Best Food Vacuum Sealer Review – Top 5 List

Interested in adding the newest must-have kitchen appliance to your home? If you’re like most people, of course you are – particularly if you’re intrigued by the enormous buzz around sous vide cooking. That means buying a vacuum sealer or food saver.

There are other great reasons to consider one of these food vacuum sealers. They’re a lifesaver for people who buy food in bulk for freezing to use in the future and those who have small or crowded freezers. They also greatly extend the shelf life of the food you keep in your refrigerator. That could include anything from cereals, coffee grains or even pre-cooked meals that you want to freeze.

Intrigued? You should be.

How Does A Vacuum Sealer Work?

You probably remember the basics of a vacuum, from those boring days in science class. Oxygen is evacuated (sucked out, for those who slept through science class) from a container like an air-tight jar or bag. When kept sealed up, food remains good at least five times longer than in a zip-loc bag since bacteria can’t grow in an oxygen-free environment, and you’ll avoid annoying freezer burn that occurs due to moisture in the bag.

Incidentally, you’ll get the same type of benefits by vacuum sealing important papers or silver jewelry, since with no oxygen they won’t deteriorate or get tarnished. You can also ship clothing to your sister or store clothing in a compact space, by removing all of the air from the storage bag first.

Types of Vacuum Sealers – External Sealers and Chamber Style Models

IMAGE	PRODUCT
	VacMaster VP210 Chamber Style: Chamber Material: Stainless steel and acrylic Controls: Adjustable vacuum, sealing and cooking time Wet-and-dry: Yes Maximum bag size: 10 x 13 inches Weight: 83 pounds	OUR #1 PICK VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	Weston Pro-2300 Commercial Grade Style: External Material: Stainless steel and acrylic Controls: One-touch automatic, pressure in manual mode Wet-and-dry: Yes Maximum bag size: 15 inches Weight: 22 pounds	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	FoodSaver 4840 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealing System Style: External Material: Primarily plastic Controls: Auto-sensor, seal without vacuum, pulse, marinate, plus handheld sealer Wet-and-dry: Yes Maximum bag size: 16 inches Weight: 10 pounds	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	FoodSaver V2244 Vacuum Sealing System with Starter Kit Style: External Material: Primarily plastic Controls: Seal and vacuum, seal Wet-and-dry: No special settings, but drip tray included Maximum bag size: 11 inches Weight: 5 pounds	VIEW LATEST PRICE →
	Waring Pro PVS1000 Pistol Vac Professional Vacuum Sealer System Style: External and portable with rechargeable battery Material: Primarily plastic Controls: On/off trigger Wet-and-dry: No Maximum bag size: No limitations Weight: 5 pounds	VIEW LATEST PRICE →

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1. VacMaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer

This VacMaster is a full-featured chamber sealer which isn’t for everyone. Since these Groom+Style rankings are for the best machines, though, the VP210 clearly belonged at the top.

It’s best suited for heavy-duty kitchen use when you’ve made huge batches of stew or soup for months’ worth of meals, brought in the summer crop for cooking and storage, bought out the warehouse store’s fantastic stock of low-priced meat (or hunted your own), prepare almost all of your meals sous vide – well, you get the idea.

Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of external sealers coming up.

High-end chamber food vacuum sealers can cost thousands of dollars, so what first attracted the review team to this VacMaster was its very reasonable price, half of what you might expect to pay for a high-end commercial chamber machine. What impressed us after that was the VP210’s thoughtful design.

It’s built from high-grade stainless steel for durability, with a see-through acrylic lid. It double-seals bags for extra protection against moisture, and is outstanding for sealing liquids and meat with gravy. The wet-and-dry sealing bar in the machine comes out easily for cleaning. It even works with bags from competitors like FoodSaver. And the vacuum level (up to 29Hg) from the heavy-duty oil pump is terrific, for readers who are stat geeks.

This food vacuum sealer gives the user as much control as any model on our list, with vacuum time, sealing time and cooling time all fully and easily adjustable. An LED indicator counts down the time remaining in the current function, and there’s a button that lets you stop the vacuum function as desired. The only negatives we could find are that there’s no pulse mode or external port, you’ll have to periodically add machine oil to the pump, and you have to be careful when hand-cleaning the machine.

