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-   -   Sweet potato chews (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=15650)

belle975 May 30th, 2005 11:47 AM

Sweet potato chews
 
I have read about a new product that is made of dried sweet potato slices. They are apparently better than rawhide but they are only available in the US (and somewhat expensive).

Does anyone know how these can be made?

Thanks!
Belle
:ca:

lezzpezz May 30th, 2005 12:26 PM

sweet potato chews
 
Wow! These sound like a great alternative to rawhides! I found the following by doing a net search and it sort of describes the process. I am thinking about a food hydrator or my neighbours' cold smoker, which we were just talking about using yesterday! I'm gonna try the smoker and will let you know the results. Trial and error, but we'll figure it out!

Here's the blurb:

Big Boyz are made of very thick slabs of dehydrated sweet potato. Designed for larger breeds, but smaller dogs will enjoy them as well and they will last them a good long time. Each slice is perforated in order to assist in the dehydration of such a large piece. The surface is hard so as to provide dental benefits, yet the chews have a texture similar to rawhide. Each chew has the nutritional value of half of a large sweet potato. Will not stain carpets.

belle975 May 30th, 2005 12:41 PM

Can they be done in the oven?
 
I wonder if they can be dried in the oven? I would imagine it would take a VERY long time. I don't have a dehydrator or I would give that a go.

Let me know how the cold smoker works out!

Thanks!
Belle

lezzpezz May 30th, 2005 12:53 PM

sweet potatoe chews
 
I'm bored at work, so I am surfing around and found this:

To dehydrate your potatoes, wash them and cut them into 1/4 inch slices. You don't even have to peel them unless you want to. Blanch the potatoes in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes and then soak them in 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 quarts cold water for about 45 minutes to keep them from oxidizing while they dry--the lemon juice also helps them retain their original color when you cook them. Dry your potato slices by whichever drying method you prefer until all the moisture is gone--they will be brittle when dry. Store your dried potatoes in heavy-duty plastic bags, or an airtight container, and keep away from direct light. To use your dried potatoes, soak them in an equal amount of water for 25 minutes. Cook as you would raw potatoes.

I'm gonna do this then try the smoker. Won't be til the weekend likely, but will try it!

lezzpezz May 30th, 2005 01:03 PM

more on potato chew prep
 
Well, I don't have a dehydrator, nor do I know anyone with one, so the oven is it! I managed to find a clear and safe method for doing potatoes etc:

Oven drying

A home oven will only dry small quantities at a time (up to six pounds of produce, depending on the number of racks you have) so don't be preparing bushells of veggies at a time!

Set the oven at the lowest temperature and preheat to 140F (60C). If you are uncertain of the temperature, put a separate oven thermometer on a rack you can see. Check your temperature every half hour or so.

Lay out your vegetables on stainless steel screen mesh or wooden frames covered in cheescloth. Do NOT use cookie sheets as the air must circulate around the food. Having the food sit next to metal sheets may also transfer a metalic taste. Using other types of metal materials may react with the food so please don't.

Load up the veggies. Doing trays of items similar in size will keep the drying even. For instance, doing pumpkin, carrot and potato might be a good mix. Try not to mix strong flavoured items as the flavour may transfer from one vegetable to another.

Keep the oven door open about 3 inches or so during drying. It is vital that the temperature is maintained at 140F (60C) and that the moist air can escape. Move the trays around frequently to ensure even drying. No oven has even heat throughout.

Keep a close eye on your drying vegetables. Don't let them scorch and keep them moving.

Depending on the vegetable you are drying it will take between 4 and 12 hours to dry. Once they're done, the vegetable pieces will be hard and should shatter if hit with an instrument.

Store in a water tight container. To use, just add them to soups and sauces as they are, or reconstitute (cover them in a container with water 2:1 ratio) for approximately 2 hours before using.

That should about cover it! Still gonna try the smoker, though! :p

belle975 May 31st, 2005 10:30 AM

A lot of work!
 
