We Tested 25 Vacuum Sealers to Find the Six Best Ones for Sous Vide and Food Storage

If you're into sous vide cooking or want to extend the shelf-life of ingredients or ensure the ground beef you bought and aren't looking to use quite yet doesn't get freezer burn, a vacuum sealer is a worthwhile investment. In short, vacuum sealers keep food fresher, longer.

There are two types of vacuum sealers available commercially: suction and chamber. Suction vacuum sealers work by literally sucking the air out of a compatible plastic bag before sealing it by melting the ends of the bag together. We'll get more into chamber vacuum sealers later.

To find the best vacuum sealers, we tested 25 of them. We have top picks that'll suit a variety of needs and budgets.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Vacuum Sealer (Co-Winner)

Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro

$150 $95 at Amazon $97 at Williams Sonoma $140 $13 at Walmart

The Anova Pro offered a wide range of settings and was easy to use, thanks to features like a built-in bag holder. Its rock-solid, double-seal technology stood up to super-high temperatures and long-term freezer storage.

The Best Vacuum Sealer (Co-Winner)

Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer

$140 $115 at Amazon $120 at Walmart $115 at Target

With clearly marked, intuitive controls, durable double-seal technology, and a wide range of features and functions, this sealer aced all of our tests. 

The Best Compact Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Sous Vide Vacuum Sealer

$80 $57 at Amazon $80 at Williams Sonoma $15 at Walmart

The Anova Precision vacuum sealer was sleek, simple, and easy to store thanks to its small size. We’d recommend it for beginners, those short on space, or both.

The Best Handheld Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Port Handheld Vacuum Sealer

$24 at Amazon View on Anovaculinary.com

Combining a small form factor with reusable zipper-close bags, this handheld sealer is great for those who are low on kitchen space or want a straightforward gadget. It sealed quickly, with no leaks or crushing.

The Best Splurge Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver VS5960 Elite All-in-One Liquid+ Vacuum Sealer

$340 $238 at Amazon $22 at Walmart $226 at Target

This is a robust, versatile vacuum sealer with a minimal learning curve thanks to six built-in settings for things like storing dry goods and marinating meats. We also found it easy to customize bag size, which is great for avoiding plastic waste.

The Best Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer

$349 $297 at Amazon $349 at Anovaculinary.com $350 $300 at Best Buy

While chamber sealers are usually relegated to professional kitchens due to their heft and expense, Anova created one that suits the needs (and budget) of a home cook. We liked the intuitive design and nifty extras like pickling and drying modes.

The Best Multipurpose Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine

$200 $140 at Amazon $240 at Ace Hardware View on Foodsaver.com

This model has a built-in, retractable handheld sealer and kept pace with the Anvoa Precision Pro in our tests. It removed air quickly and sealed securely and while it doesn’t have a delicate or pulse function, it didn’t crush fragile cereal.

The Tests

• Delicate Food Test: To see how each vacuum sealer did with delicate foods, we placed 1/2 cup of Chex cereal in a bag and sealed the cereal on all available settings (automatic, manual, pulse, delicate, etc). We assessed how much of the cereal was crushed during each sealing.
• Irregular-Shaped Food Test: To evaluate how well each vacuum sealer does with irregularly shaped food, we placed six ping pong balls in a bag and sealed them. We evaluated how well the machines removed the space around the balls. 
• Short Sous Vide/Seal Test: To discover how each vacuum sealer does with sous vide and a large cut of meat over a relatively short amount of time, we placed an 11-ounce, bone-in pork chop in a bag and sealed it. We timed how long it took to seal and weighed it (in grams) before cooking. We then cooked the chops at 160°F for four hours (using an immersion circulator), dried the exterior of the bag, evaluated the seal, and weighed once more. 
• Long Sous Vide/Seal Test: We sealed five bags (each filled with one new, dry kitchen sponge and 1/3 cup neutral oil) to see how each vacuum sealer did with wet ingredients subjected to a very high temperature for a prolonged period of time. We weighed the sealed bag before testing and then placed the bags in a water bath set to 197°F (using an immersion circulator) for 36 hours. We fully dried each bag, then weighed again to determine if any water entered the bag and visually evaluated the seal.
• Long-Term Seal Test: To determine how well the vacuum sealers sealed food for a prolonged period of time, we placed one pound of ground beef in a bag and sealed it, then froze it for three months. We evaluated the ground beef every month, noting when freezer burn or ice crystal development began to occur. We also placed one pound of beef in a regular, zipper-lock bag as a control.
• Usability and Cleanup: Throughout testing, we evaluated how simple each sealer was to use, how intuitive its controls were, what features it had and if they were helpful, what the volume level was during use, and how easy it was to clean and store.
  

