What’s the Difference Between Handheld and Countertop Vacuum Sealers?

The vacuum sealer is a quite ingenious system that sucks the air out of a plastic bag earlier than sealing it shut, preserving meals and maintaining moisture out. Do you tire of compressing air out of zipper-lock baggage for sous vide? Do you discover that you simply’re always throwing away freezer-burned meals and off snacks? A vacuum sealer could also be best for you!

The vacuum sealers available on the market at this time typically fall into two classes: handheld and countertop (we’ll introduce a 3rd, rarer possibility shortly). The previous requires particular baggage with zip-top enclosures that work properly for short-term storage, however might fail underneath sure situations (like months within the freezer or lengthy hours in a heat sous vide water bathtub). Countertop sealers are bigger and seal the bag shut by melting the 2 sides collectively, a function that makes the seal last more. There may be additionally *technically* a 3rd type of vacuum sealer, the chamber sealer, that’s most frequently utilized in industrial purposes (although we did assessment one marketed in direction of house cooks—the Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer—and appreciated it). However which sort of vacuum sealer is best for you? Right here, we centered on countertop and handheld vacuum sealers, diving into their variations so you possibly can select which is greatest to your wants.

Countertop Vacuum Sealers

Countertop vacuum sealers are typically known as channel sealers or edge sealers and have a bar that heats up and melts the 2 sides of the plastic bag shut after eradicating the air. This sort of sealer can be utilized with pre-cut baggage or rolls that may be minimize and sealed to a customized measurement. It is nice for freezing, sous vide cooking, and even simply maintaining pantry gadgets brisker for longer.

The Execs

Countertop fashions help you set and neglect relating to sealing. Many fashions have the expertise to detect exactly when the suction ought to finish with regard to the kind of meals, eliminating the guesswork. In our testing, our favorites have been fairly priced, had easy controls, and reliably produced robust seals that held as much as all types of assessments. Some, just like the Nesco Deluxe Food VS-12 sealer, have been robust sufficient to take away all of the air from irregular meals like a bone-in pork chop with out breaking the plastic, but in addition delicate and “sensible” sufficient to not crush Chex cereal. Most of the higher fashions, just like the Anova Pro, include built-in storage for luggage and a useful cutter. This mannequin additionally enables you to seal moist gadgets, like hen in a marinade, with out sucking liquid up by the seal throughout the vacuum course of.

The opposite good factor about many countertop sealers is that you simply don’t want brand-specific baggage, which are sometimes costlier. As an alternative, you possibly can buy bags from third-party distributors for lower than $1 a foot.

The Cons

The largest cons with countertop vacuum sealers are that they’re massive and costly. When you solely vacuum seal sporadically, a giant sealer may not be well worth the money and cupboard space. Apart from that, one minor quibble is that the luggage for countertop vacuum sealers aren’t actually meant to be reused, whereas the luggage that include handheld sealer are designed (in principle) for use repeatedly.

Handheld Vacuum Sealers

Not like their bulkier countertop cousins, handheld vacuum sealers are small, light-weight units meant to slot in one hand. Some run on batteries (both disposable or rechargeable), and others make use of a handbook pump to take away air. Each sorts use particular baggage fitted with a one-way valve that attaches to the sealer. The baggage are sealed with a zipper on the prime that enables for straightforward opening and shutting.

The Execs

The baggage for a handheld vacuum sealer will be reused so long as the plastic isn’t punctured, and a few have attachments to suit onto meals storage containers and mason jars, which is one thing most countertop sealers can’t do. Handheld sealers additionally are typically a lot smaller, lighter, and cheaper. These attributes make any such sealer a sensible choice for these with much less cupboard space or who would possibly solely vacuum seal sporadically.

The Cons 

Handheld sealers require you to watch the suction course of, and you need to determine when to cease the system (not like countertop sealers, which let you press a button and stroll away). They use disposable or rechargeable batteries, and a few will be operated manually (pump it!), however these are inclined to stink (sorry). In our check of vacuum sealers, we evaluated 4 handheld choices, and two have been surprisingly okay: the FoodSaver Handheld Cordless Vacuum Sealer and the Anova Precision Port Handheld Vacuum Sealer. Each have been fairly straightforward to make use of, did a good job suctioning and sealing, and have been small and straightforward to stash away. The opposite two examined had some points, with seals that failed to remain tight throughout varied assessments (if you wish to seal something in a marinade with them, good luck!). General, their energy and seal high quality simply weren’t pretty much as good as a countertop sealer. Additionally, handheld sealers require you to purchase the luggage from the producer, as solely these can have a valve suitable with the sealer. Plus, countertop sealers typically have built-in bag reducing, which is a pleasant perk.

Handheld vs. Countertop Vacuum Sealers: Which Ought to I Purchase?

Each handheld and countertop vacuum sealers have the identical aim (vacuum suctioning and sealing), however selecting which is greatest to your wants comes right down to how typically you plan to make use of it, amongst different issues. Let’s check out among the key variations: