The holidays can be stressful for all of us. Family, presents, cooking, decorating—they can all easily become overwhelming. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to ease the burden, and vacuum pumps and these vacuum applications can help! Check out these vacuum-inspired holiday tips.
1) Give the gift of vacuum
There are several very useful products out there that make great gifts for the friend or relative who has everything else.
Vacuum Pump Wine Preserver: Once a wine bottle has been opened, the shelf-life on the wine is relatively short (5-7 days at most). A vacuum pump wine preserver removes the air from the top of the bottle before sealing it closed, keeping the wine fresh for up to two weeks.
Vacuum Storage Bags: These are great after the holidays when you have so much leftover food, you can either donate it to a food bank or let it turn green in your refrigerator. Using a vacuum pump and bag, you can store food much, much longer. Frozen food that is vacuum-sealed lasts an average of 2-3 years (compared to 6-12 months, on average) and refrigerated food will last for 1-2 weeks, as opposed to the typical 1-3 days.
Travel Vacuum Bag Compressor: Who knew these existed! Let's face it, some of us like to pack until our suitcases are busting at the seams. A vacuum bag is ideal for this situation. Pack everything you want, remove the air, and you will probably have room for even more!
ShopVac: For the hobbyist who needs to do big vacuum jobs, a Shop Vac is a great gift. It takes the word "vacuum cleaner" to a whole new level, sucking up everything in sight. Try the wet/dry version for added flexibility.
2) Cook your holiday dinner under vacuum
Cooking your food under vacuum is a known technique called Sous Vide, which means "Under Vacuum" in French. By cooking Sous Vide, the meat maintains a tenderness and juiciness that is often lost when frying or baking.
For turkey breast:
1. Preheat the water bath to a temperature of 64⁰C.
2. Sprinkle some salt over the turkey breast and place it inside a vacuum bag. Add a little oil to the bag and seal.
3. Place in the water bath and leave to cook for 1 hour.
4. Take the breast out of the bag and pat dry using kitchen paper.
5. For crispy skin, place the breast in a hot non-stick frying pan and fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes. It is now ready to serve.
You can also cook vegetables, eggs, carrots, and steak this way for a delicious alternative to other cooking methods.
3) Start a dinner table conversation about Vacuum Pumps
Ok, so you have great gifts and a delicious meal prepared. Now, what are you going to talk about with your guests? Politics, religion, the environment, and sometimes even sports are off-limits. Fortunately, you can always talk about vacuum—the most interesting, uncontroversial topic available! For conversation starters, here are some ideas:
What is a vacuum?
A vacuum is space in which there is no matter or in which the pressure is so low that any particles in the space do not affect any processes being carried on there... A vacuum can be created by removing air from space using a vacuum pump or by reducing the pressure using a fast flow of fluid.
Want to learn the history of Vacuum? It's fascinating!
Otto von Guericke invented the vacuum pump in 1650. For more details on the history of vacuum, see our blog post.
Do you know what happens to a human body in a vacuum?
The movies don't have it completely right (you won't explode like in Total Recall) but the reality is pretty unpleasant anyway. Within 15 seconds or so you would probably pass out from lack of oxygen, followed shortly by your saliva boiling, and if you're in space, freezing and getting a radiation sunburn simultaneously.
What are vacuum pumps used for?
Vacuum has a wide variety of uses for many industries such as aerospace, government/defense, medical/dental, semiconductor, botanical and many more. To learn about some secret applications for vacuum pumps and helium leak detectors, read on.
4) If all else fails, use vacuum to promote quiet
If the above tactics don't do the trick, try putting select relatives under vacuum during the holiday celebrations. Since sound can't travel under a vacuum, this works in a similar fashion to the Cone of Silence from the Get Smart TV show, but much less expensive. This little- known method, however, is frowned upon, as they also won’t be able to breathe among other things listed above, so only use as a last resort.