Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes -- treat / chewy

[KristinDREAM]

My little pet store up the street started selling dehydrated sweet potato chips -- to the dogs, they are like a cross between a rawhide chewy and a biscuit. They cost $5 for what cannot be more than 1/2 of a sweet potato!

So I got a dehydrator and started drying the sweet potatoes myself. I slice them long-ways. The dogs love them and I'm saving TONS on treats, even with the cost of the dehydrator (about $50).

[Schatz's Mom]

My guys love sweet potatos too. I guess maybe I better start looking into a dehydrator!

[Tucker's Mom]

Great idea! I had a dehydrator at one time. I loaned it to someone who then moved out of state and never returned it. Grrrrrrrrr

[Maxwells Mama]

Maxwell loooves Sam Yams dehydrated sweet potatoes. I just bought a dehydrator and Im gonna try to make some on my own. They are great snacks and not fatting.

[JayLu50]

Interesting - I will have to try that - I make my dogs 'cookies' with rice flour and mashed carrots or green beans baked till their rock hard and they love those. Sweet potatoes sound much easier :)

[UnderdogsMom]

What a great Idea :Sun2: I wonder if I could dry Sweet Potato in the oven ????

[Suzanne R]

What a great Idea :Sun2: I wonder if I could dry Sweet Potato in the oven ????

I think I gave my dehydrator away, or sold it, or something! I'll bet you could bake them in the oven at about 300 or 350, then let them sit all night on a cookie sheet until they "hardened." I'll have to check into that! I think I saw something about that on the internet somewhere! It would be like making sweet potato chips, I think!!!

I found a microwave recipe for them! It calls for brown sugar and margarine, but I'll bet you could follow that recipe and just eliminate the "additions." Actually, mine like the RAW sweet potato, too!

[ttrusc]

wow thats different never heard of that
moms dog would love that

[JacksonsDaddy]

what a GREAT idea!! My mom still has their dehydrator. I usually only borrow it once a year to make beef jerkey, but I think I'll have to write that down and try that too!

[JayLu50]

To dehydrate in the oven bake at 250 for about 4-5 hours depending on thick whatever you are dehydrating is. I've made beef jerky for my son this way - comes out just as good as my dehydrator which has long since 'passed on'.

[Maxwells Mama]

I tried today the sweet potatoes in the Nesco dehydrator from walmart and it works great. I just sliced the potatoes and put them in the microwave for a few min and then for 6 hours in the machine. :Sun2: They taste great. Honestly I like them to just as a lil snack :happy030:

[IzzyandWillie]

Izzy and Willie are eating a Sams Yam right now. They love them. I'm going to try making them myself as they cost $6 a bag here. There's only about 6 slices in a bag. Quite expensive sweet potato, huh?

Now, if only someone could figure out how to make Flossies!!!!!:D

[jzutis]

That is such a great idea, I am definetly going to try that as they are quite expensive at the fancy pet store up the street and the dogs love them! I will try the oven version and see how it goes! Thanks for the $$$ saving tip!:Sun2:

[Suzanne R]

To dehydrate in the oven bake at 250 for about 4-5 hours depending on thick whatever you are dehydrating is. I've made beef jerky for my son this way - comes out just as good as my dehydrator which has long since 'passed on'.

Thanks for the info! I have a microwave/convection oven so I could do it in that, too, instead of heating up the whole house! COOL IDEA!! Anyone got any more great ideas for home-made treats??? Does anyone use ANY kind of seasoning on the sweet potatoes??

[JacksonsDaddy]

I didn't add anything as I was afraid that I would put to much of anything on it. Maybe soaking in a little chicken broth before baking/nuking/drying wouldn't be such a bad idea though??

[Suzanne R]

I love sweet potato "chips" myself - I may have to make extra, in case I end up eating too many and there's none left for my crew!

[Kaity-Did]

great idea :)

[beausmom1]

Great idea! Anybody know how long they can be stored for?

[Suzanne R]

Great idea! Anybody know how long they can be stored for?
Hmmmm - good question. I'd say, in an airtight container, maybe a week? Hopefully someone with experience in this particular field will tell us. I guess they'd mold eventually, but don't know how long they'll last.

[JacksonsDaddy]

Great idea! Anybody know how long they can be stored for?


Hmmmm - good question. I'd say, in an airtight container, maybe a week? Hopefully someone with experience in this particular field will tell us. I guess they'd mold eventually, but don't know how long they'll last.

Actually, if they're dehydrated (all moisture gone) and stored in an airtight box or zipper bag they'll last quite a while. You're removing all the moisture and that's a very necessary part of the molding process. We used to keep dehydrated goods in mason jars for months before they weren't any good.

[Suzanne R]

Good to know, Aaron - thanks!!

[beausmom1]

Great! I think cooking them in the oven for four hours will be worth it if I can do a bunch and they store a while. Sounds like a nice tradition for fall and winter. Turn down the heat and dehydrate us some sweet potatoes in the oven. However, I can't even think about it today. My apartment is already 80 degrees.:faint: Thanks for the tips!

[DancesWithPuppi]

Won't bore you with most of the details, but here's what I'm trying...

slice 1 sweet potato as thinly as possible.
Soak in 1/4 cup of lemon juice diluted to 4 cups with cold tap water.
Towel dry.
Place on dehydrator racks
Dry at 115 degrees for 12 hours


We'll see how that works out.


zzz

[bevcherry]

I cut some up awhile ago and dried them in the oven. They really shrink a lot, to about the size of a nickle or dime. I will cut them the long way next time. However the girls just loved them.