Do I want a Food Dehydrator? (for homemade treats)

[Bicoastal]

Would I benefit from a food dehydrator? How often would I use it?

I have previously attempted to make dehydrated sweet potatoes and grain-free biscuits in the oven. The sweet potatoes were kinda floppy and not shelf-stable.

I was soooo pleased with the biscuits when suddenly one summer day I see mold.:eek: That was the end of that. Now I’m back to buying manufactured biscuits to store in a cabinet for the dogwalker’s use.

Any other foods? Anybody dehydrate chicken? Could I actually make my own dried liver that would not need to be packed in a cooler at trials?

How big? Counter space in my kitchenette is very limited. How difficult to clean? I was given a juicer and while this model is comparatively compact, it is so difficult to clean I never use it.

Please no, “they don’t need treats. just feed em real food.”

[VaqueroToro]

I have a Sunbeam one that I really like – the only non-people thing I’ve made in it was horse cookies (oats, molasses, salt, apple sauce, carrot shreds, and a vitamin supplement all pureed together, rolled into a loaf, chilled, then sliced and dried – turned out like homemade Squeezy Buns). Mostly I’ve used it for drying fruit and herbs – apple slices, apricots, orange peel, basil, etc.

I don’t have much counter space either – I set mine up on top of my chest freezer.

Cleaning can be a bit of a pain, at least with the model I have. The trays themselves are easy enough to put in a sink of hot water and rotate them around to get the sticky off, but if stuff drips down onto the heat/blower portion, then you have to hand wipe that down. Some of them come with a plastic disc that is used for things like fruit puree and jerky. Using that would reduce cleanup.

If you’re going to go the meats direction, you’d want to make sure you’d get a model that can get hot enough and/or have the means to slice the meat thin enough that the moisture can be dried out – leftover moisture is what causes spoilage. Uniformity is also key – you want whatever you throw in to all be of similar shape and size. I’ve also read that if you do meats, to trim off the fat or get lean meats to begin with since the fat can sometimes go rancid and cause spoilage.

[wendy]

Never understood why people give “biscuits” to dogs. Training treats should be tiny and soft- the best treat is a tiny bit of wet meat, like chicken, liver, or pork. So yeah, you don’t need to dehydrate anything. Just store it in the freezer or fridge.

[Roxyllsk]

I make my own chicken jerky with a dehydrator. I also make these for friends. I got a cheap NESCO one ($30) and it works great for what I do. The heater/blower is on top, so no worries about anything dripping. Everything down below can actually go right in the sink.

I buy boneless chicken on sale, then trim off all fat. Cut WITH the grain into about 1/4 inch slices. Then put in the dehydrator, turn to 165 deg, and let them go for like 12 hours. I flip the trays in mine about halfway through. You know they are done when they have no white (like cooked chicken), but are rather completely an amber color.

They are likely shelf-stable, but I keep them in the fridge. I have never had any go bad on my. If you want to leave some for the dog walker, just leave a small quantity and replenish every few days.

I have also done apple chips, potato chips and banana chips for me. And this year I made my own Craisins which actually worked quite well.

I have not tried biscuits in the dehydrator but that would probably work well too.

You probably got mold because they were not completely dried out.

[alto]

Many home-made pet treat recipes suggest fridge or freezer long term storage, not sure why you don’t just keep your biscuits there & just remove a weeks supply to the cupboard (or even have dog walker remove them from the freezer etc)

If you produce a “jerky” style product it can be kept in your pocket no matter the weather - tiny pieces so works just as well as Wendy’s suggested “wet” treats (so NOT going to have raw wet liver on my person even in the winter snow!).
Long term storage you’re still looking at fridge/freezer recommendation though re bug infiltration - jars may solve this issue BUT most home-made products are not as evenly dried as their commercial counterpart (companies test rather than just “looking” )

Choose a dehydrator that is actually used for your intended use (yes, there are forums discussing dehydrators :lol: )
Any convection oven could work as well BUT low temperature control is the issue.

Be sure to read articles such as this before purchasing a specific dehydrator.

I’ve used the Nesco but the Excalibur tends to get better reviews for meats.

[threedogpack]

I also have a Nesco dehydrator. I’ve used it to make jerky (dog & human), dried fruit and dog treats. Last dog treats I made I used ground boiled chicken and an egg to hold it together, put plastic wrap on the tray which helped a lot with clean up. I spread the paste thin enough that it dried completely, then stored them in baggies in the freezer. Because they were so dry, they did not stick together and I could pull out what I wanted.

Oh…and the chicken got boiled then ground with a stick blender after which I added the egg. Easy peasy.

[threedogpack]

Oh…and I chose the Nesco over the Excalibur due to cost.

[VaqueroToro]

[QUOTE=wendy;7275441]
Never understood why people give “biscuits” to dogs. Training treats should be tiny and soft- the best treat is a tiny bit of wet meat, like chicken, liver, or pork. So yeah, you don’t need to dehydrate anything. Just store it in the freezer or fridge.[/QUOTE]

Raw is a bit inconvenient. Besides, if it’s dried like a jerky, the human involved can partake too if feeling a bit peckish.

