December Newsletter

10% PROMO: Holiday10 Take advantage of this great offer. Remember, vacuum sealer bags make excellent gifts for the holidays! Stock up now and enjoy throughout the year. Use the Promo Code: Holiday10 at checkout to receive 10% off your entire order. Offer expires 12/31/2010.

If you have experienced any sort of special customer service this year, or perhaps an exceptionally speedy delivery, I ask that you visit my Facebook page and leave me some feedback!  Have a happy holiday season. Cheers! Click here to view full Newsletter!!

Christmas Cookies

Baking lots of goodies this holiday season? Why not vacuum seal them before you send them out to friends and family! Vacuum Sealing will not crush the delicate cookies and treats, but it will ensure freshness for upto 5x as long as traditional saran-wrap or ziploc bags. They will be a huge hit. Oh, and I'm a great taste-tester if you have any leftovers :)

Happy Holidays from The Vak Shack!!

Guacamole

Avocado is particularly troublesome to preserve because it oxidizes so easily...turning brown. A bit of lemon or lime might help a little, but dealing with a leftover half an avocado is a problem if you've just made a BLTA sandwich!

Fortunately, avocado vacuum seals really well. For best results, leave the pit in (it contains chemicals that also help prevent oxidation) and vacuum seal. This is my half avocado after two days. 

Of course you're still always better off using it right away, but in a pinch it saves pretty well in a vacuum, even cut in half.

Sneak Peek!!

Here is a Sneak Peek of the new website design...What do you think? Any suggestions?

Tebow & Bongo

Just thought I'd share a photo of these two little guys :)

I've been busy working on a brand-new website. The new site will have a variety of different shipping and payment options, which I am very excited about. As many of you know, on the current site it is difficult to ship internationally and combine shipping pre-payment. I'll post the new site sometime this week...The address is still the same: www.thevakshack.com . Have a great week!

September Newsletter

Buy in bulk. Go fishing. Go hunting. Cook. Share your story.

It’s all possible with The Vak Shack’s Cook & Seal Challenge.

Hi There,

Did you know that 76% of people think it’s cheaper nowadays to go out to eat rather than cook at home? Listen up! I challenge you to go find a fabulous recipe. Something that will impress at that holiday party or a chicken cacciatore dish that will melt your sweetie’s heart.

Pamper your inner chef. Go out and buy that new knife set or those fabulous baking dishes you’ve been eyeing. Perhaps you’ve always wanted a pink spatula…do it! Heck, get one of those adorable aprons! Buy the groceries, tune the radio to your favorite station, and cook up a storm!

Remember what it feels like to cook! Before or after everyone’s devoured the dish (because we know the secret ingredient is LOVE!), vacuum seal the leftovers into mini portions. Put them in the fridge or freezer to enjoy up to a year later! Not that you’ll be able to wait that long…

Sneak Peek! What’s new@ The Vak Shack:

· Facebook & Blog: Send me photos of your meals before and after they’ve been vacuum sealed to be entered in October’s free giveaway.

· Automated Ordering: Message me if you’d like to be set up on the recurring order plan. Perhaps you’d like to get a new set of bags every two months, etc…

· Free Shipping: 1 day in October I will offer FREE shipping. You don’t want to miss out!

I encourage you to take the Cook & Seal Challenge, so you can see for yourself: you can save time and money by cooking in. Plus, you get to enjoy delicious meals throughout the year!

Here’s to your success!

Amanda M. Crum

(717) 512-6899

thevakshack@gmail.com

PS: If you’re ever looking to learn more about vacuum packaging, you’ll also want to check out my blog and facebook pages. You’ll find articles, tips, videos and more – all designed to be easy-to-use. All in one easy-to-find place.

First Commercial

The Vak Shack's First Commercial!! Feedback welcome :)

Crafting Storage

"I just bought my first FoodSaver and I am hooked. Not only have I packaged food, but I have reduced my knitting yarn stash down to a fraction of the space. I even vacuum packed my small quilting floor frame in one FoodSaver Bag (this way it will be all together in one place & I don't have to store it in the big box it came in). As I do all kinds of crafts, knitting sewing, cross-stitching, beading, card making, leather crafts, the FoodSaver will be a wonderful accessory not only in the kitchen but in my craft room!"

