sweet potato treats?

[Ken McLoud]

We got some treats from the pet store that appear to be nothing more than slices of sweet potato that have been dehydrated, and Vera LOVES them!

has anyone tried to make these at home before? I'm thinking you'd use raw sweet potato? maybe marinade them in something sort of like you do with jerky?

[smartrock]

I've tried to make them but not really successfully- not to the leathery consistency of the Sam's Yams I've bought. I used some instructions I found online. And since they were't really dried out, they started getting a little moldy too soon. Then again, I haven't tried repeatedly- no America's Test Kitchen for dog treats here. I have a dehydrator that I used and didn't like the results. Were I to do it again, I'd try slicing them fairly thin and baking them at a moderate to low temp in the oven until they are pretty dehydrated, it would probably mean a few hours at a low temp, like 250 degrees, turning them over at some point to dry out both sides. I'm not sure they need to be baked to a totally crispy texture, they'd probably crisp up some as they cool. No marinade or oil should be needed. Of course, this is what my next attempt would be, not that I've actually accomplished it.

[POPTOP]

I've tried it too in the over with the same results as Smartrock. Some here have dehydrators and may have gotten good results.

[Blackboy98]

I make sweet potato treats for Gabe and myself. If you use the oven, try slicing on a mandolin to get them about 1/8" and uniform thickness. Bake at about 200 degrees on parchment paper. Bake about 45 minutes, turn over and bake about 30 minutes. Pull one out and check it. Go low and slow.

Then when done to the texture you want, remove, cool to room temp and place in plastic ziplock bag and put in your freezer.

I was the same method for drying garlic then throw in the blender for granulated garlic. Speaking of garlic, just dug mine this week-48 heads.

[Snowshoe]

I have dehydrated slices and gotten usable results but not as leathery as the store bought ones. Mine were more like chips. I also simply chop them into treat size pieces, freeze raw, use as needed. Or I mix cooked sweet potato into ground kangaroo (you could probably use any meat you would use to make jerky) roll out flat, about a 1/4 inch thick, score into strips, dehydrate, freeze, use as needed.

[barry581]

I just got a dehydrator and have been making salmon skin treats. I may have to do so sweet tater experiments! I'll let you know how they come out!

[SamsonsMom]

I have an Excalibur dehydrator. After some experimenting, I found that if you boil the cut sweet potatoes for 3 minutes (drop then into the pot with a rolling boil), they turn out leathery like the store brand. Just remember to set a timer. I can't tell you how many times I forgot and came back to mush! :-) I cut them length wise 1/8 of an inch. Sadly, I had to stop making them because I put Samson on a diet and I think these had too many carbs/calories. He now gets his kibble for treats and a few pieces of apple and cucumber. My efforts are paying off, he went from 118 in October last year to 100lbs last week! :-)

[Snowshoe]

I have an Excalibur dehydrator. After some experimenting, I found that if you boil the cut sweet potatoes for 3 minutes (drop then into the pot with a rolling boil), they turn out leathery like the store brand. Just remember to set a timer. I can't tell you how many times I forgot and came back to mush! :-) I cut them length wise 1/8 of an inch. Sadly, I had to stop making them because I put Samson on a diet and I think these had too many carbs/calories. He now gets his kibble for treats and a few pieces of apple and cucumber. My efforts are paying off, he went from 118 in October last year to 100lbs last week! :-)

Thanks for the leathery yielding instructions. I just baked and they turned into hard, brittle chips.

Check out these links on glycemic index at LiveStrong. The sweet potato may not be so bad, depending how you cook it. Apples seem to vary quite a bit.

The Glycemic Index of Apples | LIVESTRONG.COM

The Glycemic Index for Sweet Potatoes | LIVESTRONG.COM

[SamsonsMom]

Thanks for the leathery yielding instructions. I just baked and they turned into hard, brittle chips.

Check out these links on glycemic index at LiveStrong. The sweet potato may not be so bad, depending how you cook it. Apples seem to vary quite a bit.

The Glycemic Index of Apples | LIVESTRONG.COM

The Glycemic Index for Sweet Potatoes | LIVESTRONG.COM

When I was in a hurry I would skip the boiling. They would come out like hard brittle candy. Also, after I took them out from boiling, I didn't really worry about drying them completely. I patted them dry with a paper towel but again, didn't stress about drops of water. I'm sure it lengthened the dehydrating time but they did come out nice and leathery. I'd dehydrate on 125 for about 11 hours.

He doesn't get much apple. I juice in the mornings so I give him a small slither of granny smith and a few pieces of cukes as his treat when I leave for work. More cuke than apple as I've ready raw apple can give a bellyache if given too much. And I know they don't break down raw veggies very well so it's really minimal. Oh, and if I happen to drop a kale leaf, it barely reaches the floor. He loves kale!