What Do You Use a Vacuum Sealer For?

Food can get stale or rot because of exposure to oxygen or moisture. Vacuum sealing removes the surrounding air from a food or ingredient, thereby prolonging its shelf-life, whether that be a pantry item or a ribeye steak bound for the freezer. Vacuum sealing “is also useful to preserve essential oils of fresh ingredients, like pistachios or lemon zest," says Shannon Martincic, former chef de cuisine at Elizabeth Restaurant in Chicago, "this style of storage combined with freezing will preserve the aromatic oils to make them smell just as aromatic as the day of harvest.” Like with canning, spoilage can still occur so it’s important to brush up on food safety in anaerobic environments and botulism.

Outside of storage, vacuum sealers offer a host of culinary uses. Marinating can be done in a fraction of the time, as the suction of the machine draws flavors into the food. For sous vide, a vacuum sealer ensures water-tight seals and can cut down on prep time (marinating things and even freezing them ahead of time, then popping them into a water bath).

That said, vacuum sealers create low-oxygen environments, and foods that harbor bacteria that thrive in anaerobic conditions should never be vacuum sealed, such as raw garlic, raw onions, and mushrooms. These foods will produce gasses if vacuum sealed, either by themselves or combined with other foods, which can enlarge and break the seal of a vacuum-packed bag. 

Most kinds of cheeses, but especially raw and soft cheeses, should also not be vacuum sealed. Cheese itself is a living thing, and allowing it to breathe by wrapping it in just some wax (or cheese-specific) paper will greatly reduce spoilage.

What We Learned

More Time and Higher Temperatures Bested the Weaker Seals

For several of our tests, especially the ones where length of time was a factor, we discovered that the quality of the seal really mattered. Some of the seals, like the Nutrichef and the Food Saver V4840, failed after their time in the water bath exceeded 12 hours and when temperatures over 160°F were applied. According to a source at Anova (which also makes one of our favorite sous vide machines), the quality and durability of the final seal is a “combination of heat and how long the heat is applied.” In general, a seal that fails over time is often attributed to the bag having a bad seal to begin with. This can come from an overly filled bag, a wet bag, or a faulty sealing bar. The Anova vacuum sealers (along with the Nesco Pro), use a double-seal technology to strengthen their seals. And, indeed, we found they had the best seals of the bunch.

Powerful Suction Was a Double-Edged Sword

When testing delicate foods we found that pulse and manual settings offered the most control when sealing. In order to avoid breaking the cereal, we had to stop suction before 100% of the air was removed. 

Coupled with the results from the frozen beef test, quick, powerful suction may not necessarily be entirely beneficial when it comes to vacuum sealing. Instead, look for low-and-slow suction and a machine that can remove more air without damaging the food. While the Nesco Deluxe took longer during the gentle suction test of delicate foods, it broke a very minimal amount. During the frozen beef test, it had one of the smallest amounts of freezer burn of any of the sealers. This suggests that even though some machines have a high capacity for maximum vacuuming, it's helpful to have more control over that suction.

Bag Headspace Mattered

When we conducted our liquid-rich test, we started out using bags that came with each machine, if any. These bags varied in length and size. After the first round of sealing, we learned that the amount of space between the food item and the seal mattered a lot (this is called "headspace"). For bags with less than 10 to 12 inches of headspace, oil was pulled into the machine and prevented sealing, even when tested with the same type of bag on the same machine. To further isolate performance with liquid-rich foods, we decided to use the same length bags (12 inches long) ordered from a third-party seller with all the compatible machines (the Oliso doesn’t allow the use of third-party bags and was therefore excluded from the test). Once we had isolated this variable, we were able to conduct the test to determine the effect of the high temperature and length of the water bath on the seal. 

Versatility and Usability Observations

All of the vacuum sealers we tested were able to completely vacuum and seal the ping pong balls and bone-in pork chops. After cooking the pork chops for four hours in a 160°F water bath, none of the seals failed. This showed us that, for the average person who plans to use their sealer for its most common purposes, they all perform about the same.