[alto]

[QUOTE=threedogpack;7275492]
Oh…and I chose the Nesco over the Excalibur due to cost.[/QUOTE]

Yup :lol:

[GraceLikeRain]

[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;7275502]
Raw is a bit inconvenient. Besides, if it’s dried like a jerky, the human involved can partake too if feeling a bit peckish.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Even cooked meat can get pretty gross in a pocket and it isn’t always convenient to wear a treat pouch. I look forward to seeing these responses. As I try to get the the root of Dexter’s food allergies, I would love to create my own single ingredient treats for diet control.

[Bicoastal]

Thank you for the ideas, gang. The free solution would be to fridge/freeze homemade biscuits/jerky then take out individual portions for the dogwalker. That is a logical solution.

I’m still intrigued by the dehydrator. Thank you threedogpack, alto, & Roxy for sharing your uses. I have a small toaster oven that has a convection component. I turn it on low and long for biscuits and sweet potato.

So a dehydrator is like a crock pot in that you can leave it on all day unattended? When I have made them after work, I end up throwing in the towel and saying they’re done when I need to go to bed! On weekends, I have more time but I’d rather train/trial than sit in the house all day watching the oven.

And thank you Vaquero and Grace for defending the biscuit/jerky thing. Sigh. I knew someone would argue.

[VaqueroToro]

@Bicoastal;7275861

So a dehydrator is like a crock pot in that you can leave it on all day unattended? When I have made them after work, I end up throwing in the towel and saying they’re done when I need to go to bed! On weekends, I have more time but I’d rather train/trial than sit in the house all day watching the oven.

Totally set and forget just like a crock pot. Rotate the trays once or twice during the process, but otherwise, just let it go till its done.

[kmwines01]

My aunt got one for making dog treats but didn’t use it much so I got it. I intended to use it for drying fruits and possibly jerky for backpacking but my first batch didn’t go well and it was more of a pain than benefit. If you have a dog with specific needs or allergies then I can see the need and benefit. For me buying already dehydrated treats or training treats is way easier and the added convenience makes up for the cost. I’m just not motivated enough to do all the prep work, lol.

[threedogpack]

the prep work is what takes the longest. I usually do meat for about 36 hours and fruit far less. The chicken/egg I did over night.

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=threedogpack;7275974]
the prep work is what takes the longest. I usually do meat for about 36 hours…[/QUOTE]

:eek: Clearly I don’t have any knowledge. Maybe it’s not a good idea for me.

Just this morning my mother asked me for gift ideas. Now I’m shying away from a dehydrator. That was my only idea! I wish AKC or NADAC had trial entry gift certificates.

[wendy]

I don’t mean RAW meat- I cook it for treats, it would be very unhygienic to stuff raw meat into ones pocket. Pork is one of the best dog treats- it holds together well unlike chicken and is quite cheap if you shop the sales. Often you can get it for less than a dollar a pound, roast it, and chop it into tiny bits. Why bother drying it? liver is also a good treat, but again, why bother drying it? chuck it in the oven, roast, then chop it up into tiny bits. I don’t think sweet potatoes or flour-based biscuits are good for dogs, and they are way too large to be used as training treats. If you aren’t training, what is the point of giving your dog random treats? often you see people giving their dog food for no reason whatsoever and you wonder what is going through their head. Lots of fat and ill-behaved dogs around these days.

[cloudy18]

We have a Nesco, but I dont use it. DH uses it to make beef/venison jerky for deer hunting. The dogs love this time of year. I hate the house reeking of meat for days straight. I have made baked treats for the dogs and just stored them in the freezer. The dehydrator seems so time consuming to me, and it’s noisy and a pain to clean (I think), and I just don’t treat my dogs that often. Their treats are carrots, meat scraps, canned pumpkin, that sort of thing.

[threedogpack]

Bicoastal, if the prep work is off putting, think about the results. Today I have dried apples in the dehydrator for work. Nutritious and tasty. However, if you decide against a dehydrator for any reason and are still stumped for ideas for giving getting…think about Denise Fenzi online class gift certs. You would love her classes!

[alto]

I hate the house reeking of meat for days straight.

Garages & far away basements are made for dehydrators :lol:

As for prep work, talk to your butcher

Available at the store will always be easier of course, but when a company discontinues a product or a distributor drops it off the list …

[alto]

[QUOTE=wendy;7276804]
If you aren’t training, what is the point of giving your dog random treats? often you see people giving their dog food for no reason whatsoever and you wonder what is going through their head. Lots of fat and ill-behaved dogs around these days.[/QUOTE]

I’ve always given my cat/dog/horse random treats - sometimes just being so darn cute is enough … & no, none are either FAT or ILL-BEHAVED!
They all know how to be polite & work for their treats - OK the cat is the least polite but she has a bit of a personality disorder :uhoh: