Caring for your Kuro Snacks

Dried food can last a long time without artificial preservatives or preservatives of any kind and still taste just as good if not better. But there’s nothing worst than having delicious dried food go bad or get mouldy.

Preservatives

Large scale commercial treats have to rely on preservatives to keep them staying fresh. This is to extend their shelf-life and keep the perishable ingredients from turning bad. From the time they are produced, hit the store, bought and consumed, with large scale distribution, their treats need to last for a really long time. They turn to preservatives to help prolong the life of their treats. This can include Ethoxyquin, Propylene Glycol, BHT - Butylated Hydroxytoluene, known as BHT, and BHA - Butylated Hydroxyanisole. These are generally approved for use but are starting to be the cause for some concern. Ethoxyquin is suspected to be the cause of certain types of canine liver and kidney cancer and propylene glycol is used for some types of antifreeze. This does provide some fair concern feeding our furry friends treats that contain such chemicals. 

Home Cooked & Natural

Home Cooked Kuro Snacks provides a better avenue where there are no unnecessary and artificial additives or preservatives. Of course, the down side is a shorter life span. This also allows you to buy only what you need depending on the size of your dog (or cat) and it’s appetite - you have a choice of 60g or 120g or more. At 8.5kg, Kuro who doesn’t have a huge appetite can go through 60g in a week. Discerning dogs like Kuro, can tell the difference and would prefer home cooked snacks versus large scale commercial ones. If they are stored properly and handled with care, they could last anything from 2 to 6 months as long as they are kept constantly dry.

One of the better natural preservatives to use is Rosemary that not only helps extend the shelf life of Kuro Snacks but also has its own healthy benefits. That is why, it is present in almost all our snacks. It is used to prolong the life of home cooked Kuro Snacks.

Whether it’s our classic meats like Tori, Buta or Gyū, or our bites like Tsuna or Miruku, they are all put through a dehydration process that removes as much moisture as possible. When they are completely dry, they are less susceptible to going bad so quickly or get mouldy. It allows them to last for at least a month or two, depending on their exposure to moisture.

Storage

Freezer - If your dog (or cat) does not take treats regularly and one bag of Kuro Snacks (60g) can last you for the month, there shouldn’t be any storage issue. However, if you have a few bags and they will not be consumed within the month, especially when the bags are opened frequently, then it might be worthwhile to keep them in the freezer in double sealed ziplock bags (just like you would with bread). It lasts longer in the freezer but you can put it in the refrigerator too.

Airtight Containers - Transferring them to a glass jar with an airtight lid or an airtight container is another way to keep them longer lasting if you don’t intend to keep them in a freezer. You can get them almost anywhere or if you want those airtight containers that we have in the video (we love them), you can click here to purchase them.

Cool, Dry Place - Kuro Snacks needs to be kept in a cool, dry place with as little moisture as possible. We do recognize that especially in Singapore, our homes may be really humid. Some of us have dehumidifiers in the form of machines. And in the vicinity of your dehumidifier is where you should place them. The other really handy to place them in a cupboard perhaps in the kitchen or your pantry together with something like a mini-dehumidifier (we use a lot of this, all around the house to protect our things from humidity and moisture) and this will help to keep all your dried food (not just Kuro Snacks), well, dry.

Handle with Care

Moisture is the biggest enemy. Whether you have sweaty palms, or just washed your hands, no matter how clean they are, keep them dry when handling Kuro Snacks. Especially if you’re storing them in the bag or in airtight containers, the last thing you want to do is to introduce moisture into the storage facility. It would manifest moisture within the bag and that can cause your Kuro Snacks to turn bad at a quicker pace.

Remedy

Despite the odds, if your Kuro Snacks start to turn bad (presence of a bit of mould), you have to deal with it immediately. If they were stored in the original bag, remove them straightaway and get rid of the those that are bad. You can prepare a ziplock bag or an airtight container. Make sure they are clean and dry. For the remaining Kuro Snacks, if you have a dehydrator, pop them in there for about an hour at 70°C for an hour or so, have them cool before you shut them off in the airtight container. If you don’t have a dehydrator, pop them in the oven at the lowest temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes (just make sure they don’t burn). Once they are cooled, seal them in the airtight container. Here are some airtight containers to consider. If you need more options, click here.

While this journal entry may not just apply to Kuro Snacks but other treats that you may buy, if you like journal entries like these, please feel free to join our community and we will share more tips and tricks for the best care for our fur-kids.