The 8 Best Vacuum Sealers of 2025, Tested and Approved

Oxygen is the enemy of freshness. Whether we're talking about half an apple, a bag of potato chips, or a stack of frozen pork chops&#;when food is exposed to air, its flavor, color, and texture deteriorate.

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That's why we tested vacuum sealers: They can be incredibly useful kitchen tools. This appliance sucks the air out of a bag or canister and makes a hermetically sealed closure that can vastly extend the shelf life of what's inside. It also protects food from moisture, which makes baked goods go stale and causes the heartbreak of freezer burn. With one of these machines, you can save on groceries by buying meats, spices, and more in bulk; freeze and preserve the haul from a hunting or fishing trip; or make your own jarred or bagged survival meals for emergencies.

But the vacuum sealer has other abilities, too. It can quick-marinate meats, rapid-pickle vegetables, and fast-infuse booze. Its airtight bags are necessary for sous vide cooking, a futuristic technique that can make scientifically perfect steak, along with unique dishes you can't create any other way (like these savory, freezable egg bites). It's not just food, either: Vacuum-sealing jewelry, silverware, and other precious metals can keep rust and tarnish at bay during long-term storage.

What We Like

• Precise control

• Gentle mode for fragile foods

• Easy to use

What We Don't Like

• Loud
  

The Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer is intuitive to use, features several settings to ensure the best results for a variety of foods, and its capabilities were unequalled in our tests. There are sealing settings for dry foods (like cereal) and moist foods (like raw meat) as well as an option to create a double heat-seal on any bag for extra-secure storage. A double vacuum pump extracts every last bit of air from your sealed package. Even with irregularly shaped items, we saw almost no air pockets or bubbles after sealing.

There are two vacuum pressures to choose from: normal and gentle, the latter of which is designed for crisp items like crackers and delicate ones like fresh fruit. The gentle setting, in combination with the pulse feature, offers precise control over the vacuum process, so foods like buns, pastries, cereal, and potato chips don't get crushed. In one series of Lab tests, the VS-12 was the only sealer that didn't crush fresh raspberries, the most delicate ingredient in all of our experiments.

Beyond performance, we love how user-friendly this machine is: The latch locks easily, and there's a timer that counts down until air extraction is complete and it's time to press the heat-seal button. An accessory port allows you to attach a hose (unfortunately not included) for jars and canisters, and a built-in roll storage area and bag cutter allow you to cut bags to the exact size you need. The VS-12 includes a roll each of two bag sizes, and when you need more, it will work with just about any brand of replacement bags.

Besides its price, which is above-average but not absurdly so, the only negative we found with the VS-12 is that it's quite loud in operation. That's largely due to its powerful motor, which makes it an effective vacuum sealer; just don't expect to hold a conversation while it's running.

Dimensions: 17 x 5 x 9 inches | Weight: 6 pounds | Power: 130 watts | Includes: Bag cutter and storage, accessory port, 2 bag rolls | Warranty: 1 year

What We Like

• Inexpensive

• Includes accessory port and multiple vacuum modes
  

• Disassembles for cleaning

What We Don't Like

• Doesn't remove all air from bag

• Overly sensitive touchpad

This machine is the third-cheapest that we tested, but it's from a brand that knows its vacuum sealers: Geryon makes a range of models up to and including a $1,400 commercial option. And its E-MS offers options that many much pricier models don't even have: You can choose from gentle or normal vacuum strength as well as whether you're sealing dry or moist foods. There's also an accessory port and hose for sealing jars, canisters, and other containers, though like with most other sealers, you'll have to buy those separately.

The Geryon has a fairly powerful motor and had no trouble pulling a good vacuum and solid seal around marinated meats of different shapes and sizes in various rounds of tests. Its heat seals held firm and watertight through all of our tests, including cooking, but it didn't quite suck all the air out of the bag in which we sealed an avocado half. It got brown in a few spots where bubbles remained.

