Vacuum Sealers for Sous Vide

What sous vide sealing demands from the machine

The chamber units pull a stronger vacuum because the whole bag sits inside the chamber, which also lets you seal liquids and wet marinades without them getting sucked toward the pump. External sealers in this slice handle the job too, but they work best when the food is relatively dry at the sealing edge. The 95kPa models with dual-pump and double heat seal are built for that stronger pull, and the touch-display versions add a digital timer for repeatable cycles.

Forms, sizes, and when this is the wrong tool

The chamber sealers here come with 10.25 inch seal bars for 10 by 13 inch bags, or double 17 inch bars for larger batches, and the bodies are black, blue, or gray. External units in the 6L range and handheld pumps also appear, though a handheld pump is a poor fit for sous vide because it cannot pull enough vacuum for a long cook. If your sealing is mostly dry pantry goods or you never cook below boiling, the extra seal strength and liquid handling of these machines is more than the task requires.