You know how it goes: You try a new oven-baked ribs recipe without reading the serving size and now you have way too many leftovers to finish before they go bad. Or you simply couldn't resist a sale on whole salmon and now have more steaks than you know what to do with. Or maybe you've hit a few of those can't-miss sales and are stuck with a freezer that's practically overflowing with containers... and you still have more to pack in.
No matter how you got here, we all know what happens next. You have two options: Eat all that food until you get so sick you can't even stomach the thought of making it again, or throw it out and feel that guilt of wasting both your food and your money. But what if we told you there was another way?
Obviously, we can't wave a magical churro wand and make all your food-storage troubles disappear, but there is a kitchen tool that can help. When it comes to keeping food fresh or putting it in long-term storage, nothing is better than a food vacuum sealer. These handy machines beat freezer bags by a landslide. They can package cooked or raw food so effectively that you can keep them in your freezer or pantry for months at a time without the fear of freezer burn, staleness, or leakage. (Just know there are some foods you should never put in the freezer.)
To find out the best food vacuum sealers on the market, we went straight to the Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab, Nicole Papantoniou, who has been has been professionally testing kitchen gear for nearly 10 years. Consider this our manifesto for why you need one of these babies in your kitchen, and which to buy.
We’re all about that vacuum-sealing life, but we have other tips to actually use all your groceries before they go bad too! And to really get the most fun out of your new favorite kitchen tool, check out our recipe for the best sous vide brisket to enjoy mouthwatering BBQ right at home—your tastebuds will thank you.
Our top picks
How we picked these products
To find the best vacuum sealers, we turned to our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute, who have identified the best and highest-rated brands and put them to the test. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust.
From monitoring hamburger patties and chicken breasts for signs of freezer burn to determining whether or not these machines would crush delicate produce like berries, these Kitchen Tech Experts assessed a gaggle of these gadgets based on rigorous in-lab testing, staff favorites, and impeccable user reviews. They then analyzed each machine’s user-friendliness, efficiency, noise level during operation, and the capabilities of their accessories to ensure they were deserving of that coveted Good Housekeeping endorsement. After reviewing their findings and discussing their road tests in-depth with Papantoniou, we’ve determined that these are the best food vacuum sealers you can buy in 2022.