2. Weston Pro-2300 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer (65-0201)

Weston puts the description “commercial grade” into the name of this model not only for sales purposes but for a good reason: many restaurants use it. This external sealer has extra-wide openings and Teflon double-sealing strip that let you use bags that are up to 15” wide, or even seal two smaller bags at the same time. It’s heavier than many out-of-chamber units, made from stainless steel with a transparent acrylic top, but that also means it’s strong and durable.

You don’t get the same level of function control that you’ll find on chamber sealers like the VacMaster, but you’ll be paying about half the price. You can use a manual pressure mode to carefully seal soft foods or non-food goods. The automatic mode lets you seal up food with just the touch of one button, making the Pro-2300 simple to use for ordinary tasks. LED lights show you where you are in the process. It’s great for both wet and dry sealing, with a removable drip tray.

The seal is powerful and the machine works quickly, with the 28 Hg vacuum strength provided by a double-piston pump and fan-cooled motor that let the sealer run for several hours without overheating, as long as you give it ten seconds or so between seals. There’s an external port for vacuum sealing other types of containers (the hose is not included, though). Be aware, though, that you’ll have to cut and feed your own bags; there’s no built-in cutter.

3. FoodSaver 4840 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealing System

Groom+Style’s number three pick is the external vacuum sealer Foodsaver 4840 2-in-1, and there are three reasons for our choice: price, full automation, and a retractable, portable sealer.

Full automation means just that. You just feed the open end of a bag (up to 16” wide) into the 4840; it detects the bag and goes to work, pumping out the air and sealing it tightly. There’s also a button you can use to only seal without creating a vacuum, and a rapid marinate mode that can have your meat, fish or vegetables perfectly marinated and ready to cook within hours.

This is a very good, small device that will fit nicely on the countertop of any kitchen and comes with vacuum seal bags. But it differs from comparable models because of its 2-in-1 feature, which means there’s also a retractable handheld sealer nozzle attached to one side of the unit. It’s perfect for use on containers, canisters and zip-loc bags that are made to accommodate vacuum sealing.

The unit has wet-dry settings, a built-in roller and cutter, pulse control and a drip tray, although you may find it’s tougher to seal bags containing a lot of liquids than it is with our top two vacuum systems. There’s a reward for giving up that complete control: the price of this Food Saver, which comes in at about half of the Weston’s cost.

4. FoodSaver V2244 Vacuum Sealing System with Starter Kit

If you like the sound of the FoodSaver 4840 but don’t care about the handheld sealer – or want to save even more money – the Groom+Style team suggests the FoodSaver V2244. It’s smaller and doesn’t have all of the advantages of its big brother, but it’s quite good for standard vacuum sealing jobs at about one-third of the cost.

The V2244 doesn’t have a bag detector that starts the machine automatically, but it’s not a lot of extra work to insert the bag, close the cover, and push the “start” button. That will take care of the vacuuming and sealing for you, and the unit shuts off when its work is done. You can also seal without creating a vacuum if you’d like. One feature that isn’t available on the higher-end model but is very cool is CrushFree Instant Seal, which helps protect delicate food that might be crushed in other sealers.

There’s an accessory port on this FoodSaver which lets you vacuum seal appropriate containers (and it comes with a hose, unlike the Weston), it works with many (but not all) brands of textured vacuum bags, and the drip tray is removable and dishwasher safe. The V2244, like the 4840, comes with an outstanding five-year warranty, too.

5. Waring Pro PVS1000 Pistol Vac Professional Vacuum Sealer System

This Waring model is a great choice for those without much space or those who want to be able to seal their vacuum bags anywhere in the kitchen. Shaped like a pistol complete with trigger control, the NiMH battery-powered PVS1000 sits unobtrusively in a charging base until you need it. You then seal your bag with the included zip tool (that step isn’t required, but it helps create a strong seal), put the Pistol Vac onto the bag’s valve, and pull the trigger. You’ll be able to vacuum and seal up to 30 bags on a charge.

