Sous Vide

Perhaps one of the most intriguing uses for vacuum sealers is in “sous vide” cooking. Sous vide is French for “under vacuum.” Many world-class chefs, including Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter, use the sous vide cooking method to yield moist and flavorful dishes with no loss of nutrients or flavors - remember, vacuum sealing seals in moisture and flavor.

The procedure is relatively straightforward: place the food to be cooked into a vacuum bag and seal. Submerge in water that is the temperature you want your finished dish to be. For example, if you are cooking a chicken breast, have the water at 165 degrees, F. For fish, keep the water at 140 degrees, F.

It is critical to control the temperature of the water, because heating food without oxygen can contribute to the growth of some pretty nasty bacteria, including the bacteria that cause botulism. Professional chefs can precisely control their cooking temperature with a very expensive piece of equipment, called a circulator that is not available to the average home cook.

So, for safety’s sake, I don’t recommend trying this at home. If you can find a restaurant in your area that offers sous vide cooked food, do try it—you will be amazed at the moist and flavorful results.

Here are some other great uses for the FoodSaver vacuum sealer that have nothing to do with food.

• Keep matches dry when fishing or camping

• Vacuum seal important papers to prevent possible water damage or mildew should your pipes burst

• Keep first aid items, such as bandages and gauze, fresh, clean and ready to use

• Vacuum pack clothing for storing in small spaces

• Vacuum seal and freeze water for instant ice packs. When the ice melts, you can re-freeze or drink the water

• Vacuum pack a change of clothes in case you take an “accidental” spill in the lake.

At the end of the day, The FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer will pay for itself by drastically cutting down on your kitchen waste. Get in the habit of portioning and vacuum sealing meals or snacks for your family, and never have to throw away a gray, leathery, freezer-burned steak again.

Tips for Sealing Liquids

I have received many questions about sealing liquid items in a vacuum sealer machine. I will make a video soon and post it to supplement my advice.

As far as liquids go...there is a removable tray in the Minipack Cyclone machines that captures excess liquids and then can easily be removed and cleaned out. The best way to seal completely liquid items is to freeze it in the bag first and then vacuum seal that way there is no chance for liquids to clog the machine. 

Or, you can try to seal the liquid-filled bag by hanging the bag down as far as possible (see photo above). This allows most of the air to be removed before the machine starts trying to suck up the liquid, at which point you manually turn the machine off.

I usually put juicy things in a ziploc/saran wrap and close all but a tiny bit of the zipper. Then I put the item in the sealing bag with the zipper opposite the end to be sealed. The machine pulls the air out of the inner bag and seals before the juices escape and get to the machine. This works best with juicy meats or berries that would release juice under pressure.

Down-Time

I received several phone calls that there is some trouble with my website showing up. The correct web address is: www.thevakshack.com . Please e-mail me at thevakshack@gmail.com to let me know if you have experienced any difficulties when placing an order.

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?