Straight to the Level
The most effective vacuum sealer we have now ever examined is the Anova Precision Professional. It’s glossy, compact, and highly effective (and priced excellent).
I’ve had my fair proportion of expertise with vacuum sealers. Perhaps greater than my fair proportion, as these home equipment began changing into commonplace in restaurant kitchens not less than a decade earlier than they turned the go-to funding for intrepid house cooks seeking to increase their culinary repertoire. At one level, it might have been unimaginable to assume that the massive vacuum sealers I labored with in eating places would ever make it to the house market. Fortunately, time and expertise have made huge waves on this sector, and vacuum sealers as we speak are a lot smaller and extra environment friendly than those I minimize my tooth on.
Lately tasked with testing house vacuum sealers, I received a full overview of the unfold that’s out there as we speak. From ultra-compact handheld sealers to trimmed-down variations of the identical kind of chamber sealer I labored with at Eleven Madison Park, these home equipment have so much to supply the house chef. Helpful for each storage/preservation and cooking, an excellent vacuum sealer can prevent tons of of {dollars} a yr.
Of the 25 fashions we examined, the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Professional proved to be the most effective total, with loads of helpful capabilities and options in a slim profile. Extra compact than the Anova Chamber Sealer and extra highly effective than the model’s base mannequin, the Professional has modes for moist and dry elements, a guide pulse choice for final management, and a port for utilizing the hose accent. This accent may be paired with issues like Mason jars and inflexible plastic meals storage containers for eradicating extra air and prolonging shelf life. Total, it’s the proper selection should you’re contemplating including a vacuum sealer to your kitchen.
Why It is Nice
The Anova Professional’s Locking Handles Save Area
Many vacuum sealers have some type of deal with that lifts the highest of the machine so that you could place the bag’s edge in earlier than sealing. The Anova Professional has a swivel deal with that lifts throughout use, then folds down and locks throughout storage. In contrast to different vacuum sealers we examined, the deal with doesn’t stick out awkwardly, so the whole unit can pack flat.
Double Seals Gained’t Budge
Anova makes use of double-sealing expertise on all its sealers. Which means two metallic bars warmth as much as soften the plastic bag shut once you set the machine to seal. Double seals imply double the power. After we examined the Anova Professional, the seal by no means budged or failed regardless of excessive water temperatures and lengthy stints within the water tub. Whereas we might anticipate that from any sealer, a stunning quantity of different manufacturers did fail below sure circumstances. That’s the very last thing you need to occur after you’ve shelled out for a pair of primo duck breasts to sous vide for an important day.
The Anova Precision Professional vs. the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer
Anova does make a base mannequin that did nicely in our testing, however total I favor the Professional. The Professional is barely dearer, however that value improve comes with a variety of bang for the buck. First, it’s a bit bigger, which permits it to have room to retailer a roll of luggage and a cutter. I don’t learn about you, however I hate to must dig round for equipment after I go to begin a kitchen undertaking and I can actually admire an equipment that homes the whole lot I want in a single unit.
The second huge distinction is that the Professional mannequin has a number of further options, particularly a port for a hose attachment and two particular buttons: moist and dry. The moist and dry buttons include built-in good expertise that permits the sealer to determine how a lot suction to use based mostly on the contents of the bag. This takes a variety of strain off the person and permits for a extra hands-free expertise. The hose attachment is supposed to pair with sure sorts of jars and inflexible meals storage containers—a pleasant further.
The final distinction that I contemplate to be probably the most essential is that the Professional has a locking lid. The swivel deal with lifts to open the highest then closes and clamps down tight after you add a bag. In the end, this led to a safer sealing course of and nearly eradicated any points with the bag changing into crooked or misaligned throughout sealing.
The Verdict
It was exhausting for me to seek out many faults with the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Professional, which I contemplate to be one in every of greatest vacuum sealers out there available on the market as we speak. It’s the proper selection for each the occasional and frequent person, with all the required options to seal the whole lot from bony cuts of meat to delicate crackers. Every part comes housed in a easy, compact physique that even consists of storage and a cutter for plastic baggage.
The Professionals
The Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Professional is glossy and streamlined, with intuitive, easy controls. It’s one of many solely fashions available on the market that explicitly permits you to seal liquids within the bag (hiya, marinade). Surprisingly, the highly effective double-sealing heating strip that seals the bag isn’t bested by just a little water on the plastic, like different sealers have been. Additionally not like different vacuum sealers, the Professional would not want a refractory interval in between sealings and may seal bag after bag with no concern. Anova claims the machine can deal with as much as 100 steady sealings if the state of affairs ought to ever come up.
The minimalist design isn’t only for appears—it additionally has fewer cracks and crevices for meals and liquids to get trapped. It’s light-weight and compact sufficient to retailer in a drawer, with no cumbersome handles or elements that jut out. Constructed inside the inside is a helpful compartment designed to retailer a roll of plastic baggage. There’s an connected cutter so that you could feed the bag immediately from the storage space to the sealing space in a single fluid movement.
The Cons
The Anova Professional is pricier than fashions with comparable efficiency when not on sale. Aside from that, the guide could possibly be a bit extra instructive, like together with textual content to accompany the diagrams that designate tips on how to use the sealer.
Key Specs
- Weight: 5 kilos
- Variety of settings: 3
- Dimensions: 14.75 x 7 x 4 inches
- Included equipment: 1 18.9-inch hose attachment, 1 roll of luggage
- Constructed-in storage and bag cutter?: Sure
- Steady seals: 100
- Time-out interval between sealings: None
- Pulse setting: Sure
- Guarantee: 2 years
FAQs
Is the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Professional higher than different Anova vacuum sealers?
Whereas we do admire the features of Anova’s different sealers, together with the base mannequin and the chamber mannequin, if we needed to decide only one to purchase it might be the Professional. It strikes simply the best candy spot by way of measurement, energy, and value.
Does the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Professional solely work with the Anova sous vide machine?
If you wish to begin utilizing sous vide cooking methods, it’s true that you just’ll want a vacuum sealer and a sous vide machine. That being mentioned, there’s no cause that it’s a must to use the identical model for each merchandise. Whereas we love the Anova vacuum sealer, you could possibly use any vacuum sealer to organize meals for a visit within the sous vide tub. Likewise, if in case you have an Anova vacuum sealer, you aren’t restricted to utilizing the model’s immersion circulator. We additionally just like the Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide, which is compact however highly effective.
How do you utilize a vacuum sealer for sous vide?
The time period sous vide interprets to “below vacuum” and refers to an ingredient that’s sealed in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooked in a water tub. Whilst you may get away with a satisfactory substitution by squeezing all of the air out of a sealable plastic bag, you’ll almost definitely face leakage which may destroy your dish. One of the best ways to keep away from this pitfall is to spring for a vacuum sealer, which removes each final little bit of air and seals the bag securely for cooking in water.
Are you able to freeze vacuum-sealed meals?
Sure, and it’s among the best causes to get a vacuum sealer. In contrast to different strategies of meals storage that are liable to letting in air and thus, freezer burn, vacuum-sealed meals is totally protected against the cruel surroundings of the freezer. Even unappealing flavors and aromas from the freezer can’t penetrate the thick plastic baggage used for vacuum sealing.
Why We are the Specialists
- Taylor Murray has been working in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places.
- She has examined quite a few objects for Severe Eats, together with tagines and deep-dish pizza pans.
- Taylor helped take a look at 25 vacuum sealers, together with the Anova Professional. We used them to seal frozen floor beef, bone-in pork chops, oil-soaked sponges, ping pong balls, and delicate Chex cereal. We additionally evaluated how straightforward they have been to deal with and use.