We were pleasantly surprised with the gentle mode, too. It crushed some of the cereal we vacuum-packed, but a smaller proportion than all but a handful of competitors. Another convenient feature is that the machine comes apart completely for cleaning: You can detach the lid (where the motor and controls live) and then rinse the bottom half off in the sink.

The touch controls and operation of this machine are quite simple, though it takes a bit of force to get the lid to close and seal. It's a minor quibble, but we did find the buttons to be very sensitive: We accidentally turned it on before we meant to a few times when loading up the bag and food.

This may not be the very best vacuum sealer you can buy, but with its low price, it's a pretty incredible value.

Dimensions: 14.4 x 5.5 x 2.6 inches | Weight: 3.4 pounds | Power: 110 watts | Includes: Accessory port, adapter hose, 5 bags, 1 bag roll | Warranty: 2 years

What We Like

• Fast and powerful

• Easy to clean

• Built-in handheld sealer and bag storage

What We Don't Like

• No gentle mode

FoodSaver's V is a machine for a serious food...saver. It offers basically all the bells and whistles one could want in a vacuum sealer, including onboard bag storage, a removable and dishwasher-safe drip tray, a built-in handheld sealer, dry and moist modes, and automatic detection that senses when the bag is in the right position and starts the process all by itself.

There's even an LED progress bar to tell you how close to finished the process is, but this model worked so quickly in testing that it's not all that necessary. The V's motor is a beast that made snug seals around everything we could throw at it. The avocado half we tested looked almost identical after five days as it did when fresh. If you're looking to stock and organize the freezer all at once, this could be an excellent choice. All that power isn't necessarily the best thing for delicate foods, however. It crushed fresh fruits and pretzels in a previous set of tests, and about half the Chex in our most recent Lab test turned to crumbs. We definitely miss a "gentle" mode with this one.

The retractable handheld sealer is what makes this machine two-in-one, and it works with canisters, jars, reusable zip-top bags, and more&#;provided you have compatible ones. The set includes a few bags, but everything else is sold separately. There's a dishwasher-safe drip tray to capture any drips and spills, and the machine also has an indicator light for when it gets full in case you forget. The price tag on this machine is pretty steep for the casual user, though it's a powerful, heavy-duty option for the more dedicated vacuum-sealing enthusiast.

Dimensions: 11 x 12 x 20 inches | Weight: 10 pounds | Power: 127 watts | Includes: Bag storage and cutter, handheld sealer, 3 (1-quart) bags, 3 (1-quart) zipper bags, 2 (1-gallon) bags, 2 (1-gallon) zipper bags, 1 bag roll | Warranty: 5 years

What We Like

• Easy to use

• Quiet and compact

• Pulse button

What We Don't Like

• No accessory port

• No vacuum strength settings

Anova is pretty much synonymous with sous vide; its Precision Cooker was one of the first home machines on the market and is still our favorite device for cooking sous vide. Of course, you need both a cooker and a vacuum sealer for sous vide&#;the term means "under vacuum," after all&#;and Anova's is unsurprisingly a good choice.

This machine was designed with sous vide in mind, but it's just as capable at vacuum-sealing food in bags for any reason. We love its sleek look, and, more importantly, its simple controls. There are just three buttons: vacuum and seal, which automatically senses when the air has been removed and seals the bag; pulse, which lets you remove air in a more controlled way for delicate items; and seal, which heat-seals the bag after you use pulse mode. Even a complete beginner could figure this thing out without opening the user manual (though it does come with one).

In testing, the Anova extracted air quickly, sealed tightly, and did so with a minimum of noise. It took very little pressure to close and latch over an open bag, something that isn't the case with other models we tested. The automatic vacuum-and-seal mode, though, didn't do such a great job with soft raspberries or brittle cereal, crushing both. You'll want to use pulse mode and go slowly and carefully to seal anything that could be damaged under too much pressure.