- Rachel W., West Palm Beach, FL

Support Our Troops

"America still has tens of thousands of service men and women serving in harm's way in Iraq & Afghanistan. Nothing reminds our heroes of home like opening a vacuum sealed bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies...letting the aroma fill the tent! Our supplier of vacuum bags is The Vak Shack. Their bags are first rate, are shipped promptly and their pricing is terrific! Our organization is St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA and our Ministry is called "Support Our Troops". We run purely on donations from our incredibly generous parishioners.""

- Martha Opuda Turner, Vienna, VA

Pet Food...To-Go!

I use my MiniPack to make packing for long day trips with my dog (Tebow) and bunny (Bongo) easier. I simply portion out the food in to pint or quart sized vacuum bags and seal them up. It makes the food much smaller and easier to pack, so you can avoid having to pack those large cans of food.

OR...Turn the Vacuum Seal bags into bowls! It's simple...just cut the top layer into an X-shape and peel to the underside and now you have a makeshift dog bowl on-the-go that you can toss when your pet is finished eating.

Tip: I was kayaking the other day and noticed a lot of people bring their dogs on the kayak. What better way to ensure that your dog food stays dry than to vacuum pack it!

Laundry on the Go

Using my vacuum sealer, I vacuum package enough laundry detergent for 2 loads of laundry and keep it in my car/suitcase at all times! Many hotels have washers and dryers but either don't sell or charge a lot for the detergent. So, if I need to do laundry while traveling, I'm all set. Plus, the detergent packets hardly take up any space and are leak-proof. Yet again, so many uses!

Home Sweet Home

I am back in Harrisburg, PA this weekend visiting family and friends. I thought I'd snap a quick photo of the freezer at my Dad's house...Lots of Vaccum Seal Bags! :) Have a great weekend!!

Dirty, Tarnished Silverware??

Yes, it's true...polishing Grandma's hand-me-down, precious silver can be very tedious. In fact, that used to be one of my chores at my Grandma's house before Thanksgiving. We would break out all the silverware and I'd sit in the formal living room with a bottle of polish...all the while complaining that it just didn't make sense!! Plastic forks would be fine, nobody would notice...!

Fact of the matter is, there's something special about commemorating certain events with antique heirlooms...that being said, I shut my mouth and got back to polishing.

A few years ago, a customer of mine asked me if she could use the bags to vacuum seal her silver (would the bag be strong enough). It took me a while to realize what a great idea that was! Why hadn't I thought of that...ugh! So, I ran an "experiment" and it definitely works. In fact, I highly recommend storing anything that tarnishes in vacuum seal bags.

Quest for the Perfect Cookie!

Vacuum Sealed Cookie Dough

In the Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, one of the main tricks from the article is to rest your dough for 36 hours before baking the cookies in order to improve the flavor. Many chefs make cookie dough in advance and bake to order. I know that refrigeration has beneficial effects although I had never tested the theory to the extent that David Leite did for the article. I just knew that well rested and chilled cookie dough made better cookies.

When the craving hits I look for immediate satisfaction. The article succeeded in awakening my craving for warm, soft cookies, I just wasn't entirely sure I wanted to go through the process of making the dough and then have to wait 36 hours to bake off the cookies. Fortunately, I remembered the vacuum sealer in our kitchen. In the past we had used the vacuum sealer for pasta doughs. The process sped up the process of moisture absorption, allowing us to create silky doughs with less liquid. This seemed similar to the process described in the article of allowing the flour to fully absorb the liquid from the eggs during it's resting period. Perhaps if I vacuum sealed the cookie dough I could speed up the entire process and end up with better cookies in less time.

I used my standard chocolate chip recipe. I did not make a test batch of cookies with unprocessed dough so this was an entirely unscientific experiment! What I can tell you is that the dough darkened and became fully saturated, similar to the way that the dough usually looks after a couple of days in the refrigerator. It also changed the texture of the dough, making it a bit more elastic to the touch. The just made dough was too soft to shape and needed to chill, so I left in the fridge for about three hours before baking.

The resulting cookies were pretty darn good! They had a slightly cakey texture in the center with chewy yet crisp edges and rich buttery, caramel flavors. It was impossible to eat just one and I was thankful that I had not baked off the entire batch :) Were they better than David Leite's? I really couldn't say. On the other hand I think it was clear that vacuum sealing did have a positive effect on the process, and from now on plastic wrap is out and vacuum bags are definitely in.

This technique opens doors for other dough preparations from pie to biscuit to cracker to puff dough bases which would be able to be made and formed with very little working of the dough, just compression and nearly instant hydration. In fact, in looking just at the process of hydration perhaps compression can and should be applied from nuts to legumes.

