I’have recently started doing more sous vide cooking and I’m thinking about getting a vacuum sealer. There are so many options available that I’m not sure which one is worth buying.
For those who use sous vide regularly, which vacuum sealer would you recommend and why?
I do sous vide cooking only occasionally. It’s not necessary but I like the flexibility of having a vacuum sealer. I had an old Foodsaver that works OK but I recently purchased an inexpensive handheld vacuum kit from Amazon for about $30. It came with 3 sizes of sealable sous vide bags (higher heat tolerance plastic) and 2 sizes of canning jar adapters. The seal is a simple button valve, great for dry or moist foods; with a little care, it can be used for wet foods too, but sometimes fouls the seal. My bags don’t have rounded corners, so they’re a little hard to clean but they still work well. Many brands and assortments are available.
FoodSavers are classic, but if you don’t do sous vide every single day, big countertop sealers can feel bulky to store.
I’ve been really liking the Owkar handheld sealer for sous vide. It’s cordless, USB-C rechargeable, and fits right in a kitchen drawer. It comes with reusable valve bags safe for sous vide temperatures (-24°C to 100°C), so you aren’t constantly throwing away plastic bags. The auto-stop and liquid trap also make dealing with juicy or marinated foods way less messy. Definitely worth a look if you want a cleaner, space-saving setup!