This means that for many people differentiation will come down to special functions and features, such as a hose attachment for use with canisters, a specific compartment and cutter for rolls of bags, and functionalities for delicate and wet items. Another key feature is the amount of time in between each sealing. Some of the machines make you wait up to two minutes in between each seal, which can drastically increase the amount of time it takes to complete a sealing project. A short refractory period (i.e., the time between seals) makes a huge difference in the ease of use of any vacuum sealer.

Should a Vacuum Sealer Have a Pulse Option?

We liked vacuum sealers with a "gentle" seal option, which is basically the same thing as having a pulse button; they let you control how quickly the air is removed, which is a boon if you're sealing fragile foods. Think of it like the pulse button on a food processor.

Should You Buy a Handheld Vacuum Sealer?

Handheld vacuum sealers generally work by sucking air out of plastic bags via valves. They're compact and easier to store than countertop models. However, they're often not as effective at removing air (and keeping it out). That said, we do have a top handheld vacuum sealer pick from Anova and we think it's fine if you only do occasional vacuum sealing.

What's a Chamber Vacuum Sealer?

Chamber vacuum sealers evacuate the air from the chamber and anything inside. This type can offer more flexibility and control, typically allowing you to adjust the amount of vacuum used. With a chamber model, you don’t even need to use a plastic bag to marinate or compress food. For example, sliced cucumbers can be turned into pickles instantly and without heat by simply placing them in a dish in brine inside the chamber and running a cycle. The vacuum created by the machine pulls the brine into the cucumbers using force. “This is also useful for quick marinating and tenderizing of meats and fish,” Martincic says. However, chamber vacuum sealers are much larger and expensive (they can cost thousands of dollars). This is why they're most commonly found in professional kitchens or other industrial settings.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Vacuum Sealer

Any good vacuum sealer should be able to produce a vacuum-sealed bag with a reliable seal that can stand up to months in the freezer and several hours in a sous vide water bath. The vacuum should be strong enough to remove air from even irregularly-shaped items, yet gentle enough not to damage delicate food. It should have a short refractory period (good for high-volume sessions) and handle some intake of liquid without failing to seal. Unless there’s a very good reason, a sealer should not require you to use brand-specific bags, allowing you to shop around for the best price. 

When looking for a vacuum sealer, consider what types of projects you intend to do. If you want something simple and easy to use, you may have to forego some functions. For example, if you really only want a sealer to preserve cuts of meat, extra features like gentle suction or a hose attachment for sealing cans won’t be worth the extra cost.

Our Favorite Vacuum Sealers

The Best Vacuum Sealer (Co-Winner)

Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro

$150 $95 at Amazon $97 at Williams Sonoma $140 $13 at Walmart

What we liked: The Anova Pro is one of the only models that explicitly allows liquids in the bag and can seal even with moisture on or in the bag. The high-power double-seal stood up to every test we put it through. It also allows for immediate sealing bag after bag (up to 100 continuous sealings, according to the manufacturer) with no refractory period. A simple design makes clean-up a breeze and it's lightweight and easy to store, compared to other models with similar attachments and features. The body comes with a chamber for holding a roll of bags and an attached cutter that feeds perfectly into the sealing area. During testing, we often ended up using this machine to cut bags for other models because of how easy it was to do so.

What we didn’t like: It was hard to think of something not to like about the Anova Pro. When not on sale (as it is at the time of publication), it's more expensive than the Nesco.

Key Specs

• Weight: 5 pounds
• Number of settings: 3
• Dimensions: 14.75 x 7 x 4 inches
• Included accessories: 1 18.9-inch hose attachment; 1 roll of bags
• Built-in storage and bag cutter: Yes
  
• Continuous seals: 100
• Time-out period between sealings: None
  
• Pulse setting: Yes
• Warranty: 2 years

The Best Vacuum Sealer (Co-Winner)

Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer

$140 $115 at Amazon $120 at Walmart $115 at Target

What we liked: Test after test, the Nesco VS-12 Deluxe performed super well. Powerful suction (with a manual option for delicate foods), intuitive controls, and a wide range of functions make this sealer a standout. This sealer was strong enough to eliminate enough air from beef and prevent freezer burn, yet delicate enough not to crush cereal. Unlike any other model we tested, the Nesco gives you the option of a single (dry or moist) or double seal, whereas all the others only provide one or the other. The roll storage and cutter are perfectly positioned to feed directly into the sealing bar.

What we didn’t like: Its size could be a dealbreaker for some. You can't store this machine with the handle in the “lock” position, which makes it a bit more awkward than some of the other, more streamlined designs out there. It was on the noisier side and didn't have a removable drip tray, however, we didn't have any blowouts during testing. It had a longer refractory period.

