Best Food / Vacuum Sealers

What is a food sealer used for?

A food sealer (sometimes called a cryovac machine) removes the air around food in a bag and then uses a heating element to fuse together the sides of the bag, creating a vacuum that prevents air from entering the bag and spoiling your food over time.

Using a food sealer can:

• Preserve the quality of your food by preventing the growth of bacteria and protecting it from dehydration and freezer burn.
• Save you time and effort by cooking sous vide (cooking vacuum sealed foods in a hot bath) or packaging individual food servings to help with meal planning.
• Reduce food waste by increasing the shelf life of food.
• Save you money by letting you buy in bulk and seal foods for later use.

How long does vacuum sealed food last?

How long your vacuum sealed food lasts largely depends on what type of food it is and where you store it after sealing. We’ve compiled a short list of foods and how long they last when vacuum sealed below.

What foods can be vacuum sealed?

Most foods can be vacuum sealed, however you should blanch the following items before you vacuum package them:

• Rocket, kale, and bok choy
• Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts
• Radishes and turnips

What shouldn't you vacuum seal?

These foods may contain anaerobic bacteria which can develop in an oxygen-free environment and therefore shouldn’t be vacuum sealed:

• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Soft, unpasteurised cheeses, such as camembert and ricotta

Types of food sealers

External vacuum sealers

An external vacuum sealer seals the bag while it’s outside the unit - it has a rod that you place the edge you want sealed against. External sealers are the most common type of vacuum pack machine used for household purposes.

Handheld vacuum sealers

A handheld vacuum sealer is an external vacuum sealer that attaches to the valve of compatible sealer bags and containers to remove air from them.

Some regular external vacuum sealers come with a handheld attachment, letting you reap the benefits of both types of sealers.

Chamber vacuum sealers

A chamber vacuum sealer has an enclosure in which you put the entire bag (containing food) that you want to vacuum seal.

They tend to be more commercial grade, and although they’re generally more efficient, they might be unnecessary if you’re not sealing food on a large scale.

Other types of food sealers

While this article mostly focuses on vacuum food sealers, there are other types of food sealers, such as reusable food pouches, that are also effective at sealing food. Like vacuum sealers, they make it easy to store food, however they’re not necessarily designed to keep your food fresh for longer.

What to look for in a food vacuum sealer

Function

Before shopping around, ask yourself how much food you want to seal every day or week and what types of food you’ll be sealing.

Handheld devices are generally better suited for everyday kitchen items, leftovers, and snacks, and are a great option for those who aren’t serial vacuum packagers.

If you’re storing large amounts of food and large items, for example bulk bought foods (or even big fish you caught on your last fishing trip), then you going for an external vacuum sealer, or in some cases, a chamber vacuum sealer, may be your safest bet.

If you want to package soups, sauces and other moisture-rich items, ensure you get a sealer that you can vacuum seal wet foods with.

A handheld food sealer. Image credit: FoodSaver.

An external food sealer. Image credit: Russell Hobbs.

Features

The features you should look out for in a sealer depend on what you intend to use your sealer for.

• Gas flush: A gas flush replaces the oxygen in the food vacuum sealer bag with a combination of gases, often carbon dioxide and nitrogen - this prolongs the shelf life of food, offers it extra protection, and prevents it from discolouring.
• Roll storage and bag cutter: An inbuilt roll storage component and bag cutter lets you cut off the length you need for a bag, letting you customise it depending on what you’re vacuum packaging.
• Pulse mode: Pulse mode lets you control the pressure used when sealing, which can help you safeguard more delicate foods, such as bread and lettuce.
• Dry/moist function: The option to switch between dry and moist mode lets you change the sealing to suit the type of food you’re packaging.
• Removable drip tray: A removable drip tray catches any spills from moisture-rich foods, helping keep your food sealer clean. These trays are usually dishwasher friendly.
• Marinade mode: A marinade mode lowers the pressure inside the bag, making your meats or other foods more porous so that they quickly soak up flavour.

Size

Consider the size of your kitchen and whether your food sealer machine will be kept on the benchtop or in a pantry when it’s not being used, and ensure you check your available space against the dimensions of the sealer you’re considering buying.

Handheld sealers are generally more compact and often fit inside kitchen drawers, while you may need to clear out some cupboard space to store your chamber or external vacuum.

If you’re planning on sealing large food items or large amounts of food in a single bag, then you’ll likely need a larger sealer that can take bigger bags - you probably won’t be able to package that chicken you roasted with a small unit.

Compatible containers

While most vacuum sealing is done with disposable bags, some sealers can be used with reusable vacuum seal bags or containers. These containers usually have a special valve that connects to a handheld sealer which sucks out the air.

Ensure you check the price of bags and bag sealer rolls and work out how much it will cost you per item you seal - you might find that the ongoing costs aren’t worth it or that you want to use a sealer that’s compatible with cheaper storage bags.

It’s also worth looking at the composition of the bags if that’s a concern for you - some sealer bags and containers are phthalate and BPA-free, giving you some peace of mind knowing that they don’t have common chemicals that can be harmful to human health.

Noise level

The noise level of food sealers vary, and some external sealers are only slightly quieter than a blender, which means you should consider the times at which you expect to be vacuum packaging.

No one wants to wake the kids during a late night sealing session, so if you think your sealing might distract others, see if the model you’re considering buying has in store or video demonstrations for you to judge whether it’s suitable for your living situation.

Price

Regular external vacuum sealers can cost anywhere between $59 and $2200, although most are in the $150 to $300 range and are perfectly suitable for household use.

Handheld sealers usually cost from $30 to $130, while chamber sealers can cost anywhere from $500 to $11000 and upwards - although many models in this price range are industrial vacuum sealers.

Generally speaking, the more features and attachments you want your sealer to have, the more you should expect to fork out. Food sealers are one of the easiest ways to keep your food fresh, and paying for a durable model that prevents your groceries from spoiling can wind up saving you more money in the long run.