If there’s a more useful countertop appliance in the world than a chamber vacuum sealer, I’m unaware of it.

Well, apart from the microwave and an ice cream maker for the hottest summer stretches. But a vacuum sealer is pretty great; it’s an ideal tool for storing leftovers, bulk deals you find at the market and game from the hunting lodge. It’ll quickly become your best friend this summer when you haul too many peaches home from Fredericksburg.

I pluck vacuum-sealed peaches, corn and slow-smoked brisket from the deep freeze when I need to ease the sting of a rainy day, but they’re also very good when company’s coming and there’s no time to plan. It’ll put you in the Hill Country, picnicking under a century oak on the nastiest winter days.

Vacuum sealers remove air from food placed in special bags, then seal the bags to lock in flavors. A vacuum seal keeps food fresh longer and prevents freezer burn better than most other methods. Vacuum sealers can marinate foods in hours rather than days, infuse alcohol with fruits or herbs in minutes, and quick-brine crunchy vegetables and tangy pickles. Vacuum sealing is also a foolproof step when cooking food sous vide (literally, “under vacuum”).

There are plenty of models and brands to choose from, but the workhorse in our own kitchen is the JVR Vac100 vacuum sealer from JVR Industries.

The Vac100 is a chamber vacuum sealer, which means that it creates a vacuum inside a large sealed chamber. This produces more consistent and reliable results, especially when sealing liquids and delicate items like fish or cereal without crushing them. 

The Vac100 has a stainless steel body, shatterproof glass lid and a 12.3-inch seal bar that can seal Mylar coffee bags and thick plastic bags designed for vacuum packing.

A commercial grade, oil-lubricated vacuum pump sucks 99% of the air from the chamber in under 40 seconds. A digital control panel can fine-tune the vacuum time and seal time, and store your favorite settings.

The countertop appliance easily fits under most kitchen cabinets, yet it’s large enough to seal bulky items such as whole chickens and porterhouse steaks. It’s also light enough to haul to the hunting camp or the coast when you’re headed deep-sea fishing and expect a big catch.  

One of our favorite uses is to make cold brew coffee, which is ready in minutes instead of hours. The process is simple: fill a vacuum pouch or small mason jar with ground coffee and water, place it in the chamber and press the vacuum button. The Vac100 will do the rest, extracting a full-flavored, aromatic drink without bitter notes.

We also love that the Vac100 comes with an accessory to vacuum seal mason jars too big to fit inside the chamber (for those times when you need a gallon of coffee, for example, or jams and salsas). The Vac100 seals the jars in seconds, ready to store longer than you’ll remember where you put them.

The Vac100 isn’t a low-budget purchase, but it offers strong value for its quality and features. Replacement parts and pouches are fairly priced and readily available on the manufacturer’s website. Their customer service team is friendly, helpful and responsive, and will do their best to assist you. That alone seals the deal for us.