The no-frills Anova has a moderate price, which is maybe a bit high for such a simple machine with limited settings. It lacks an accessory port, bag storage, and bag cutter, but it's well-built and far less confusing to use than models with lots of bells and whistles. It comes with 10 bags, and then you'll have to buy more. (The brand's own pre-cut bags and bag rolls are sized to fit perfectly.) You have to cut bags from the roll manually, but we found in testing that unevenly cut edges didn't pose any obstacle to a good seal. The Anova's double heat seal didn't pop open during any of our hours of sous vide cooking.

Since this vacuum sealer is so compact, we've kept it as a backup, just in case we need it. Although we don't use it often, we're still impressed with its simplicity and ease of use. It&#;s also great for taking to someone&#;s house if we&#;re cooking together, to show off what a vacuum sealer can do.

Dimensions: 16.7 x 4.8 x 3.1 inches | Weight: 2.3 pounds | Power: 80 watts | Includes: 10 bags | Warranty: 2 years

What We Like

• Inexpensive

• Compact and portable

• Easy to use

• Long-lasting charge

What We Don't Like

• Requires special bags and containers

• Slow

Even the more compact countertop models of vacuum sealers are fairly wide; they have to be to accommodate larger bags. That's not the case with this cordless unit, which is about the size of a salt or pepper shaker and can seal up to 60 1-quart bags on a single charge. Its paltry 2.5-watt motor takes longer than other machines, but it is able to make a great seal around chicken that holds throughout sous vide cooking. With the avocado, though, it left enough air in the bag for there to be significant browning after five days. It has just one button, effectively a pulse control, which was helpful in keeping delicate items from being crushed. We were able to watch the bag of Chex and stop suction immediately when the first pieces started to crack.

The downside of this device is that it only works with FoodSaver's specialized accessories. You'll need to buy bags and containers with a valve sized to fit its nozzle as well as adapters to seal jars and bottles. On the other hand, it's so cheap that tacking on some extras could be worth the cost.

There&#;s an updated version of this popular sealer, the FoodSaver FS Multi-Use Handheld Vacuum Sealer And Marinator. This comes in a bundle with two reusable zipper bags and a marinating container. Like its predecessor, the sealer is untethered and uses a small docking station for charging.

Further reading:
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Ecobag contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

Dimensions: 4.7 x 2.2 x 4.3 inches | Weight: 0.5 pounds | Power: 2.5 watts | Includes: 4 (1-quart) zipper bags, charging/docking station | Warranty: 1 year

What We Like

• Easy to use

• Multifunctional

• Powerful

What We Don't Like

• Limited chamber capacity

This isn't your typical vacuum sealer. Instead of sucking the air from one end of a bag, a vacuum chamber depressurizes the entire area inside the machine all at once. This works very effectively with a traditional vacuum bag, but it also enables all sorts of advanced cooking techniques like those you'll find in Michelin-starred kitchens. It does require more counter space, but works well for just about anything you need to seal&#;including liquids.

We sealed everything from fruit to cereal in bags using the Anova Precision chamber machine, and the results were consistently good. After adding food to a pouch, you place it in the machine, close the lid over the bag's opening, and press a button. After removing air, it makes a firm heat seal automatically. This will also work with liquids: You can fill bags with homemade stock, sauces, soups, and similar foods to preserve them for the long term without having to worry about spilling in the machine or sucking liquid into its delicate electrical parts.

The potential issue with a chamber-style machine is that its capacity is limited to the space inside. You won't be able to fit a whole roast or full rack of ribs in the Anova, for example. While cutting meat into smaller pieces to better fit the pouches is a solution, we also found that we could leave the bag outside the chamber and put the open end of the pouch inside to get a pretty good seal. Testing this method on cereal, we didn't get the super-tight seal we got in the chamber, but it was acceptable.