Key Specs

• Weight: 6 pounds
• Number of settings: 3
• Dimensions: 15.5 x 8 x 4.5 inches
• Included accessories: Includes (10) 6-inch x 11.8-inch quart-sized bags and (10) 11-inch x 15.75-inch gallon-sized bags; hose accessory for canister sealing
• Built-in bag storage and cutter: Yes
  
• Continuous seals: 100
• Time-out period between sealings: 60 seconds
• Pulse setting: Yes
  
• Warranty: 1-year limited

The Best Compact Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Sous Vide Vacuum Sealer

$80 $57 at Amazon $80 at Williams Sonoma $15 at Walmart

What we liked: If space is an issue, the Anova is a great option. This model is great for beginners as well since the controls are simple to use and there aren’t a ton of extra features to navigate (it just has three buttons: vacuum and seal, just seal, and manual pulse vacuum).

What we didn’t like: The Anova (compared to its sister the Anova Pro) isn’t recommended for use with wet items, though we didn’t have an issue during our liquid-rich test. It didn’t do quite as well during the frozen beef test, possibly due to its lower vacuum strength. There isn’t a cutter or bag storage included, but it does come with 10 pre-cut bags to get started.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2 pounds, 5 ounces
• Dimensions: 14.75 x 5 x 3.25 inches
• Included accessories: 10 pre-cut Anova bags
• Built-in bag storage and cutter: No
• Time-out period between sealings: None
• Pulse setting: Yes
• Warranty: 2 years

The Best Handheld Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Port Handheld Vacuum Sealer

$24 at Amazon View on Anovaculinary.com

What we liked: This tiny gadget is a powerful, single-setting vacuum sealer in handheld form. It's great for those with limited kitchen space, as it easily tucks away in a drawer. Sealing the reusable proprietary bags was easy, too. Each bag has a zipper lock and a grommet-like port on the top side. After zipping the bag closed, you just press the Anova’s sealing port onto the grommet, press down, and activate the vacuum. We found that it took 15 seconds or less to complete the task (depending on what we were sealing,) and we saw very little crushing and no leakage.

What we didn’t like: The biggest drawback is the one-size-fits-all proprietary bags. The bags are reusable, which is a big plus and almost negates this complaint, but you can’t select bags of different sizes for a given task. There is also only one setting: seal. So, you can’t adjust the pressure for sealing between wet and dry items.

Key Specs

• Weight: 10 ounces
• Number of settings: 1
• Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 3.7 inches
• Included accessories: USB battery charging cable, resealable bags
• Built-in bag storage and cutter: No 
• Continuous seals: 150
• Time-out period between sealings: N/A
• Pulse setting: None
• Warranty: 2 years

The Best Splurge Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver VS5960 Elite All-in-One Liquid+ Vacuum Sealer

$340 $238 at Amazon $22 at Walmart $226 at Target

What we liked: Our favorite thing about this vacuum sealer was how easy it is to use. It may look intimidating at first, but after a quick flip through the instruction manual and learning our way around the FoodSaver Elite All-in-One’s six operational modes, we were sealing leftovers left and right. While some other vacuum sealers used fixed sizes of bags—and this one also comes with a useful selection—we appreciated the included 10-foot-long bag roll that allows for custom bag sizes. This eliminated the, “Um, maybe this size?” guesswork and helped reduce waste. The FoodSaver performed well on manual mode when it came to sealing delicate foods, and the sous vide mode worked like a charm for keeping food nice and dry as they cooked in a water bath. Adding to this machine’s versatility is the included handheld sealer, which can be used with the included five-cup container, as well as Ball and Kerr brand jars. 

What we didn’t like: Bags aren’t automatically dispensed—you’ll need to thread them through manually—and the FoodSaver can be overzealous when it comes to sealing dry goods like Chex Mix. Crumbs became an occupational hazard for us during testing. Of course, it's also expensive.

