If you’re on the hunt for the best food sealer, then there are a few things that you will want to take into consideration. A vacuum sealer for food is primarily used to increase the lifespan of food for storage. However, it has other uses as well. If you’re planning to use the sealer for some of those less traditional uses, then you might be looking for different criteria as you choose the best food sealer.
What is a Vacuum Food Sealer?
A vacuum food sealer sucks the air out of a container. In doing so, it allows for an extended life span for food storage. Typically, you’ll place the food inside of a plastic bag and use the sealer to suck the air out of that bag. However, you might use it to seal other containers as well.
Food sealers are often used for prolonged freezer storage. For example, you might freeze meat or vegetables then stick them in the freezer where they will last for many months. However, you can use food sealers to increase storage time in the refrigerator or even the pantry. For example, you might use a food sealer to re-seal a freshly opened bag of chips so that it lasts a few days longer on your shelf.
Vacuum food sealers can also be used non-traditionally. Some people use them for sous vide cooking, which is when you cook food inside of a sealed plastic bag. People also use food sealers to prevent corrosion on valuable metal items such as cutlery. Sometimes people use them just to save space when preparing household items (not necessarily food items) for long-term storage. When you suck the air out of the storage bag, it compresses to a much smaller item.
Defining the Best Food Sealer
If you want to get the best food sealer, then you first have to ask yourself how you will be using the item. If you are going to be compressing large bags for long-term storage then you’re going to need a different machine than someone who wants to seal small bags for sous vide cooking. Similarly, if you’re primarily going to use your sealer to store liquids then you might want a different model than if you’re mostly storing dry goods. Keep those differences in mind as you look for the best food sealer, reading the reviews for each with your own criteria at the forefront of your decision.
Top Recommended Food Sealers
I’ve scanned through several different lists of the best food sealers for 2018 and 2019. Here are the options that kept showing up on list after list.
FoodSaver Vacuum Sealers
The FoodSaver brand popped up over and over again. Therefore, if you’re looking for the best food sealer, you might want to start with a review of this brand’s options. Some of the top choices were:
- FM5200-000 – allows you to choose wet or dry food sealing
- FSFRSH0055 – a top choice if you want a handheld vacuum sealer
- 4840 2-in-1 – small, affordable, with an option to make it handheld
- v22-44 – best for beginners who want a low-cost simplified option
- v3240 – considered the one that is easiest to use
Other Best Vacuum Sealers
Here are some of the other brands and models that showed up on several lists:
- Crenova VS100 – quiet and quick
- Geryon Compact Automatic – small and lightweight
- Nesco VS-02 – lots of advanced features for a low cost
- Seal-a-Meal Manual – compact, with a removable dip tray
- SousVide VS3000 – best food sealer for sous vide cooking
- VacMaster VP210 – chamber sealer for huge bulk sealing projects
- Waring Pro PVS1000 Pistol Vac – best portable option
- Weston Pro2300 – commercial grade, used in restaurants
Read More:
- How to Save Tons of Money on Groceries
- Save Money with Meal Planning
- Recommended Shelf Life for Almost Anything in Your Kitchen
- Grocery Store Weekly Circular Advertisements
Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer with more than a decade of experience writing about healthy living and personal finance. She lives in San Francisco, where she has learned to maximize frugal living tips in order to thrive as a freelancer in one of the nation’s most expensive cities. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring the city on foot with her rescue dog. Learn more about her at www.kathrynvercillo.com.
Kathryn also writes about saving money with coupons over at GroceryCouponGuide.com