Wow! that sounds like a lot of work. I would have to get stainless steel mesh, a thermometer, figure out how to keep my oven open and then have 12 hours to watch drying potatoes! :D

I was checking ebay and there are some cheap Roncoe dehydrators on there..might just order one for less than $20 and give it a go.

Thanks for the info though...I will probably end up doing it because I am too impatient to wait for a shipment from an ebay seller.

Let me know how it goes with the smoker...

lezzpezz May 31st, 2005 10:35 AM

sweet potato chews
 
I just signed a book out at the library and it tells you how to build a solar one for free, basically. Just need a bit of wood, some heavy plastic and some grills. I am going to maybe try that one if the smoker fails. Will let you know.

belle975 June 1st, 2005 01:49 PM

Great week!
 
This is a GREAT week to give that a try...not a cloud in the sky!
Lets hope the great weather keeps up :fingerscr

Let me know how that one goes...I think I am going to order a dehydrator off the net and give it a go as well.

Between the two of us..I am sure we will figure it out! :thumbs up

Footsie May 26th, 2007 08:55 AM

Sweet potato chews
 
I was in B&B Petstop talking to the Natural Balance Rep and she told me about these. They're expensive for the amount you get.

She also told me that you can take the Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato Allergy Formula canned dog food and spread it on a cookie sheet and dry it in the oven to make chews for the dogs.

As for the plain sweetpotato chews, I cook the yams in the microwave, mash them up with a little water and olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet , bake at 350 for about an hour just to get them good and hot and start the drying process. Then I turn the oven down and let them continue to dry.

zoomergrrl December 20th, 2007 10:57 AM

Sam's Yam's
 
I work at a pet store in Montreal and we carry these. They come in a few sizes Bichon Fries (for small doggies) Veggie Rawhides (for any doggies) And Big boys (For big doggies)

My dogs love them, yes, they are expensive though... I have a dehydrator, and was wondering if anyone has tried it yet!!! Thanks!

Chicklet December 24th, 2007 09:03 AM

I made these awhile back, Seemed like something dogs would love,
Tried several different ways, My Dogs turned their noses up to them, Was a waste of time, and yes I tried a dehydrator, peeled from raw, From cooked, mashed with other ingredients added, Even tried the oven, They sure looked good, But thats about as good a compliment I can give it, My Dogs all would have rather had something different, and something different is what they get and love,
outta my own Treats, chews, sticks I made myself, Even the Vet keep saying I can't believe how great their teeth are, & what did you say you feed them,

Sweet potato chews :yuck:
I cast them aside and went on to better things,
That my dog actually love and enjoy

argo2001 December 24th, 2007 11:05 AM

My sister's dog has many food allergies and I was looking for treats that were free of all the things she is allergic to. The sweet potato treats in the feed store were so expensive but the dogs loved them. So I have made yam or sweet potato treats many times. I have never followed a recipe for them. I just wash then slice the sweet potatoes or yams about 1/8 of an inch and dry them in the oven for a 2 or 3 hours at about 250 . I turn them one or 2 times to make sure they dry all the way. I test to see if they are dry by taking one out of the oven...let it cool then see if it bends. If it bends it is not dry. It should crack. If you are lucky enough to have a convection oven they dry in about half the time. They have never turned out like a chew but they are a good alternative to dog cookies. I store them in a cookie jar. I will have to say that when I first started making them I had the oven going all the time and my electric bill went up so now I only do them once in a while.

rinkypa February 10th, 2008 12:34 PM

Sweet Potato chews
 
:dog:I have been buying sweet potato chews for a couple months and my dog loves them. They much better than rawhide. I have been getiing them at Godfrey's 610-777-5755. [url]www.godfreysdogdom.com[/url] Ask for Barbara. They have great items. I also started feeding my dog EVO by Innova. It's highly rated by vets.

