If you’re someone who spends days planning your next sous vide project, or if you get a thrill from scoring a great price on, say, a bulk pack of chicken breasts or ground beef, you need a vacuum sealer. It is one of the handiest kitchen appliances for storing meat, vegetables, and pantry ingredients and safeguarding them from freezer burn, humidity, and leakage. Plus, it can even help keep many foods fresh for longer by preventing bacteria exposure and oxidation.

We’ve tested over two dozen of the best vacuum sealers since 2022. Our rigorously tested top picks include several outstanding food vacuum sealers under $150, models with built-in handheld options for sealing Mason jars and other containers, and even two specialized chamber vacuum sealer machines.

The Tests

We vacuum sealed a variety of items, including meat, liquid, cereal, and yes, ping pong balls.…