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Rather than let your leftovers go to waste, use a vacuum sealer to preserve your food for a future meal. For what they can accomplish, vacuum sealers are relatively inexpensive appliances that can pay for themselves in just a few meals. But there are several options to consider so it's best not to purchase without guidance.
For the typical home, an external vacuum sealer makes the most sense because it is not large like a chamber vacuum sealer and it can handle portions that you might not be able to seal with a handheld unit. The best models are easy to use and have a great degree of versatility when it comes to bag specifications.
Our top pick is the Nesco Deluxe VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, which offers a variety of settings as well as an optional double-heat seal to prevent liquids from leaking.
Vacuum sealers work in tandem with specially designed plastic bags. The vacuum sealer sucks all the air out of the bag and then seals the bag’s opening with heat. This protects the food in the bag from oxidation, too much or too little humidity, mold spores, bacteria, and freezer burn. You still need to refrigerate or freeze food that requires cold storage, and it’s not going to last forever. But it will remain good to eat for a considerably longer time (up to five times longer) than it would have if you’d stored it in the fridge or freezer without sealing it.
There are three basic types of vacuum sealers. Consider what kind of jobs you want your vacuum sealer to handle and also your storage space.
If you plan to use your vacuum sealer mostly for smaller items such as deli meats, cheeses, small portions of produce, or single-serving leftovers, a handheld vacuum sealer, like the Love Moment Electric Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer, may be your best choice.
These smaller devices are portable and easy to hold and use, and they don’t require much storage space. They typically run on rechargeable batteries, so if you want to use your vacuum sealer for extended sessions — for example, cooking and sealing several meals Sunday evening so you’ll have a week’s worth of meals in the freezer — you might have to stop and recharge halfway through. Handheld sealers don’t have the power of larger devices and sometimes struggle to properly seal large bags.
Once only found in professional kitchens, these counter-hogging appliances are now available for residential kitchens as well.
Chamber vacuum sealers are larger, more powerful and more expensive than the other types of vacuum sealers. But they do a great job sealing and preserving large batches of food or wet items like gravy and soup.
The entire bag of food goes inside the chamber, where the air is vacuumed out and the bag sealed. Some chamber sealers even have built-in cutters so you can customize your bag size.
External vacuum sealers, like the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, the MegaWise Vacuum Sealer Machine and the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro, are the most common type used in home kitchens. The sealer clamps down on top of the bag, vacuums out the air, and then seals the bag.
Because the entire bag of food doesn’t have to fit inside a chamber, these devices are excellent for preserving large cuts of meat or big batches of food. They also work well to seal food for cooking with a sous-vide machine.
Some models come with attachments for sealing jars and canisters, as well. Most external vacuum sealers are reasonably sized and won’t take up too much counter space.
Vacuum sealers require special heavy-duty bags that are generally more expensive than the regular plastic bags used for short-term food storage. Some brands of vacuum sealers, including models from Nesco and Annova, work with any bag, while others only work with their own brand of bag.
Before selecting a specific vacuum sealer, check out its bag specifications and consider the following:
The cost per bag
Whether you can use other brands’ bags
The ease of finding bags at your local store
How many bags you are likely to use per week
Whether the bags can be reused
Some vacuum sealers have a single setting for vacuuming and sealing a bag, while others have multiple settings that provide more control over removing the air and sealing. Many models, including the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, the MegaWise Vacuum Sealer Machine, the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro and the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer, have a pulse setting that lets you slowly remove air to seal delicate foods like fish without crushing them.
You can also find vacuum sealers with specific dry and wet sealing modes. A dry function works well if you're only interested in storing and freezing your leftovers, but a wet setting is essential if you want to vacuum seal foods for sous vide cooking or in a marinade. Some models with a moist or wet setting also offer heated sealing to ensure that all the liquid remains inside the bag.
In addition to its gentle or pulse setting for delicate foods, the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer has a dry and moist setting. It even has a double-heat seal option for liquid-based recipes. Our tester was also impressed with the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro's pulse mode, which provided finer control over the vacuum sealing process. "I also like that it has a wet and dry mode," our tester said. "It's a reliable, clean-looking unit that does what it is designed to do well."
For the most effective food storage, a vacuum sealer must effectively remove the air from your sealer bags. A model should have enough suction power to draw as much air as possible from the bags, so you don't wind up with air pockets around your food. In general, a vacuum sealer should provide 13 to 25 inches of mercury (Hg) of pressure to successfully vacuum seal.
The Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer is one of the most powerful models on our list, hitting 25.1 Hg in its top mode. Our tester found this top mode to be one of the strongest among the models they've used. With a maximum suction of 23 Hg, the Weston Professional Advantage Vacuum Sealer is another powerful option.
A vacuum sealer's size is a key factor to consider when shopping. You can only seal foods that are similar in size to the machine or fit inside bags that correspond to the sealer's length. If you want to store and freeze large pieces or quantities of food, you'll need a bigger vacuum sealer.