Where this model justifies its sky-high price is all the cool extra stuff you can do with it. In addition to standard vacuum sealing, the Anova has three other settings. Extract/infuse repeatedly pulls and releases the vacuum on an open jar or bowl to make rapid-flavored oil, vinegar, alcohol infusions, and other liquids. Compress/pickle pulls a strong vacuum and holds it for a longer time, forcing brine into cucumbers or other veggies to create refrigerator pickles instantly rather than overnight. The same technique will also infuse flavor into fruits like watermelon or pineapple, compressing them into a firmer and more concentrated form. The dry/cool setting is made for baked goods: It removes moisture and hot air without making a full vacuum to preserve crispy crust while cooling the items for packaging and storage.

Dimensions: 13.6 x 11.2 x 8.9 inches | Weight: 23 pounds | Power: 280 watts | Includes: 20 bags | Warranty: 2 years

What We Like

• Upright design saves space

• Automatic grab and seal

• Accessory hose included

What We Don't Like

• Liquid viscosity is limited

One thing you can say about FoodSaver is that the brand is constantly looking for ways to improve its products. One major flaw in most vacuum sealers (except for chamber sealers) is that they don&#;t play well with liquids. While users of vacuum sealers have come up with hacks for wet foods, and the machines themselves have gotten better at protecting themselves, this is the first time FoodSaver has produced a sealer that proclaims its ability to seal wet foods like soups and salsas. Of course, there&#;s some fine print about viscosity and technical specs, but the bottom line is that if it&#;s thin as water, it&#;s probably not a good idea. Bone broth might be a problem, but pasta sauce is fine. 

Besides this new capability, this vacuum sealer has a few extra features that we particularly like. There&#;s onboard bag storage that makes it easy to make new bags of any length; this doesn&#;t need a huge margin for sealing so there&#;s less bag waste, and there&#;s a built-in accessory hose that works well for the zipper-style vacuum sealer bags that are ideal for foods like cold cuts and sliced cheese. This has all of the modes that cooks look for including dry, moist, liquid, sous vide, marinate, and pulse. It grabs bags on its own when it senses them, and clamps down to begin the vacuuming process, so you can step away. 

After some initial confusion about exactly where to thread the bag material through to create a new bag (silly us!), we found this easy to use and the seals are holding up well in both the refrigerator and freezer. We particularly like the stand-up design, since we can slide it to the back of the counter and still use the counter space in front of it.

This comes with a roll of bag material as well as pre-made rolls, along with a marinate-and-preserve container and a wine stopper.

Dimensions: 23.6 x 9.8 x 10.9 inches | Weight: 6.4 pounds | Power: 186 watts | Includes: Two 11" rolls, five 1-quart bags, five 1-gallon bags, ten easy-fill quart bags, five easy-fill gallon bags, five vacuum zipper quart bags, five vacuum zipper gallon bags, wine stopper, and marinate and preserve container | Warranty: 5 years

What We Like

• Bag sealer and accessory vacuum in one
  

• Some bags included
  

• Hand-held vacuum isn&#;t tethered

What We Don't Like

• Vacuum bags are difficult to close
  

The best of both worlds, this single unit includes both a standard vacuum and bag sealer, along with a removable hand vacuum that works with reusable bags, wine bottles, marinating containers, and more. While some previous FoodSavers had accessory ports, this little hand vacuum is completely removable, so you aren&#;t tethered to the machine and can use it where you need it.

When it&#;s not in use, the hand vacuum nests securely in the body of the FoodSaver, and it charges while the FoodSaver is plugged in. While the FoodSaver can be used to seal bags while the accessory vacuum is in use, the accessory needs to be in place to use the FoodSaver&#;s bag vacuum function.

This is a fairly compact design, which we appreciate since storing equipment is always a challenge. We use it to seal bags for storage in the freezer, and it works very well. We also use the hand vacuum with reusable bags to keep our favorite cheeses protected, and it is nice to be able to reseal the bags multiple times as we snack or use the cheese for recipes.

