#sousvideeverything Even Sous Vide Dog Food?

Is it true, has sous vide gone to the dogs? Can you feed your dog fresh foods that have been cooked sous vide without having to become their private pet chef? It’s true. It’s here. And in many cases, it doesn’t even require a trip to the store. Let’s dive into the emerging market of sous vide pet food and the equipment that makes the departure from traditional kibble possible.

What is Sous Vide Dog Food?

Sous vide dog food is often portion-sized servings of fresh ingredients that have been vacuum sealed in air-tight plastic pouches and then cooked in those pouches over low heat for a long period of time. The sous vide cooked dog food is typically held in cold storage and served ready to eat or frozen for extended storage. ‘Sous vide’ doesn’t refer to the ingredients used, but rather the cooking method used to prepare the food. The sous vide cooking method touts diverse benefits for both human and pet foods. These benefits include:

Waste Reduction: Sous vide makes it virtually impossible to overcook or burn foods which dramatically increases yields. The cooking method also produces more flavorful foods without the use of added ingredients and fats as it locks in the food’s natural juices.

Health Benefits: High-temperature cooking methods often kill or dramatically reduce the nutrients present in meats and vegetables. By lowering the cooking temperature, the sous vide cooking method ensures that foods retain as much of their nutritional value as possible and that those nutrients are more bioavailable by retaining freshness even in cooked products.

Minimized Processing & Labor Costs: Sous vide cooking can be largely unmonitored by human labor, and foods cooked sous vide can be cooked, chilled, stored, and rethermalized in the same package (for specific applications) creating substantial cost savings.

What Industrial Sous Vide Equipment is Right for Dog Food Production?

The beauty of sous vide cooking is that whether you’re cooking a meal for the Queen or your dog Quincy – the mechanics are the same. Sous vide requires specialized plastic packaging, vacuum sealing, a cook tank with proper temperature probes and controls, and appropriate chilling equipment. DC Norris is proud to offer a variety of sous vide cook tank capacities when it comes to fully automated sous vide cooking:

• Model CT-1: 120 lb Capacity (NSF Certified)

• Model CT-5: 551 lb Capacity

• Model CT-10: 882 lb Capacity

• Model CT-20: 1,764 lb Capacity

All DC Norris sous vide cook tanks are controlled through a full-color HMI and can be integrated with DC Norris’s food safety, recipe control, and data recording software solutions Recipe Manager and Virtual Chart Recorder.

Depending on the recipe and storage requirements, cooling options include glycol chilling, tumble chilling, and belt tumble chilling. DC Norris has a robust portfolio of companion chilling equipment to meet all of your sous vide pet food manufacturing requirements.

What Brands of Sous Vide Pet Food Exist?

In North America, while the space is emerging, it seems to be gaining traction with a variety of direct-to-consumer subscription models being offered for sous vide pet food including The Farmer’s Dog, A Pup Above, Ollie, Tom & Sawyer, and many more. The brands offering sous vide pet food tout vet-develop meals that can be customized to meet the specific needs of individual pets and “human-grade” ingredients and manufacturing standards.

Whether you’re a small-batch producer or looking to expand your pet food offerings, DC Norris has a team of experts on hand to help you explore your needs and the specific equipment that fits them.