Good ol’ Silicone Molds
An entire deep dive post about silicone molds, I must be joking…
I’m not, though and by the end of this, you’ll be obsessed with them too. Now, to be clear an ice cube tray would also work fine, but then you don’t get the adorable shapes you can achieve with the endless designs of silicone molds.
This Deep Dive was inspired by my mom who called me confused about what to do with her can of pumpkin after she opened it. I mentioned she could use a can lid or cover it with something else and just pop it in the fridge, or alternatively she could portion it out in a silicone mold and just keep them in the freezer. There was a moment of silence before she responded with, “uuuh… do you have a video I could watch on how to do that, or maybe a blog post for reference?” I realized that’s probably the response from a lot of people who don’t spend their time scrolling the pet side of the internet, and so now here I am with a step-by-step guide on how to use silicone molds (or ice cube trays) to make your life easier! I’ll link a video below as well if you’re more of a visual learner.
If you’ve ventured here from any of our social media pages you know we almost always use powdered pumpkin and we prefer the powdered version over the traditional cans of pumpkin puree for a couple of reasons:
The shelf life
Regular cans of pumpkin are good in the fridge for 5-7 days after you open it, assuming you’ve covered it well enough or transferred it to an airtight container. Powered pumpkin on the other hand is good for up to a year after opening, again so long as its stored properly. Also, big points here, the powdered pumpkin doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
2. Convenience
Powdered pumpkin is super convenient. Luckily canned pumpkin is one of those items you can find at basically any shop, but I meal prep for my pets pretty often and the powdered pumpkin makes it so I can just add it in with the rest of the food or toppers and I don’t need to have whoever is pet sitting mess with a can.
Useability
You can easily turn powdered pumpkin back into pumpkin puree by adding in a little bit of water and giving it a quick mix. For me that means I basically get two products in one: the powdered pumpkin and a regular pumpkin puree, making it really versatile.
All that being said there are certainly downsides to dehydrated and powdered pumpkin. Most notably, the price. My two favorite brands are Native Pet and Wild Acre and these two are around $18.99 and $19.99 for 8 oz jars that contain around 28 tablespoons, making each serving of 1 TBSP between $0.68 and $0.71. Compared to a standard can of pureed pumpkin, I’m using this one made by Libby’s Pumpkin I found at Target for $2.79 that's 15oz and on average contains a little more than 29 tablespoons, making each serving (of 1 TBSP) less than $0.10.
To most people, the canned pumpkin is an obvious choice and I don’t disagree with you. My only hang up is that once you open a can, you have at most 7 days to use up over 29 tablespoons of pumpkin and since I only have one dog and one cat, there's just no way we can use it all up before it goes bad and ends up just going to waste. If you have a few dogs, cans are perfect, but if you’re like me, don’t give up yet - I have a solution!
Enter, silicone molds and/or ice cube trays if you’re just dead set on being boring. I’d link some for you here, but honestly, just hop on Amazon and type in “silicone molds” paired with a shape or serving size you have in mind or head to a local store. Most shops like Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc.. will have a variety. I also recommend putting your mold on something more sturdy like a cutting board or even a piece of cardboard so when you pick up your mold it doesn’t spill everywhere. Lastly, I like to use a piping bag to fill the molds, but a plastic bag with the corner cut or even just a spoon will work.
Once you’ve got all your supplies ready, it’s time to get to filling! Fill your mold or ice cube tray with pumpkin, give it a few good taps to work out any air bubbles and stick it in the freezer for a few hours to set. I typically leave mine overnight, but that also could be because I’m forgetful. After they’re frozen, you can pop them out of their molds and put them into a separate container. These cuties are good in the freezer for up to three months and now you have a perfectly portioned, and adorable serving of pumpkin ready to pop into their bowl whenever you need it. My dog likes them frozen and they make for a great snack on a hot day, but you can also pop them in the fridge overnight to thaw.
The best part is, you can do this with basically anything. Pumpkin was just my most recent example, but we use silicone molds to pre-portion a ton of different things including goats milk, bone broth, golden paste, coconut oil, and we’ve even used them to make things like multivitamin treats or just regular treats.
They’re fun, versatile and come in endless shapes and sizes, so you can always find something that fits your needs.