One thing we don&#;t love about the reusable vacuum bags is how difficult it is to zip them closed securely&#;and they sure do seal tightly. However, this set comes with a small gadget that makes closing those bags much, much easier. The set also includes a selection of bags and a pair of wine bottle corks. There are plenty of marinating and storage containers, as well as other accessories that make this a handy tool to have in the kitchen.

Dimensions: 23.6 x 9.8 x 10.9 inches | Weight: 6.3 pounds | Power: Not listed | Includes: Handheld+ Vacuum Sealer, 5 quart-size bags, 5 gallon-size bags, 3 reusable quart-size bags, 3 reusable gallon-size bags, and 2 bottle stoppers | Warranty: 5 years

Final Verdict

The Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer is our top choice because it's easy to use, works well on many different types of food, and offers pinpoint control. For those on a budget, the Geryon Vacuum Sealer Machine packs great performance into a value-priced unit.

How We Tested Vacuum Sealers

Over the years, we've singularly tested many vacuum sealers to see how they seal both hard and soft ingredients, including strawberries, raspberries, cereal, pretzels, ground beef, and pork. The results of those trials, along with extensive online research, helped us choose 23 machines to purchase for not one, but two head-to-head competitions in our Lab.

We Observed

• How well the machines removed air and created a seal: We sealed a whole boneless, skinless chicken breast inside a bag using each test model, adding half a cup of teriyaki sauce as a marinade for those that can handle liquids. After the cycle was complete, we checked to see how well the bag had compressed around the chicken, looking for any stray air pockets that would indicate an imperfect vacuum. Next, we cooked the chicken sous vide&#;style in a 165-degree water bath for an hour. This tested the strength of the seal (only one test bag broke open), but also helped us see any trapped bubbles, which would expand and potentially cause the bag to float during cooking.
• How well they protected food from oxygen: We halved and pitted avocados, placing one half in an unsealed zip-top bag as a control and sealing another half in a bag with each test unit. We refrigerated the avocados for five days, then looked for brown spots, damage, and other signs of oxidation. Machines that were able to completely remove all the air from the bag yielded bright-green avocados even at the end of the test, while any pockets that remained would turn the fruits brown in places.
• How gently they sealed delicate foods: We sealed a cup of Rice Chex using each machine, choosing the gentle and dry-food options when applicable. We recorded how well the bag compressed around the cereal, how much of it was crushed in the process, and how much more was crushed when unsealing and opening the bags. For sealers with a pulse mode, we attempted to use that to get a more gentle vacuum and noted if manual controls helped.
  

We Rated

• Ease of use and cleaning: We followed each machine's included instructions as we performed our tests, noting any steps that were confusing or difficult, or anywhere we found a better way to do things. After testing, we also cleaned each unit, rating them both on ease of cleaning and whether they got very dirty in the first place.
• Power: During the chicken, avocado, and cereal tests, we timed the sealers from start to finish in order to judge how efficiently they worked in comparison to each other. A higher wattage didn't always correlate to a faster machine. There's also something of a trade-off when it comes to power: Quicker sealing often led to rougher treatment of the food, with broken cereal and even squished avocados.
• Versatility: Some vacuum sealers have just one way of sealing food, while others offer several settings designed for different textures and types of ingredients. We tested each setting available on each machine, using moist mode and standard strength with the chicken, and dry mode and gentle strength with the cereal. For models that have an accessory port for sealing containers and jars, we considered the usefulness of the included tools and whether you'd have to buy additional gear in order to use them.
• Design: Most countertop vacuum sealers operate in basically the same way, so the materials they're made of and the way they're laid out can make a big difference. As we performed the tests, we made note of any problems with control buttons, hinges, lid latches, and other design aspects.

About Our Testers

• Our Lab team has spent collective decades working in professional kitchens, developing recipes, and testing kitchen gear.
• Donna Currie, a seasoned food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer, has tested hundreds of products for us over the past seven years. She performed extensive home testing for full reviews on a multiple of the vacuum sealers featured above:.
  

