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In order to slow-cook a meal perfectly at home with a sous vide machine, it's a good idea to vacuum-seal food beforehand to prevent leaks. (After all, "sous vide" literally means "under vacuum" in French, and vacuum-sealing is an ideal way to cook sous vide.) The best vacuum sealers for sous vide create an air-tight lock, allowing you to cook food in a water bath without impeding the heat transfer from the water to the food with pockets of air.
When shopping for a vacuum sealer, here are a few considerations to keep in mind:
- Efficiency and speed: Although you don't need to spend a lot to find a high-quality vacuum sealer, if you rely on sous vide to cook many of your weekly meals, it might be worth investing in a time-saving automatic vacuum sealer rather than a manually-operated one.
- Accessories: Vacuum sealers typically come with the reusable bags needed to complete the process. However, some options may contain other accessories as well, like a wine stopper cork you can use to reseal bottles of wine.
- Your budget: How much you're willing to spend on a vacuum sealer will play a large role in which one you decide to buy. Luckily, vacuum sealers are sole at a range of price points.
For more details on the best vacuum sealers for sous vide, keep scrolling.
1
The Overall Best, All Things Considered
With over 4,500 reviews to its name and an average 4.1-star rating, it's no surprise that this compact, lightweight NutriChef vacuum sealer is an Amazon best-seller. Fully automatic, it boasts two sealing modes for dry or moist food and can seal up to 50 bags at a time. The sealer is also easily programmable with its digital, LED-light buttons and comes with everything you need to start sous vide cooking food: a set of five medium vacuum bags, one extra long vacuum bag roll, a wine stopper cork, and an accessory hose. For the price, you will likely not find a better or higher-quality vacuum sealer.
What fans say: "I vacuum seal a lot of things because I cook most meats sous vide. This NutriChef has choices to vacuum wet or dry items, and you can choose to seal only. You can also use the hose adapter for vacuum containers. The price is great since it comes with several individual bags and a roll of bags as well. This is a pretty machine and is lighter and more versatile than my old one."
2
The Runner Up
Although it's a bit more expensive, this heavy-duty KOIOS vacuum sealer is simple to use and processes food at lightning speed, making it a worthwhile investment if you sous vide cook frequently. It offers a built-in bag cutter, so you can easily cut every bag to the size or length that you need, as well as an extra-wide sealing strip to better seal heavier items like steak.
Like the previous pick, it offers two sealing modes, dry or moist, and a range of accessories, including a hose, five bags, and replacement sealing sponge. It also comes with a two-year warranty, ensuring that you will be able to use this vacuum sealer to sous vide cook for many years to come.
What fans say: "I have three vacuum sealers including this one, and this is the only one I use now. I like the dry/wet option, and the speed at which this thing works. My other vacuum sealers are garbage comparatively."
3
The Most Affordable
For a no-frills vacuum sealing, this battery-powered handheld Gourmia sealer will get the job done for an affordable price. Although some Amazon reviewers have mentioned there can be a learning curve to using a manual sealer, once you get the hang of it, this sealer is quick and easy to use. It's also compact in size and comes with a set of five bags and one sealer kit to get you started.
What fans say: "I really wanted a vacuum sealer for my sous vide cooking. I kept looking on Amazon at the nicer, more expensive ones, thinking you get what you pay for. In the end, I didn't think I would use it often enough to justify those price points and found this one. I was pretty impressed with the quality and ease of use. It's fast and works pretty well."
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