If you want to preserve your food for longer term storage, a vacuum sealer is a great investment. With a vacuum sealer, you can remove the air from your packaging and seal it tightly. This helps keep your food fresh for much longer. In fact, when properly vacuum sealed, meat can last for up to three years in your freezer. Your vacuum sealer lets you take advantage of sales prices and lower your grocery bill. You can also reduce food waste, since you won't be dealing with any freezer burn. If you're ready to add a vacuum sealer to your kitchen, here are five of the best available. NutriChef Vacuum Sealer Comes with a Starter KitWith this vacuum sealer, you'll also receive everything you need to get started right away. Best Overall Find on Amazon This low profile vacuum sealer won’t take up a lot of space on your counter. When you’re ready to use it, plug it in and use the soft touch digital buttons to operate it. The LED indicator lights help you keep track of the status. There are two different sealing modes, dry and moist. Dry sealing is perfect for solid food items, while you’d use the moist for poached or steamed food items. Along with the vacuum sealer, you’ll receive a starter kit when you order. The kit includes a wine stopper cork, five medium vacuum bags, and one extra long vacuum roll. You’ll be able to start preserving your food right away. Pros Easy to operate Starter kit has useful items Two different sealing modes Cons Hard to clean Foodsaver FSFSSL2244-000 V2244 Machine for Food Preservation Simple to UseWith three simple steps to preserve food, this vacuum sealer is easy to use. Runner Up Find on Amazon You can operate this simple machine with one hand. Locking the lid requires only a simple turn, and there are LED indicator lights to walk you through the sealing process. You can seal both wet and dry items from the same setting. There’s a removable drip tray to catch any liquids that run out. The tray is dishwasher safe, making cleanup easy. This vacuum sealer comes with a starter pack. You’ll receive an 11-inch by 10-inch heat seal roll, three quart heat seal bags, and two gallon heat seal bags. There’s also an accessory hose that comes with it. Pros Three step process to seal Easy to use Removable drip tray for liquids Cons The directions aren’t very clear GERYON Vacuum Sealer Machine Designed for Easy CleaningWith a removable upper lid, you can easily reach the gaskets and vacuum chamber for cleaning. Easiest to Clean Find on Amazon When you use a vacuum sealer, it’s important to clean it thoroughly when you’re done. Bacteria from your food can easily build up if you aren’t careful. This model of vacuum sealer was built with cleanup in mind. You can take off the upper housing and clean all of the internal components. Being easy to clean isn’t the only benefit of this vacuum sealer. It is also small, which means it’ll take up less space on your counter. It’s only 14.4-inches by 5.5-inches by 2.56-inches. But don’t let the small size fool you. This vacuum sealer has the power you need to successfully suck out all the air and properly seal your food. The vacuum sealing process is fully automatic, you control it with soft touch digital buttons. LED indicator lights on the control panel help you keep track of the progress. This unit also comes with a starter kit. In addition to the vacuum sealer, you will receive a roll of 7.8-inches by 78-inch vacuum bag, five pre-cut bags, and a vacuum tube. Pros Small in size Easy to clean User-friendly controls Cons You have to unplug the machine to turn it off FoodSaver FM5200 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealer Machine with Express Bag Maker Vacuum View Window for Maximum ControlWhen you can see exactly where you're going to make a seal, you waste less packaging material. Fastest to Use Find on Amazon This model of vacuum sealer helps you save time. The Express bag maker is easy to use, and quickly turns rolls into bags. With the view window, you can easily see where you are making the seals. This reduces your waste and lets you maximize each roll. This model comes with dual heat sealing strips to help achieve an airtight seal every time. There’s even automatic moisture detection, which switches automatically to the correct mode if liquid is detected. There’s a removable drip tray to catch overflow. You can wash the tray in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. It comes with everything you need to get started right away. You’ll receive an 11-inch by 10-foot vacuum seal roll, three quart-sized pre-cut vacuum bags, and two gallon-sized pre-cut vacuum bags. It also comes with three quart-sized vacuum zipper bags, and two gallon-sized vacuum zipper bags. Pros Quick and easy to make bags Drip tray for excess liquid Window for precise placement of seal Cons A little bit of a learning curve Vacuum Sealer Machine By Mueller Lightweight and SmallWith a small footprint, this vacuum sealer is easy to store when you aren't using it. Best ValueFind on Amazon If you’re looking for a good quality, fairly inexpensive vacuum sealer, this one is a winner. It’s really small (only 16.6X7.8X4.8 inches), so it’s easy to store when it’s not in use. It’s also lightweight, weighing only 2.2 pounds. This machine is fairly quiet while it seals, which is a plus. It’s very simple to use, and seals each bag well. There are two settings, one for wet food and one for dry. You don’t have to push the handle down while sealing bags, as the it holds the design holds the package in place for you. Once you get everything set up and you select the right setting, you just touch a button and it seals. This unit also comes with a starter pack. It includes five medium bags, and one extra-long vacuum bag roll. You’ll be able to get started using it right away. Pros Small footprint Easy to use Fairly quiet Cons Doesn’t have a bag cutter, so you have to cut with scissors Frequently Asked Questions What do you use a vacuum sealer for? The most common use of vacuum sealers is food preservation and storage. By sucking all of the air out before putting meat or other foods in the freezer, you reduce the bacteria and allow it stay fresh longer. You can also use your vacuum sealer for other purposes. Many people enjoy cooking sous vide with it. You can use it reseal bags of chips or crackers to keep them from going stale. Many come with a bottle stopper attachment. You can use this to keep wine fresh or to preserve vinegar. With a vacuum sealer, you can create your own mini packets of condiments for camping. With larger models, you could create sealed bags of clothes for emergency situations. There are so many creative ways to use your vacuum sealer, both in and out of the kitchen. What is sous vide? Many people like using a vacuum sealer to cook sous vide style. Sous vide means under vacuum in French. It’s a method of cooking that involves sealing your food in a bag and cooking it in water that’s precisely the right temperature. This method of cooking takes a long time since the water is not boiling, but it creates meat that is perfectly cooked. Can you reuse vacuum bags? Most vacuum sealed bags can be rinsed, dried, and re-sealed with new food. However, if your bag had raw meat or eggs inside, you will want to discard it and get a new one. That way you don’t transfer harmful bacteria to the new contents of the bag. Related posts: The 5 Best Dog Toothbrushes to Keep Bad Breath at Bay Read more The 5 Best Shampoos For Various Types Of Dogs Read more The 5 Best Durable Dog Doors For A Pup On-The-Go Read more