I have a huge Tuttnauer autoclave at work that I use all the time but sometimes when Im at home I feel like sterilizing things that I use for various advanced home beer-brewing techniques.; If you want to sterilize autoclavable things at home as well, then you should obtain a pressure cooker.; I use a Fagor Rapid Express because that is the one that I was given at my wedding. ; ;
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I Recommend A Set Of Microwave Steam Sterilizer Bags
Several brands make them. We often see our clients with the ones by Medela. Each bag can be used 20 times, and its much simpler than boiling your breast pumps duck bill valves and trying to fish them out of the point. These are also very portable, for the days when youre pumping at work or out with friends.;
As an alternative to the bags, some people prefer an electric sterilizer, like this one from Tommee Tippee.; Theyre great if you have the counter space.;
Or, if you have an Instant Pot pressure cooker, you can use it to sterilize bottle parts too! ;
It Lets You Make Home
Busy parents dont always have time to prepare dinner. This can lead to repetitive menus of quick dishes and/or too much takeout . The Instant Pot expands the possibilities for quick weekday dinners. Cooking in the Instant Pot, per Alvarez, empowers home cooks by saving time and headspace on food prep and actual cooking engagement. He adds that grains and legumes, in particular, are insanely easy to cook in the Instant Pot.
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Which Instant Pots Have The Sterilise Feature
As previously mentioned, not all Instant Pots have the Sterilise function.;
The models that do have the Sterilise function are:;
- Duo Plus
- Viva
- Ultra
It isnt necessary to have this function to use your Instant Pot for sterilizing your household items; you simply just use a different setting. The other models will all have either a Pressure Cook or Steam function that works just as well and can be set to the same time and pressure, as described above, to create a sterilizing environment.;
Using your Instant Pot to sterilise bottles and jars is a straightforward kitchen hack and another way Instant Pots can be a useful gadget to have in your kitchen.
Having a quick and easy way to sterilise kitchen containers allows you to have a contaminate-free kitchen and will reduce the chances of you throwing away mouldy food due to it being stored in dirty, unclean containers.;
Part 2 Of 2: Filling And Sealing The Jars And Bottles
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Purchase Extra Sealing Rings
Sometimes the smell of previous food won’t go away from the sealing ring. So it’s best to buy 2-3 extra sealing rings. You can use one for savory dishes, one for desserts, and can keep one spare or use in some other dishes. I don’t like the smell of my Sambhar or any curry go in my puddings, so I use different sealing rings for this purpose.
I Trust That Exclusively Pumping Is The Right Choice For Your Family Youre Good
I also empathize. As a postpartum and infant care doula, Ive boiled plenty of baby bottle and breast pump parts. It can be intense. And I specifically pack lotion in my bag to account for the drying affects of scrubbing washing nipples every 3 hours. Solidarity sis.
Thankfully though, there are other ways to do this.
How do you feel about gadgets? Im going to guess okay because youre taking a modern approach to feeding your son. So, here are a few tools that may help:;
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Sterilizing Bottles In The Dishwasher
Why You Should Use An Instant Pot Vs Other Pressure Cooker Brands
The Instant Pot was put to the test alongside several other brands of pressure cookers to see how well each one performed when killing various strains of microbes, particularly the tremendously heat-resistant geobacillus spore.
G. stearothermophilus endospores are the particular strain of bacteria that is used when testing commercial autoclaves because its heat-resistance makes it very difficult to kill.
In a nutshell, most pressure cookers were able to kill a majority of the microbes, but the Instant Pot was the only pressure cooker brand that was able to neutralize the geobacillus spore, indicating that it would be sufficient as a laboratory pressure cooker.
Pretty awesome, if you ask me.
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Some Doctors Prefer Routine Bottle Sterilization
Some doctors may still recommend routine sterilization of baby bottles and nipples. If your healthcare provider recommends this, don’t be afraid to question why this practice is necessary.
Sterilization takes more time than regular cleaning so it’s worth investigating why your doctor suggests it before committing to the practice.
While some doctors may know that the water supply in your area is not up to par, others may be advising sterilization out of habit. In most cases, unless there is a specific issue with your local water supply or a particular concern relating to your child’s health such as a compromised immune system, health experts say that routine sterilization is unnecessary.
