Gently-Cooked Pet Food 101: Everything You Need to Know

As pet owners, we all want the best for our furry friends, and a nutritious diet is key. Interest in fresh, gently-cooked pet food has grown, and for good reason.

The appealing flavours and textures of gently-cooked food make it a great choice for picky eaters. Plus, it’s been linked to several pet health benefits and can help with many health issues.

Gently-cooked food is prepared at the same minimum temperatures used to make our own food safer to eat. It involves cooking ingredients at low temperatures – just enough to kill harmful pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. This keeps the food safe while preserving its natural flavours and nutritional value.

What should I look for when choosing gently-cooked pet food?

Here are three major things that differentiate the options available:

● Complete & Balanced : If you’re feeding this food as all or part of a primary diet (more than 10% of your pet's daily intake), look for "Complete & Balanced," indicating the food meets the nutritional needs for your pet’s specific life stage (whether puppy, kitten, adult, or all life stages), otherwise it is not meant to be fed as a diet.

● Human-Grade : Look for “100% AAFCO Human Grade Dog/Cat Food” on the label. This means the food is made in a facility that meets human food standards. If you don’t see this exact claim, it’s not human-grade and is a lower-grade product.

● Cooking Style : Look for gently-cooked food that prioritizes cooking each ingredient separately. This shows that they understand the temperature's effect on digestibility and availability of each ingredient, plus the best taste and texture. There is also “sous vide" cooking, which sounds fancy but means that all ingredients are cooked in one plastic pouch at the higher temperature needed for meat, destroying nutrients in delicate vegetables.

Where do I find and how do I store this type of food?

In the freezer! Gently-cooked pet food is free from preservatives, so it stays fresh when frozen. Defrost the package under running water, and store leftovers in an airtight container inside your fridge for up to 4 days – just like your own leftovers.

Can I make gently-cooked food for my pet at home?

While it’s possible, here are three reasons it’s not recommended:

1) Ingredient Inconsistency: When buying ingredients from the grocery store, there can be nutrient differences between brands or availability, and what you may think is a minor change of an ingredient can have a major impact on nutritional levels.

2) Improper Cooking Methods: How you cook each ingredient matters. For example, if broccoli isn’t cooked enough, your pet may not be able to absorb all its nutrients. If you overcook or burn the chicken, valuable nutrients your pet needs from that ingredient are destroyed.

3) Not Complete & Balanced: Studies have shown that 90% of homemade pet food recipes are missing at least one essential nutrient leading to an unbalanced diet over time.

Now I’ve made the switch, how do I know it’s working?

Your pet is eagerly eating their new gently-cooked food and now you're eager to see all the benefits. One of the first things you may notice is a change in your pet’s poop – and poop can tell us a lot about our pet's health! You’ll likely start seeing smaller, firmer, and healthier-looking poops. But why does this happen?

According to new research at the University of Illinois, gently-cooked, human-grade pet food can alter the microbiome and was reported to have a higher digestibility of certain nutrients, such as protein, compared to other types of food like kibble. It makes your pet feel their best from the inside out. Benefits of a healthy microbiome and digestible pet foods can include:

● Better digestion

● Improved nutrient absorption

● Increased energy (the zoomies!)

● Stronger immune system

● Shiny skin and coat

Adding even a small portion of gently-cooked food to your pet’s bowl can make a noticeable difference in their health and well-being. Try it today and see for yourself.