Have you ever opened up your freezer to find last year's half-eaten casserole and holiday fruit cake, along with pancakes that are now freezer-burned? Getting a headache from trying to keep food fresh in the freezer is a common problem. Many of us rely on plastic wrap and storage containers to preserve food in the freezer, but according to top chefs this approach has its limitations, especially for long term storage.

Chicago-based Matthias Merges, chef and owner of Mordecai, insists that vacuum sealing is the superior method for freezing food without altering its composition. Other professional chefs agree, relying on vacuum sealers in their kitchens. Some recommended sealers include models by Anova, Nesco, and others.

David Rose, the executive chef with Omaha Steaks, uses vacuum sealers for preserving the freshness of meat, particularly to guard against freezer burn that can drastically alter flavor and texture. Rose specifically recommends the Anova sealer, also a tested favorite of ours. It conveniently seals foods of different sizes, and is currently 37% off.

The Nesco Deluxe vacuum sealer won our praise when we tested it. It was effective at removing air and had a double-seal function for liquids, while being delicate enough to avoid crushing the food.

A compact option is the Mueller vacuum sealer favored by Steven Chiapetti, the executive chef at the Albert in Chicago. Chiapetti notes that this sealer is “easy to store, equipped to preserve both wet and dry ingredients,” and has adjustable tightness levels. He warns against using plastic wrap or aluminum foil for storage, as they can ruin the food. He suggests that the affordable Mueller sealer can help preserve the integrity and extend the shelf life of your food.

Our tests also showed the FoodSaver PowerVac to be a valuable option. It can be stored either vertically or horizontally, seals without leaving air bubbles, and has a quick refresh time of only 20 seconds.

For those new to vacuum sealing, the Inkbird sealer, which is both powerful and affordable, provided a tight seal in all of our tests and demonstrated minimal oxidation on a sealed avocado after five days of storage.

If your needs are simply for food storage and you won't be cooking sous vide, our budget pick is the food vacuum sealer. This affordable model did well in all the tests, offering wet and dry options, gentle mode, manual seal, and an additional accessory port.