ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

ChefSteps

Just because you don’t need a vacuum sealer to sous vide your favorite foods, it doesn’t mean you might not want one. These handy suckers are getting less expensive by the day. Plus, they are great for sous viding choice vegetables, make batch cooking a breeze, and keep things super sanitary in the kitchen. The best news yet? You don’t need to purchase an expensive chamber vacuum that takes up valuable space on your kitchen counter—that is, unless you really want to. There are plenty of inexpensive external vacuum sealers that work perfectly for home cooks and take up way less room in your already crowded kitchen. Here, we’ll talk you through what kind of machine is best for you, tell you when to use it, and then point you to our favorite sealers on the market—some reasonably priced and some steeper.