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Long-Term Testing Takeaways

After years of extensive testing, there are a few things we've learned about these nifty machines.

• Your budget will thank you: A vacuum sealer can be a money-saving tool since it thwarts freezer burn on meats and vegetables, and it can extend the life of dry goods, too.
• Sometimes accessories help: While adapters aren&#;t necessary, they can be handy for reusable zipper bags, marinating containers, wine bottles, and more, making the sealer even more useful in the kitchen.
• The liquid game has come a long way: Standard vacuum sealers traditionally haven&#;t handled liquids well, but they&#;re getting better. If you want to vacuum seal bone broth without freezing it first, you&#;ll need a chamber vacuum.
• There are more uses than just storage: Using a vacuum sealer for marinating and making quick pickles can speed up meal prep, and it&#;s fun, too.

Other Options We Tested

• Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro: This machine performed similarly well to the standard Anova Precision above, but it adds wet and dry modes and an accessory port. It also costs twice as much, and we just don't think the added functionality is worth it.
• Nesco VS-02 Food Vacuum Sealing System: The Nesco VS-12 was our top pick in testing, but the VS-02 didn't perform quite as well. It crushed most of the cereal and didn't quite remove all the air from the chicken and avocado bags. There are cheaper machines that work better and more expensive ones that work a lot better.
  
• Zwilling Fresh & Save 7-Piece Starter Set: Zwilling makes great knives and cookware that you'll find in lots of our roundups, but we were pretty disappointed with the brand's handheld vacuum sealer. The pump was able to remove the air from the included bags and containers, but none of them held their seals. In fact, the avocado half we sealed with this machine was in even worse shape than the unsealed control half after five days.

What to Look for in a Vacuum Sealer

Type

There are three basic ways a vacuum sealer can work, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:

• External sealers suck the air out of a bag or other vessel that sits outside of the machine. You close the clamshell-style sealer over the open edge of a bag, and it creates a vacuum and then heat-seals the bag. These are the most common style of home vacuum sealer, and you can find them in all kinds of sizes and prices. Many external devices also incorporate a heat-sealer and cutter that let you create custom bags of any size, and some also have an accessory port for a hose than can seal jars, bottles, and specialized containers.
• Chamber sealers work by removing all the air from a chamber inside the machine. You can load the chamber with a bag like you would with an external sealer, but you can also use jars, bowls, and other shapes and types of container. A chamber sealer is generally more powerful and more effective than an external model, but its big motor makes it bulkier and much more expensive. You're most likely to find a chamber vacuum sealer in a restaurant kitchen or other professional setting, but there are some smaller models priced for home use.
• A handheld sealer is basically a vacuum pump with a rechargeable battery that lets you take the sealer to the food instead of the other way around. This type of machine is very small and convenient, but it can only use bags, lidded containers, and other vessels that have a compatible valve. That means you'll most likely have to buy supplies from the same brand that makes the sealer. Handheld sealers also have a lot less power than plug-in models and are apt to take longer to make a seal.

Sealing Settings

Some models have just one vacuum-and-seal button, while higher-end machines tend to have multiple settings designed for specific foods. One common option is a gentle mode, which removes air with less force to avoid damaging delicate foods like cereal, crackers, and other crunchy snacks. There might also be separate settings for dry and moist foods; moist mode usually runs for a bit longer to more effectively remove all the air, and it may also use a hotter, stronger heat-seal and suck any liquid into the machine's drip tray. (Keep in mind that moist mode is not for soups, sauces, or other liquid ingredients; it's for solid foods only.) Pricier machines tend to have a wider variety of settings, though there are some inexpensive but full-featured options.

Size and Bag Storage

An external vacuum sealer can only handle a bag as wide as it is, and a chamber model can only seal foods that fit inside the chamber. If you're looking to seal and freeze whole roasts or other big hunks of meat, you'll need a bigger one, while a smaller machine can easily handle single-serving packets. Of course, a bigger vacuum sealer needs more storage space and might not fit in a drawer or cabinet&#;plus it's probably more expensive and heavier. Another consideration is where to keep your rolls of vacuum bags. Some machines have an on-board storage compartment and built-in cutter; with others, you'll have to keep track of them separately.

