Vacuum sealers help keep your food fresh longer, and with proper sealing and storage, they can also help reduce food waste. Finding the best vacuum sealer comes in handy for preparing meals, stocking up on grocery store sales, or freezing leftovers. It can also be useful for marinating proteins and vegetables and is a great tool to have on hand if you like sous vide. How does this handy kitchen appliance work? It uses a vacuum system to create an airtight seal around food.
“I often cook and freeze soups, fruit for smoothies, cooked cereals and blanched vegetables,” Pamela Salzman, a chef and cookbook author tells SELF. « Plus, I like to buy protein packs and create smaller portions to freeze for later use. » If you’re looking for the best vacuum sealer, we’ve reached out to a handful of food experts for their recommendations on the best vacuum sealer models.
The different types of vacuum sealers
There are three types of vacuum sealers: external, chamber, and handheld. With an external vacuum sealer (a popular choice among home cooks), food is sealed in a bag attached to the outside of the machine. Although an external vacuum sealer can seal moist foods, it may not work well on liquids, such as soups. For this reason, be sure to freeze liquids before vacuum sealing them.
With a chambered vacuum sealer, food is placed in a storage bag and then dropped into the internal chamber of the machine. This heavy-duty vacuum sealer can easily seal liquids, but it’s usually bulky, expensive, and mostly found in commercial kitchens.
Finally, a handheld vacuum sealer is precisely what it sounds like: compact, highly portable, and ideal for sealing small items.
How to Choose the Best Vacuum Sealer
When shopping for the best vacuum sealer for your kitchen, Salzman recommends first determining how much space you have and what you will be doing the most with it. “Make sure the size fits your space and has all the features you want,” she explains. For example, vacuum sealers often have different settings, such as wet, dry, pulse, and vacuum. If you plan to seal moist foods, like raw meats, you’ll want to choose a vacuum sealer with a « wet » feature. If you need to store cookies or other delicate baked goods, opt for one with a « pulse » option. For those who need to seal pantry staples, such as cereals and grains, a machine with a “dry” setting should do the trick.
The best vacuum sealers
Below, we’ve selected 14 expert-recommended vacuum sealers. You’ll find the best choices from popular brands like FoodSaver, NutriChef, Zwilling, and Anova Culinary, from retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and more.