The PVS1000 comes with 24 reusable starter bags in two sizes and will also work on many other brands of bags, plus containers like Mason jars as long as the valve size is compatible with the nozzle’s size. The one real downside, though, is this isn’t an optimal vacuum sealer for liquids unless you’re extremely careful and coordinated; if you accidentally get any liquid into the pistol, you may have to throw it away.

One final note: the charger will not work on a fully-discharged unit, so you have to be sure to recharge the battery before it’s completely drained.

Seal-a-Meal FSSMSL0160-000

The Seal-a-Meal has fewer features than the previous 2 models, at less than the price of the FoodSaver V2244. It’s designed to protect foods using the same Vacuum sealer function we’ve already heard about. The air is sucked out of the Seal-a-Meal bags to form a tight seal around the food you’re storing.

The Seal-a-Meal packaging material is strong and durable – and is designed to prevent freezer burn. If you feel like banging what you’re storing in the microwave for a quick defrost, you can – the packaging won’t tear.  The packaging can also be placed in the microwave, or the bag with its frozen contents can be placed directly in boiling water to defrost.

FoodSaver V3240 Automatic Vacuum Sealing System

Overall, the first three machines we’ve had a look at have been quite small and compact. You could easily fit them in your kitchen without ever noticing, even if you had one out on display.

The FoodSaver V3240 is a little bulkier and bigger. It’s also not quite as stylishly designed and looks like a piece of tech that you might have bought in the early eighties.

But looks aren’t everything and this system still keeps food fresh and crisp for five times longer than other methods. Air and dampness are removed through multi-layered sacks. These sacks are also brilliant because your sealed food will taste as though it was purchased a moment ago.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re storing bolognese or slices of pizza – the V3240 will work just as effectively.

This device is easy to use but is fully featured and will fit perfectly into a busy family’s life.  It comes with the CrushFree instant seal functionality, and manual operation with 2 vacuum speeds.  You can also decide how moist or dry you would like different foods – after all, you don’t want everything to be crisp.  It also has a built-in cutter for sealing.

Nesco VS-02 Food Vacuum Sealer

Before we get into specifics, it’s worth pointing out that while this is last on our list, it is still a great appliance.  The Nesco VS-02 is silver and black in color, looking quite modern. It’s got an easy to use control system and once again is very compact. You could store this on top of your fridge out of the way.

The biggest selling point of this appliance is that it is cheap and easy to use. It’s perhaps one of the most basic models on our list.

The device offers an easy to use one-click operation system. It also has a setting that allows you to control the sealing of more sensitive food. That means you won’t be crushing crisps or cereal using this device. It’s also possible to switch the settings for items that are moister if you want a closer seal. Don’t forget that it’s not just food you can seal with a device like this. It could be anything that you don’t want to be contaminated by air. For instance, you could use it on a rare paper item that you’ve found on eBay or an Autographed piece.

Now that you are working towards purchasing a food sealer for your home you will need to start planning some awesome recipes that freeze well.

FAQs

Do I need a Food Vacuum Sealer if I open a restaurant?

Yes, the Food Vacuum Sealer is a great way to keep food fresh and reduce spoilage. It can also be used to create sous-vide dishes which are becoming increasingly popular in modern restaurants. So if you are opening a restaurant, you should consider to buy one. You will also be able to store ingredients that would otherwise spoil quickly or take up too much space. A lot of restaurants now rely on the Food Vacuum Sealer to ensure quality, freshness and consistency in their food.

Do vacuum sealing machines help with portion control?

Yes, vacuum sealing machines can definitely help with portion control. Using the machine to divide ingredients, you can easily pre-prepare portions for later use. This can save time and reduce waste, especially if you’re working with ingredients that are prone to spoilage. Furthermore, you can also control the portion size of each meal more accurately, helping ensure consistency in your dishes.

Is there anything else I should consider when using a Food Vacuum Sealer?

Yes, there are other things to consider when using a Food Vacuum Sealer. First, you should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines to ensure that your vacuum sealing machine operates safely and effectively. Additionally, you may want to get additional accessories such as a bag cutter or a jar sealer if you plan on using containers other than plastic bags. Finally, it’s also important to note that some vacuum sealers can be quite loud, so if you plan on using one in the kitchen or other areas of your home, you may want to take this into account.