Accessories and Supplies

Most any vacuum sealer is equipped to work with food in bags, but some can do a lot more. Many external sealers have an accessory port that attaches to a suction hose (this may or may not be included), which can be used to seal and marinate quick pickles in a jar, preserve whole spices in a canister, or even protect a precious bottle of unfinished wine. Sealers rarely include very many of these accessories, and you'll need to buy ones compatible with your specific model&#;this can potentially add significant cost, especially with a cheaper model.

Most vacuum sealers will include at least a few bags to get you started, but that ranges from a handful that will last a week to multiple rolls that could be several months' worth. Additional bags aren't terribly expensive, but a generous supply in the box adds some value.

FAQs

How long does vacuum-sealed food last?

Vacuum-sealing can greatly extend the shelf life of all kinds of food, but it's not magic. You'll still need to follow rules like those for safe freezer temperatures and storing pantry items in a cool, dark space. (Many brands' websites and instruction manuals also list their own guidelines for different types of food, and you should follow those if applicable.) But in general, vacuum-sealed food will last up to several years in the freezer and several weeks in the refrigerator. According to FoodSaver, vacuum-sealed meat or fish will last two or three years in the freezer, compared to six months in unsealed bags.

Fresh fruit lasts about twice as long in the fridge when it's sealed as it would otherwise while vacuum-sealing cheese can extend its life from a few weeks to several months. Flour, sugar, rice, pasta, and other dry goods are good for a year or two at room temperature when sealed, while baked goods can last a few weeks. If you're sealing for long-term storage, make sure to keep lots of room between the food and all the edges of the bag. The more air the vacuum is able to remove, the longer the food will keep.

Can you vacuum-seal soup?

With most external sealers, you can't put liquids in the bag without making a big mess or even bringing the motor to a stop. The trick for soups, stews, and sauces is to freeze them solid in another container first. Then, pop out the frozen block and seal that in a vacuum bag.

Can you vacuum-seal bread?

A soft and spongy loaf of fresh bread can go in a vacuum bag, but the sealing pressure is likely to smash it beyond recognition. Freezing is also the secret here: Put bread or other baked goods in the freezer for a few hours, then transfer to a vacuum bag for long-term sealing.

What foods should you not vacuum-seal?

• Raw onions, cabbage, and similar veggies. Plants in the genus Allium (onion) and Brassica (cabbage) produce gases that can create bubbles in a vacuum bag and make it lose its seal. Alliums include onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, and leeks, and Brassicas include cabbage, broccoli, kale, radishes, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Blanching or any other kind of cooking makes it safe to seal any of these ingredients.
• Raw mushrooms or bananas. Mushrooms and bananas both continue to ripen after harvest. Vacuum-sealing actually accelerates this process and makes them spoil faster. You should cook mushrooms and cook or freeze bananas before sealing.
• Soft cheeses. Creamy or crumbly cheeses like Brie, blue cheese, feta, goat cheese, and fresh mozzarella contain live bacteria and fungi that can thrive in an airless environment. Under a vacuum seal, these cheeses will get moldy as fast as, if not faster than, unsealed cheese. (This does not apply to hard cheeses; vacuum-seal away on your Goudas and Parmesans!)
• Hot foods. If you try to vacuum-seal something that's much warmer than room temperature, it'll give off steam that can expand the bag and break the seal. Wait until cooked food has cooled completely before starting the process.
  

Do you need to cook meat before you vacuum-seal it?

No. It's perfectly safe to vacuum-seal raw meat. But fresh sausage, thin slices, and other delicate cuts are apt to be crushed during the vacuum process. Freezing for 20 to 30 minutes will help firm them up and avoid damage, says Robert Miller, Butcher and Owner of The Conscious Carnivore. (The same process works with soft produce and baked goods, too.)