Inkling June 22nd, 2011 01:43 PM

Homemade Sweet Potato Treats for Dogs
 
You get a large sweet potato, wash and dry it and then cut them in fries.....about 1/2 inch or so.. the longer the more they like them ..but not too thin, because they shrivel. Make sure they are about 1/2 inch or wider! In my first try I made them thin like McDonald's fries and they ended up being as thin as a piece of sewing thread. Leave skin on, but cut out all impurities and scrub and dry well! Turn your oven on 160 to 180 degrees. Put the potatoes on a large pizza sheet and leave in oven for about three hours....give or take a few. Turn and move them around every hour to let the air get at them. The fries will harden more as they cool, so you might want to takeone out occasionally and let it cool on the counter and check the density.Take Fries out, let cool! The dogs and their teeth love them and they are healthy too. And in the winter they make the house smell great and keep the house warm.I start them at 6.00 in the morning and by 8.30-9.00 they are done.I do this once a week and have healthy and consistent treats.Keep them in a glass mason jar on the counter for easy access!! A pure and simple treat and also great for dogs with allergies, who can not have other treats.

This is a copy paste from another blog for pets, but I tried something similar to this. I put them on a rack in a 225 oven for about 2-2 1/2 hours. They must be completely dry or keep in the fridge afterward. I would imagine the same effect could be garnered by getting metal screening and putting the potato between two elevated screen sheets for a day in the sun. Since it is not for human consumption I doubt you would need to buy a dehydrator. When I made mine, some were completely dry and others were not. I removed the ones that were dry and put them in a separate baggie from the ones that were still flexible. The flexible ones I kept in the fridge and used those up first. The drier ones I put in the baggie and put in the storage for a later use. You can give them about 3-4 fries a day. Sweet potatoes are a great way to keep your dog regular. If your dog has diarrhea they will also help firm it up.

iamaviewer November 16th, 2011 08:05 PM

Sweet Potato Chips and Chylothorax
 
[QUOTE=belle975;134953]I wonder if they can be dried in the oven?
Thanks!
Belle[/QUOTE]

My dog had successful surgery for chylothorax, recently. :thumbs up He's on a low fat prescription food and the only treats he gets are the sweet potato chips I make for him as they are full of vitamins and NO FAT.

I bought my self an inexpensive mandoline on Amazon [B][url]http://tinyurl.com/dyht5m9[/url][/B] I can slice 5 potatoes in about 5 minutes-I use the medium setting. I put them on 3 cookie sheets (I have a convection oven, but I'm sure a regular oven would work just fine). I bake them at 200 degrees for 3:40 .

He loves them:dog:, and they are so good for him. You'd never know how ill he was just a few months ago. I'm very, very strict with his diet and I continued to give him Rutin after surgery.

Hope this helps anyone who is faced with this condition. Had I known what I know, now, however, all my pups would have gotten SW chips instead of store bought treats.

KarineB November 17th, 2011 10:48 AM

I just wanted to say that my dog LOVES these and I have found them in a couple places.

I have bought them at Homesense, and at Loblaws. They are in a gold bag. And I think it says Calodonian Farms on them.

Good luck finding them.

Karine

Kathy R December 9th, 2011 10:08 PM

Dried Sweet Potatoes
 
My dogs love these!!!

1. I cut the sweet potatoes or yams about 1/4" thick.
2. Put them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
3. Immediatley put them in cold water (3/4 c lemon juice to 2 quarts of water)
4. Put a couple cups of ice on top to stop them from cooking.
5. Soak them for about 45 minutes.
6. Drain them and put them on a [COLOR="Red"]grilling rack[/COLOR] that you use on your grill outside.
This way the air can get through and they bake perfectly with out losing
much color.
Bake them at 225 degrees for 4 1/2 -5 hours.

They will be crunchy and will not mold as quickly.

Longblades December 10th, 2011 10:51 AM

Something else you can try is to dry (dehydrate really) them in a frost free freezer. I have not done this with sweet potato but I have with cheddar cheese and bits of meat. I am guessing that with sweet potato you might wan to cut them fairly thinly but all other preliminary preparation is the same. Also use mesh screen so air can circulate.

It will take even longer but if there is unused space in your frost free freezer they can just sit there for weeks or months till you want them and no extra energy cost, or not much.


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