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.4 pounds
• Number of settings: 6
• Dimensions: 23.6 x 9.8 x 10.9 inches
• Included accessories: (2) 11-inch x 10-foot roll, (10) easy-fill quart bags, (5) easy-fill gallon bags, (5) quart bags), (5) gallon bags, (5) quart zipper bags, (5) gallon zipper bags, (1) five-cup marinade bowl, (1) wine stopper
• Built-in bag storage and cutter: Yes
• Time-out period between sealings: 20 seconds
• Pulse setting: Yes
• Warranty: 5 years

The Best Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer

$349 $297 at Amazon $349 at Anovaculinary.com $350 $300 at Best Buy

What we liked: We’ve written a full review of the Anova Precision chamber vacuum sealer, and think it’s pretty great! The special modes like compress and pickle can be used for fun experiments—think spirit infusions, no-cook chili oils, quick pickles—and the standard functions perform well to remove air and seal bags. Food remained well-sealed for sous vide cooking and dry foods were sealed especially tight with minimal air pockets. This machine was fairly easy to clean (though beware the nooks and crannies) and we appreciated the plug-and-play ease of operation. 

What we didn’t like: The Anova achieved a much tighter seal with dry foods; we were sometimes left with air pockets or had to try more than once to properly seal wet items. And because this is a chamber sealer—which works with pressure to remove air rather than sucking air out—it is quite large and demands a lot of counter space. It’s probably not the vacuum sealer for everyone, but it might be the one for you if you enjoy creative cooking projects and will benefit from the fun specialty modes.

Key Specs

• Weight: 23 pounds
• Number of settings: 6
• Dimensions: 13.6 x 11.2 x 8.9 inches
• Included accessories: Bags sold separately
• Built-in bag storage and cutter: No
• Time-out period between sealings: N/A
• Pulse setting: No
• Warranty: 2 years

The Best Multipurpose Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Machine

$200 $140 at Amazon $240 at Ace Hardware View on Foodsaver.com

What we liked: With a built-in, retractable handheld sealer and quick and reliable performance, there’s not much bad to say about this model from FoodSaver. Its suction was delicate enough not to crush cereal and its seal held up during our long water bath test. It also has a built-in bag storage and cutter.

What we didn’t like: We still wish it had a delicate or pulse setting, which would offer more control.

Key Specs

• Weight: 10 pounds
• Number of settings: 2
• Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 11 inches
• Included accessories: Handheld vacuum sealer: vacuum seal roll, 1-quart vacuum seal bags, 1-gallon vacuum seal bags, 1-quart vacuum zipper bags, and 1-gallon zipper bags
• Built-in storage and bag cutter: Yes
• Continuous seals: N/A
• Time-out period between sealings: 20 seconds
• Pulse setting: No
• Warranty: 5 years

The Competition

• Mueller Austria Vacuum Sealer Machine: The Mueller did a perfectly fine job for under $60 and in our original review we named it the best affordable vacuum sealer. However, it has since been discontinued.
• Oliso Pro Frisper Smart Vacuum Sealer: This sealer failed basically every test and was difficult to use. The need for brand-specific bags that can only be reused up to seven times is a tough sell, especially when those bags are in a limited range of sizes and shapes. 
• Nutrichef PKVS Sealer: Even though the initial seal was strong, this sealer failed our liquid-rich test after the 36-hour water bath. The manual does not recommend use with wet items but the prolonged time and temperature of that test seemed to be what caused the seal to fail.
• FoodSaver V4840 Vacuum Sealer Machine with Automatic Bag Detection: The FoodSaver offered all the same features as the Anova Pro, but in a much larger package and for $100 more. The sealer is bulky to store and on the heavy side for pulling in and out of a cabinet. The automatic bag detection was clumsy and frustrating to use. If, for example, your bag curls up at the end, the machine will have a hard time detecting it and won’t start the cycle. It also requires at least an inch of bag before it even recognizes it, so we ended up wasting a lot of plastic. The FoodSaver’s single seal (as opposed to the Anova Pro’s double seal) gave us some trouble when subjected to long-term and high-temperature testing.
• Potane Vacuum Sealer Machine: This model comes with everything that the Mueller vacuum sealer does at a higher price. Vacuum and seal time took longer than other models.
• FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Machine FM2000: This model doesn't have a pulse or gentle setting for delicate foods and was explicitly not recommended for use with wet items. It often “walked” on the table during use. 
• Nesco Food Vacuum Sealer Starter Kit: While this model from Nesco was lightweight, it was still bulky. It also required a whopping 2-minute refractory period between each seal, so forget about large-scale sealing projects. 
• Bonsenkitchen Food Sealer Machine: This model crushed around 50% of the cereal in the delicate food test. 
• Inkbird Vacuum Sealer Machine: This model decimated the cereal in the delicate food test.
• FRESKO Vacuum Sealer Machine: This model struggled with sealing liquid-rich foods, so we can't recommend it. The model we tested appears to be discontinued and replaced with a similar model, here.
• Geryon Vacuum Sealer Machine: This model kept its seal, but the bag did expand slightly during cooking, which was concerning.
• FoodSaver VS3150 Vacuum Sealer & Food Preservation System: Even with the handheld attachment there wasn’t enough control to prevent the cereal from being crushed. 
• SEALVAC Cordless Vacuum Sealer Machine: This model's seal broke, eliminating it from contention.
• FoodSaver V4840 Vacuum Sealer Machine with Automatic Bag Detection: This was one of the most expensive models we tested, and only had so-so performance. 
• PowerXL Duo NutriSealer: This sealer does not have a moist setting, making it less versatile.
• FoodSaver FM5200 Series 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealing System: This is another expensive model that lacked some of the settings available on our top picks. 
• Dash SuperSeal Vacuum Sealer: Despite detailed manufacturer instructions, we didn’t find this sealer especially user-friendly. Bags must be dispensed and cut manually; the cutter isn’t precise. It took us multiple tries to seal a bag of carrots with oil, and while the Dash did perform better with dry food, we weren’t impressed.
• Amazonbasics Vacuum Seal System: This sealer is a decent buy—it’s basic (as the name suggests), but the lack of buttons and fancy functionalities makes it beginner-friendly and easy to use daily. As of July 2024, it appears to be discontinued.