When you're ready to thaw and eat vacuum-sealed meat, Miller recommends placing the packages in a bowl of cold water directly from the freezer to thaw them as quickly as possible. You can even put the bowl in the sink underneath a slow faucet (again, using cold water) to further accelerate the process.

What can you vacuum-seal besides food?

There are lots of items outside the kitchen that could use protection from air and water. If you put important papers like birth and marriage certificates, wills, and insurance information in a vacuum bag before you file them away, you won't have to worry about damage if there's a flood or leaky pipe. The same goes for backup supplies of medications, first aid equipment, and other items for your "go bag" in the event of a natural disaster.

Seldom-used items made from gold, silver, cast iron, or other delicate metals are a good choice, too: Vacuum-sealing can keep jewelry, silverware, and similar heirlooms clean and free of tarnish and rust.

Bulky clothing, winter jackets, and camping equipment like sleeping bags will also shrink way down when the air is sucked out of them. Vacuum-sealing will protect these from damage but also make them much more convenient to store. A vacuum sealer is even helpful for air travel: If you seal up lotions and other liquid cosmetics, you won't have to worry about them popping open and spilling in your luggage because of the change in altitude and pressure.

Can you use Ziploc bags in a vacuum sealer?

It's possible, but we wouldn't recommend it. Your user manual says to use only special vacuum-sealing bags for a reason: They're specifically designed to make and hold a seal effectively. Vacuum bags are thicker than standard plastic bags, often with textured channels on the inside that help suck air out of every last corner. The material is also made to melt and seal firmly at the exact temperature the heat sealer uses. If you use a Ziploc or non-vacuum-sealer bag, you're unlikely to get an airtight seal, you might ruin your machine with burning plastic, and you'll definitely void your warranty. (If you're worried about cost and waste, look for reusable vacuum sealing bags! There are many brands out there.)

How do you clean a vacuum sealer?

"The best thing you can do to prolong the life of any sealer is to keep it clean," Miller says. You'll especially want to clean the heat strip that seals that bag, as buildup could lead to a weaker seal that may give out during the freezing and thawing process. Some models offer removable drip trays (and some are dishwasher-safe), which makes cleaning even easier. The machines don't last forever, though: If you notice ice crystals forming on your vacuum-sealed frozen foods "like a gentle winter frost," Miller says, "it might be time to look for a new one." Similarly, if the vacuum isn't pulling all of the air out of the bag during the sealing process, it may need to be serviced or replaced.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

The original author of this roundup, Donna Currie, is a product tester and writer for The Spruce Eats. The cookbook author specializes in kitchen tools and gadgets for our site and personally tested three of the vacuum sealers in this roundup.

This piece contains additional reporting by Allison Wignall and Jason Horn, writers for The Spruce Eats; Editor Taylor Rock; and Associate Editorial Director Mary Kate Hoban, who participated in our Lab testing alongside review editor Collier Sutter.

Sources

• Robert Miller is a butcher and the owner of The Conscious Carnivore

Additional reporting by Taylor Rock, Taylor is a former editor for The Spruce Eats. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process Allison Wignall,

Allison Wignall is a staff writer for The Spruce Eats who focuses on product reviews. She has also contributed to publications such as Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Southern Living.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process and Donna Currie Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process Originally written by Donna Currie Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process Article Sources The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. FoodSaver. How long can you save it.

Article SummaryX

To vacuum seal food, place your food in a vacuum bag and fold the top over. Open the sealer&#;s lid, then place the bag&#;s fold into the sealer and close the lid. Once you hear the lock, which sounds like a click, press the vacuum seal button. If your sealer doesn&#;t have a vacuum seal button, press the vacuum button first. Once all the air is sucked out, then press the seal button. For liquids, press the seal button when you start to see liquid move up the bag. To learn more about vacuum sealing, like how to seal home storage items, keep reading!

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