However, if you opt for a larger model, it can be difficult to find a spot for it in your kitchen. We prefer external vacuum sealers like the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, the MegaWise Vacuum Sealer Machine and the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro because their compact design makes them easier to store in a cabinet or drawer.
Some vacuum sealers also offer built-in bag storage, so you don't have to worry about finding another spot to keep the rolls of sealer bags. They may even have an onboard cutter for customizing the size of your bag. Our tester loved the convenience of the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer's built-in bag storage and cutter, which made storage much easier.
Many vacuum sealers come with at least a few sealer bags, so you can start sealing as soon as you get the machine out of the box. External vacuum sealers are designed mainly for use with bags, but many have ports that allow you to attach a hose for sealing jars and other canisters. Some models include the necessary hose, while others require purchasing it separately.
Our tester appreciated that the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro not only has a port for sealing canning jars and other containers but also includes the required hose to avoid any additional purchases.
Vacuum-seal potluck dishes to avoid spilling food in the car. Once you arrive, simply open the package and pour the food into your serving bowl.
Save lemon juice, chicken broth, minced herbs, crushed garlic, and similar ingredients that are typically measured out in small amounts by first freezing the food in ice cube trays, then vacuum-sealing the frozen cubes. Remove the cubes as needed, and then reseal the bag.
If you buy meat in bulk, separate it into the portion sizes that work best for your family, then seal and freeze.
To keep a bag of potato chips, cereal or other dry snacks fresh, turn off the vacuum and use the appliance to seal the bag so the food stays fresh but isn’t crushed.
Make sure you label sealed bags with the contents and date sealed before placing them in the freezer or fridge.
If you want to preserve powdered ingredients like flour, sugar, baking soda or boxed spices, vacuum-seal them in their packaging to prevent powdery build-up from sucking into your machine.
Leave some space at the top of bags you expect to open and reseal.
Some vacuum sealer bags can be rinsed and used again, provided you haven’t used them to store raw meat.
Stock up on bags for your vacuum sealer if you see they are on sale. They don't take up much space and you'll never have to worry about running out.
Consider how simple you want your sealer to be, and how much you’re willing to pay for it. Some vacuum sealers can be operated with one hand (or no hands), while others require two.
A vacuum sealer with a large, strong sealing bar will provide the best protection for your food.
If storage is a major issue, consider a handheld vacuum sealer. These are small enough to stow in a drawer.
A removable, washable drip tray is a must if you plan on sealing meats in marinades, gravy or sauce.
Vacuum sealers with manual controls let you decide exactly when to stop vacuuming and when to start sealing. This makes it easier to preserve delicate, wet, or bulky food items.
Perhaps you want to save soft fruit like berries, but you don’t want them to be crushed by the vacuum. First, freeze your clean fruit until it is just firm. Then go ahead and use your vacuum sealer to preserve the frozen fruit.
Look for a vacuum sealer that clamps down automatically rather than requiring you to manually keep the clamp closed with your hand.
The price range for food vacuum sealers is a wide one.
Typically, expect to spend the least for a handheld device like the Love Moment Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer — $20 to $30 will buy you a quality unit — and the most on a chamber vacuum sealer, which will set you back several hundred dollars.
For the majority of cooks, however, an external vacuum sealer is the best choice. These handy devices are quite reasonably priced; expect to spend $40 to $95 on a quality unit like the MegaWise Vacuum Sealer, Bonsen Kitchen Vacuum Sealer Machine, FoodSaver Compact Vacuum Sealer or the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Machine.
However, for top-end models with multiple settings, built-in bag storage and other accessories, such as the Nesco Deluxe VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, the Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro and the Weston Professional Advantage Vacuum Sealer, you'll typically pay $100 to $200.
A. You can vacuum seal just about any food. For delicate foods, however, it’s better to preserve freshness by sealing the bag without vacuuming out the air.
Notably, most vacuum sealer manufacturers recommend that you avoid sealing mushrooms and soft cheeses, as the lack of oxygen in the sealed package can encourage mold growth in these items.
A. A vacuum sealer can help you save money in several ways. Vacuum-sealed foods stay preserved much longer than foods that are stored the “regular” way. Therefore, you can save money with a vacuum sealer because you’re not throwing away as much spoiled or stale food.
Food vacuum sealers make it very easy to buy economically in bulk, then seal and store portion-size bags of food for later use. This is another way you can save money in the long run with a vacuum sealer.
A. No. You can also use your vacuum sealer to seal toiletries before travel (no more leaking shampoo in your suitcase); protect photos and important legal documents; preserve garden seeds for next year’s planting; keep small items like game pieces, craft supplies, or tiny nuts and bolts together; and create small first-aid kits for travel.
A. Plan your meals, use a shopping list and avoid impulse purchases at the grocery store. Brown-bag your leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch or freeze them for use at a later meal. Store cereal and other grain-based products in airtight containers. Use slightly wilted produce in smoothies, soups or stews. And don’t automatically toss food just because it’s reached its expiration date; many foods are perfectly fine to eat even several days past that date.
