The Best Vacuum Sealers (Review) in 2020

Important Features to Consider When Buying a Food Vacuum Sealer

• Reliability

The last thing you would want when looking to seal and store your food is for your new appliance to break down on you- especially if you’re the type of person to buy plenty of food in advance. Getting yourself a vacuum sealer that is reliable and can handle a lot of use is key to being happy with you purchase.

• Controls

The controls of your new food vacuum sealer should be simple enough to understand and use without too much preparation. That said, it is definitely handy to have a vacuum machine that can handle a few extra features or different ways of vacuum sealing your food, such as the pulse mode.

Look for a food sealing machine that has a great balance between the two- especially if you’re not looking for a commercial product. Household items should always be kept simple yet convenient, so if you prefer a vacuum sealer with more features and are comfortable with the extra controls, then by all means go for the more complex varieties.

• Power

While the power of the vacuum sealer might not have a massive effect on the overall running of the machine, having an appliance with a decent amount of power behind it can mean your food sealer can handle much more than others. A more powerful vacuum sealer will have the wattage required to handle thicker bags, more frequently and complete the sealing practice at a much faster rate.

• Noise

All vacuum sealers will make some noise, as is to be expected from a small household appliance. However, it’s fair to say that some food saver machines will naturally be a lot louder than other. Some of this noise comes from the motor, which is directly related the level of power your vacuum machine produces but the rest can simply be from the inner working of the appliance itself.

If you think you’ll be bothered by the noise, then it’s worth looking into getting a quieter model that won’t cause you any distress when you’re trying to vacuum pack large selections of food. The best place to check for this, before you buy, is within the reviews.

• Type

There are a fair few types to look at when purchasing a new vacuum sealer and we go into greater detail on these, below. However, the main things to look out for are whether your food sealer is manual or automatic, as well as the design of the vacuum sealer itself.

Automatic sealers require no hands-on work, as they will simply push-and-go once you’ve set up your machine. Manual vacuum sealers require you to hold down the sides of the machine to ensure the lock stays put (for safety reasons, usually) and will only draw the air out while this is happening.

• Use

How regularly you’re looking to use a food sealer will have a massive effect on what vacuum sealer you should purchase. Sealers that will be used very regularly or in a commercial setting will usually require more power, a larger size and come with a larger budget to make up for these qualities- however, you might not be as fussed about the noise.

If you’re looking for more casual use, or a simple domestic food sealer, then you might choose an appliance that is quieter, with a sleeker design that is easy to store when you’re done using it. In these cases, size, noise and budget might be bigger factors in your decision-making process.

• Size

As we briefly mentioned above, the size of your sealing machine will be a more important factor if you’re concerned about the countertop space available when using your vacuum sealer. It’s also important to note that those users who are looking for more infrequent requirements will likely need to be able to find a place to store their purchase, in which case a slim-line design would probably be preferred.

• Features

As in all cases, the right features can make or break a product- especially when there are so many different options to choose from. Additional items like a drip tray can make cleaning up much quicker and easier, as well as ensuring that you don’t find yourself having to wipe down your machine after every use to avoid moisture build-up.

Similarly, you might notice that many of our top picks come with accessories such as an adapter or hose. These are ideal if you think you would like to vacuum seal cans or jars, for example, and are well worth considering if you’d like to get a little more serious about your food preservation.

• Reviews

Reviews are always one of the first things you should check out, once you’ve got your shortlist for any item. These will indicate whether there are any ongoing issues with everything from motor problems to customer service. Checking these out beforehand will give you a much clearer idea of how well your vacuum sealer will work, as well as any tips and tricks to get the most out of your new machine.

Types of Vacuum Sealer

• Chamber

As you can imagine, a chamber vacuum sealer is made up of an appliance that holds a small chamber within it’s walls. Your bag is then placed into this chamber, on top of which the lid comes down and air is sucked out of the bag.

These are brilliant for soups and stews, for example, as they are less likely to leak during the vacuum process. They’re also able to use nearly any type of bag, unlike the external vacuum sealer which needs a “quilted” variety in order to effectively create a vacuum. Unfortunately, however, your overall size is limited by how large the chamber is- and larger chambers usually require larger investments.

• External

The most common type of household vacuum sealer is the external sealer. These work by placing one end of a bag inside the lip of the food sealer, which is then pressed down onto the specialized bag. The machine then creates a vacuum within the bag and uses heat to seal it up, so that no air can make its way back in.

This perfect for dry foods and meat- with some vacuum sealers being better equipped to handle moist and wet food than others. They are more reasonably priced and generally a lot easier to store, as they don’t take up much space compared to chamber sealers.

Unlike the chamber vacuum, however, they can’t handle soups and wet food very well as, once the air has been sucked out, the sealer has a tendency to try and bring out the moisture at the same time, leading to an improper seal and ruined food.

