Long gone are the days when home-cooked meals needed to be enjoyed immediately, when fruit and veg had a shelf life of only a few days, and when storing food meant sacrificing its taste or texture.
Thanks to modern vacuum sealing technology, you can now keep ingredients fresher for longer, reduce waste, and enjoy the convenience of having ready-to-use meals at your fingertips. Whether you’re preserving leftovers, storing bulk buys, or portioning food for future use, the vacuum sealing process is simple yet effective, and it’s easy to see why it continues to grow in popularity.
If you’re not yet convinced, or eager to learn more, here are 20 top benefits of vacuum sealing, including some hacks you might not have considered before.
20 Benefits of Vacuum Sealing
From freshness to flavour, here’s why vacuum sealing could be beneficial in your home or business kitchen.
1 – Extends Shelf Life
Vacuum sealing food removes air, specifically oxygen, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to grow. This slows down food spoilage, meaning products last significantly longer in both the fridge and freezer.
2 – Maintains Freshness and Flavour
By preventing air exposure, vacuum sealing helps retain the natural taste, colour, and texture of food. Nutrients are preserved, too, so your meals taste as good as the day they were sealed.
3 – Prevents Freezer Burn
Freezer burn occurs when food is exposed to air in the freezer and can cause dehydration and discolouration. Vacuum sealing before freezing eliminates air pockets, protecting food from icy damage and maintaining its quality.
4 – Saves Money on Groceries
Vacuum sealing lets you make the most of supermarket deals by buying in bulk, portioning meals and storing them safely for future use. Making this a regular habit can result in significant cost savings over time.
5 – Ideal for Bulk Buying and Storage
With vacuum sealing, bulk purchases stay fresh and can be neatly stored in the fridge, freezer, or pantry without taking up unnecessary space. It also allows you to store a wide variety of food without worrying about spoilage.
6 – Reduces Food Waste
One of the main advantages of vacuum sealing is that food waste is drastically reduced. Longer shelf life means less food has to be thrown in the bin, which is a win for both your budget and the environment.
7 – Makes Meal Prep Easier
When it comes to meal planning, vacuum sealing can keep both raw ingredients and batch-cooked meals fresh for longer. Pre-portioned meals can be easily cooked, reheated and enjoyed with little prep when life gets busy.
8 – Supports Sous Vide Cooking
Vacuum bags are ideal for sous vide cooking, a French-inspired technique where foods like meats and vegetables are gently cooked in water at precise temperatures. The result? Perfectly tender and flavoursome food every time.
9 – Compact and Space-Saving Storage
Portioning and sealing food saves space, freeing up valuable storage room in your fridge, freezer or cupboards.
10 – Helps Preserve Non-Food Items (documents, tools)
A lesser-known benefit is that vacuum sealing can help protect non-food items from moisture, rust, and damage during storage.
11 – Increases Food Safety
Mould and bacteria need oxygen to grow and thrive. By removing air from packaging, vacuum sealing reduces the risk of contamination and helps keep food safer to eat.
12 – Great for Camping and Travelling
Practicality is key when planning for camping trips or other holidays. Vacuum-sealed items stay fresh for longer, travel well, are easy to pack and reduce the chance of spillages or leaks.
13 – Reduces Packaging Waste
By reducing the need for frequent purchases, vacuum sealing means less packaging waste at home or in businesses.
14 – Allows for Portion Control
Bulk buying, batch cooking and portioning before sealing mean you can make meals of the correct size and avoid overeating. It also helps to keep serving sizes consistent and track calories or other macros where needed.
15 – Makes Freezing More Efficient
Airtight sealing before freezing helps food freeze faster and more evenly to ensure maximum freshness. It also reduces ice build-up, helping food maintain its original quality when thawed.
16 – Protects Dry Goods (nuts, grains, coffee)
Vacuum sealing shouldn’t just be reserved for preserving fresh foods like meat, fruit and veg. Sealing shields pantry staples like nuts, grains and coffee from moisture, pests, and staleness.
17 – Improves Organisation in Pantry and Fridge
Labelling and sorting sealed bags can help keep your storage spaces in check. Most vacuum seal bags are made of clear plastic, too, so you can identify what’s in each bag at a glance.
18 – Keeps Aromatic Foods Contained
Kitchens and pantries are often home to strong smells (both good and bad!) Vacuum sealing aromatic foods like cheese or spices can help prevent odours from spreading.
19 – Facilitates Marinating
You can make your food taste even better by allowing it to marinate in a vacuum-sealed bag before cooking. The lack of air allows flavour to penetrate deeper, ensuring the marinade reaches all parts of the food and absorbs quickly.
20 – Suitable for Long-Term Emergency Storage
Vacuum sealing food can help you keep food fresh 3-5 times longer. Protecting food items against spoilage, pests, mould, and other damage is essential when creating an emergency supply, ensuring items are ready to go when you need them the most.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Vacuum Sealing
If you’ve been convinced to embark on a vacuum sealing journey, there are some key steps to maximising your success. The first is choosing the right tools for the job. With so many vacuum sealers and bags on the market, it’s important to find one that’s best suited to your individual needs. Maybe you need a small model for occasional domestic use, or a more powerful unit for frequent sealing. It’s also crucial to pair your machine with high-quality vacuum bags designed to withstand freezing, boiling, and even sous vide cooking.
We also recommend labelling and date-tracking sealed items. Use a permanent marker to note what’s in each bag and when it was sealed to help you rotate items and ensure older food is used first, and nothing gets lost at the back of the freezer.
Following food preservation best practices is another way to ensure optimal performance. Methods will differ depending on the food you’re sealing. For example, partially freeze juicy items to prevent leaks and store dry goods away from heat and light.
Ready to Discover What Vacuum Sealing Can Do For You?
Vacuum sealing is a game-changer for anyone who loves fresh food, convenience and saving money. From extending shelf life to locking in flavour or making meal prep easier than ever, investing in a vacuum sealing system comes with a huge amount of benefits. For more information, contact the Pac Food team or view our range of products today. We’re passionate about helping you reduce food waste, maximise flavour and get the most from your grocery shop.