FAQs

Is every vacuum sealer the same?

While all vacuum sealers promise the same thing (to remove air), in our testing we found there was a pretty wide variety of performance and usability. For example, some took too long to remove air, while others were ineffectually sealed, failing after a long sous vide bath. Depending on what features you're looking for, vacuum sealers can have built-in bag storage and cutters, cord storage, and no refractory periods (the time between sealings).

Can you use Ziploc bags with a vacuum sealer?

One of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to vacuum sealing is whether or not Ziploc bags can be used in place of vacuum sealer-specific bags. Generally speaking, the kind of plastic used in these two types of bags is very different and it isn’t so much about whether it can vacuum, but whether it can seal properly. You can use vacuum sealers to suck air out of many types of bags, including the type of mylar bag potato chips come in. In this way, you can use Ziploc bags with any vacuum sealer on manual mode, then simply seal the bag using the zipper top of the Ziploc bag. However, if you're going to get a vacuum sealer, we'd recommend just buying compatible bags.

Where can you buy vacuum sealer bags?

Most of the vacuum sealers we tested come with a roll or set of bags to get you started. But you don't have to use those bags. With the exception of the Anova Handheld Vacuum Sealer, all of the sealers on our winners list work with third party bags, like these. (The Anova Handheld's bags are reusable.)

How long does vacuum-sealed meat last?

The shelf life of raw meat can be extended up to 10 days when vacuum-sealed. This depends on the age of the meat before sealing and it must be refrigerated the entire time. If you plan on freezing the meat, it can last up to three years depending on the type of meat, compared to only a few months for non-sealed meat. 

How do you use a vacuum sealer?

While every vacuum sealer has its own specific instructions, most vacuum sealers work similarly. First, add whatever food you'd like to seal to a bag, and then place the open end of the bag in the sealer. It'll draw out all the air around the food, and then seal off the bag once it's finished. Your food is then airtight and ready for storage or sous vide cooking.

Why We're the Experts

• Taylor Murray is a chef and recipe tester and has worked in fine dining. She's tested and written many equipment reviews for Serious Eats, including toasters, food dehydrators, and vacuum sealers.
• Greg Baker is a former chef and restauranteur with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. He tested the Anova handheld vacuum sealer for this review.
• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial commerce director of Serious Eats. She's been with the site since 2021 and has been testing gear professionally for more than six years. She's reviewed thousands of products.
• For this review, we tested 25 vacuum sealers in total. We also recently tested more vacuum sealers (which didn't make our lineup initially due to space constrictions), including the Inkbird Vacuum Sealer Machine and PowerXL Duo NutriSealer. After comparing these additions to our favorite vacuum sealers, we found our top picks were still the very best.
• We also recently evaluated a new handheld model (from Anova) and found it worked well enough to be added as a winner.
• We interviewed Shannon Martincic, former chef de cuisine at Elizabeth in Chicago, and sources at Anova Culinary for background on vacuum sealers and help to narrow down what criteria to look for in vacuum sealers.