• Handheld

Handheld vacuum sealers do exactly what they say on the tin. You can get these in both corded and cordless varieties but there’s no major difference between the two, besides a small loss of power in the cordless option.

These can only be used on bags with the necessary addition to them (in the form of a small valve) or on cans and jars, provided you are able to find the right attachment, at an additional cost.

Why You Should Use Vacuum Sealer

• Fresher for longer

The biggest attraction for most vacuum sealer users is how long their newly vacuum-packed food will stay fresh for. Since there is no air in a vacuum sealed bag, there is less likely to be any decay from bacteria which can be found in items such as Ziplock bags or Tupperware.

• Save space

Vacuum packed food takes up a lot less space in your fridge or freezer, as you no longer have to accommodate for air. The vacuuming action also compresses the food slightly too, so you’ll find that you’re able to fit twice as much in your fridge-freezer than you would be able to if you were using traditional storage options.

• Save money

Since you would now be able to keep your food fresher for longer and be able to save space, it’s fair to say that you could bulk-buy products whenever you need, which can save you massive amounts of money. There’s also the benefit of throwing away less food, which means you don’t need to shop as often, saving you money on your weekly grocery bills.

Tips to Save on Vacuum Sealer Bags

Whether you’re new to vacuum sealing of a purveyor perishable goods in vacuum packed goodness, these tips and tricks will help you to get the most out of your vacuum sealer and vacuum sealer bags:

• Always be careful with moist food- especially when using external sealers. Getting moisture of debris in or around the area you’re looking to seal will cause the airtight aspect to fail.
• A great tip for those who use an external sealer but want to vacuum pack soups, stews and so on is to freeze wet food before vacuum packing.
• Always ensure your bag is flat before sealing
• Since many vacuum bags will be housing dry food, there’s no harm in reusing where appropriate. Just wash out and make sure the bag is thoroughly dry. We do, however, recommend using a fresh bag with raw and cooked meats.
• Some vacuum sealers can handle constant use- but others struggle with more than one bag at a time, so always watch for overheating
• If you’re looking to cover sharp bones, use wax paper or parchment to dull the “spikes” and make sure they don’t breach the bag and cause the airtight aspect to fail.
• Before storing your bags of newly vacuumed food, check each one has sealed properly to avoid leaks in your fridge/freezer

Best Vacuum Sealer FAQ:

Q: What is a vacuum sealer and how does it work?

A: A vacuum sealer is a small appliance that creates a vacuum around your food, to ensure it lasts longer and isn’t susceptible to airborne bacteria. They work by utilizing vacuum sealer bags, which are placed into the appliance according the manufacturer’s guidelines and remove the air (creating the vacuum) before sealing your bag to make it airtight.

Q: Do vacuum sealers prevent freezer burn?

A: Since vacuum sealers take away the food-degrading properties found in the air, they are able to effectively prevent freezer burn happening to your vacuum-packed food. This is because the absence of air stops your food from losing moisture over time, which happens in non-vacuum sealed food. When this happens to non-sealed food, the loss of moisture leads to ice crystals forming on the outside of your food, affecting the taste when cooked.

Q: How long can you keep vacuum sealed food?

A: The answer to this depends on quite a few factors, including the storage method and type of food. Vacuum sealed food that has been frozen can last up to 2-3 years, whereas food that is kept in the fridge can last up to 2 weeks. It’s generally not advised to keep vacuum sealed food at room temperature, unless the item is naturally stored in this state (eg. nuts).

Q: Are There Any Risks of Vacuum Sealing Food?

A: While there aren’t immediate risks from vacuum sealing your food, using vacuum sealers or vacuum sealer bags improperly can result in poor health. The National Centre for Home Food Preservation recommends that, in order to maintain good hygiene and therefore proper use of your vacuum sealer, you should always:

• Pressure-can or water-bath home canned foods
• Wash your hands prior to handling any foods and always use utensils where possible to avoid the spread of bacteria
• Wash your hands after handling food
• Keep perishable food stored in an appropriate fridge or freezer
• Thaw your frozen, vacuum sealed food in a fridge for at least 24 hours before cooking

Our Top Pick

The Automatic Vacuum Sealer by NutriChef comes in as our Top Pick thanks to its versatility and ease of use. With just a touch of a button you can seal both moist and dry foods to its ideal levels, without having to work out the pressure required yourself.

It looks amazing and comes at a fantastic price, especially when the included accessories and starter kit are taken into consideration. Being so user-friendly, affordable and convenient, this is the best vacuum sealer for both new users and old pros at vacuum sealing food- and, with over 5,000 positive reviews, we’re sure you’ll love this vacuum sealer as much as we do!

Sources:

1. 6 Tips For Selecting A Vacuum Sealer - TheSurvivalMom
2. How to Use Ziplock Bags in a Vacuum Sealer Foodsaver - Hunker