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

Icy Relief for Injuries - Gel Packs

Instead of expensive frozen gel ice packs, I fill small Vacuum Sealer Bags (cut and made to my preferred size) with ice cubes then pour in enough rubbing alcohol (or dish soap) to cover the ice. I vacuum seal the bags with my FoodSaver machine, allow the ice to melt and then refreeze. The alcohol prevents the mixture from freezing hard and it stays pliable. These ice packs are easily refrozen for another use and I keep several in the freezer so they are always on hand. - Frawn G.

Maybe even throw in a splash of food coloring for little kids!!

Customer Photos

This photo was submitted by Kandi Mejia...She has been quite busy w/ the Foodsaver!

August Newsletter

Hi Vak Packers!

As much as I love summer, I’m definitely anticipating the arrival of some cooler weather (and football season…)! I hope ya’ll have been enjoying yours! I’ve been keeping busy here at the office…especially since so many of you are such excellent fishermen :)

Instead of my usual survey and PROMO code, this month I am going to try something a little different. I have been working hard creating a Facebook, Blog, and Twitter. However, all of that is useless to me if I don’t have any feedback or interaction!

So here’s what I’m thinking…

On my website www.thevakshack.com you can find a link to all of those pages. I encourage you to find whichever medium you prefer…and write! It doesn’t have to be long. Perhaps a testimonial, question, a great idea, recipe, solution, article, suggestions…anything relevant to your vacuum packaging experiences!

I promise y’all, it won’t take but a few minutes and for every comment, I will send you a PROMO code for a certain percentage off of your next order! This is a great chance to learn and interact with others who might just have that “tip” you never knew you never knew!

AND I’ll also do a drawing in September (before the next newsletter) and select a few “best of the best” and I will send them free samples of the new Flavor Wraps. I just tried them out on BBQ Chicken and they are fantastic!

Amanda M. Crum
(717) 512-6899
thevakshack@gmail.com
www.thevakshack.com

“I have not failed. I just know 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

What is FreezerBurn?

Freezer burn is the dehydration of the surface of frozen foods that results in a dried and leathery appearance. Freezer burn can degrade the flavor and texture of meat, poultry and other food stored in the freezer, leaving it discolored, unappetizing and even inedible.

Freezer burn appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on frozen food. It occurs when air reaches the food's surface and dries out the product. This can happen when food is not wrapped securely in air-tight packaging. Color changes result from chemical changes in the food's pigment.

Freezing Berries

When you vacuum pack berries you can use them throughout the year for: baking, juices, jellies, jams, and wines! You could also use them in hot cereals (blackberries in hot oatmeal - YUMMY!), fruit smoothies, or simply a frozen summer treat.

1. Before freezing, rinse the berries in cold water to clean them. Drain in colander/strainer. The

berries don't have to be perfectly dry.

2. Spread the berries out evenly and only one layer thick on the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheets (with the berries on them!) in the freezer for about 4 hours. Overnight is even better. The berries should be frozen SOLID before proceeding.

3. Once the berries are frozen solid they should break away from the waxed paper quite easily. Now, you can handle them without damaging them.

4. Now, measure and pour them into a vacuum seal bag and package them under vacuum. Since the berries are already frozen solid, they will not be damaged or crushed by the vacuum packaging process. Vacuum packaging will also extend their "shelf-life" in the freezer dramatically.

1st Place Joust Business Plan Competition

Amanda M. Crum, a CBA management major in the entrepreneurship track, was the winner of the 7th Annual Joust Business Plan Tournament, held at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. Before a panel of five judges, Crum presented The Vak Shack, LLC, an online business where she sells vacuum sealer machines and replacement vacuum sealer bags for food preservation.
“I first came up with the idea for The Vak Shack a couple of years ago. My dad works in the commercial food equipment business, and he often had extra storage bags left over,” Crum said. “A couple of years ago, we decided to try selling them online, and we quickly realized there was a demand for a generic brand of bags. It just took off from there.”

Click here to keep reading this article.

New Locations!

Visit The Vak Shack on eBay at Vac-Pak-Store.

Or you can visit our website at www.thevakshack.com.

Look around the store for some great discounts and unique & user-friendly combinations! Vacuum Packaging Equipment Galore!

Welcome to The Vak Shack!

Hello & Welcome!

I recently was featured in the King of the Court 90 second Business Pitch competition at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.

Click here to view the full-length article!

I received 4th place and won $250.00!

What did I Pitch? Foodsaver Bags @ www.thevakshack.com!