Warm up Breast Milk and Formula Using the Sous-Vide Setting
I don’t have a child, but I have a sous-vide circulator (the light of my life ) and I guess other people who have sous-vide circulators may one day produce offspring. (Or maybe they’ve already done it!) For these seasoned home cooks with offspring and sous-vide knowledge, I have great news: you can use your sous-vide setting to heat up breast milk and infant formula without fear. to an ideal temperature of 98.6 degrees. overheating.
Admittedly, this process is much slower than using a microwave or a pot of boiling water, but with that extra time comes the certainty that there is absolutely no chance of burning your baby’s tiny mouth. In addition, since the bath temperature will never exceed your set temperature, you can put the bottle in the bath long before you are ready to feed, meaning you can heat the milk or formula and take a dip, change clothes, or gaze lovingly at the baby while he won’t be ready.
You can heat milk or formula directly in the bottle, without any cans or airtight bags. I kept my test bottle from swaying by making a small bandage of plastic wrap and clothespins. Just heat the bath to 98.6 ℉, place the sealed bottle in the bath and let it hang for 45 minutes. I tried this with both formula and cow’s milk – I’m afraid I don’t have access to breast milk – and both fluids reached their target temperature in less than 45 minutes.