Food & Vac Series Part 3: Vac Chamber vs. Sealer Comparison
Vacuum equipment in the kitchen is used mainly for two reasons: storage and food preparation. Removing the air from a container protects the contents from oxygen, which causes increased oxidation and reduces freshness and quality over time. Many low-power consumer devices accomplish this effectively. While vacuum technology is well established in home kitchens, these devices don’t reach the level of serious power I was using. Although they may be marketed as food preparation tools, they are not very effective. The equipment I will focus on offers greater power and flexibility for various uses and can utilize as much or as little vacuum power as needed.
Vacuum tumbling equipment is widely used in the commercial meatpacking and food packaging industries. These large machines rotate and tumble under vacuum, similar to the motion of a very slow clothes dryer. The commercial machines are bulky, heavy, and quite expensive, so they are beyond our scope and won’t be included. I found some consumer versions of this concept appealing, so I ordered one for a couple of hundred dollars to give it a try. When it arrived, I opened the box, laughed, and packed it back up for a return in just a few minutes. It was obvious that it wasn’t a serious tool. The tubing was so light and flimsy that achieving even a low vacuum level would be impossible. These items are more of a gimmick than a genuine tool, so they won’t be included here either.
My primary focus was determining whether a simple vacuum chamber setup can be effectively used in a home kitchen. To this end, I started by studying commercial vacuum sealers to understand why and how professional chefs prepare food. Understanding their uses helped me determine how to test whether a vacuum chamber can be used similarly.
Equipment
Commercial Vacuum Sealer
image is of a medium-sized set
Price : $400-1,000 (the cheap ones are restrictively small volume)
Common Brands: VacMaster, Vevor
Weight: 60-85 pounds
Overall Dimensions: 14” x 20” x 15”
Maximum Chamber Bag Size: 10” x 13” (approx. 0.75 gallons)
Chamber Size: 11.25” x 15.25” x 5”
Misc. Spec: Automated process, Limited settings, Pump inside unit
Commercial sealers primarily vacuum seal contents for longer-term, high-quality food packaging and storage. They became more popular with sous vide cooking and accelerated marinating and brining.
A commercial sealer is a single unit equipped with a powerful integrated pump and a fixed chamber where contents must fit into a bag that can be laid flat without spilling. The chamber lid is lowered, then the start button is pressed. The automated system activates the powerful vacuum pump to draw the lid down and remove all air and atmospheric pressure from the chamber to create nearly a perfect vacuum. Once the programmed duration is complete, the pump shuts off, the bag is sealed, and the vacuum is released, resulting in rapid pressure equalization. This entire process takes place in 30-60 seconds. The vacuum draw time can be adjusted, but the pressure level cannot be programmed. It’s a quick, somewhat violent, one-and-done operation that ends with a securely vacuum-sealed package.
Standard Vacuum Chamber setup
image is of a small-sized set
Price: $90-$300
Common Brands: torr Kitchen, BVV, Vevor, Bacoeng
Weight: 12-25 pounds
Overall Dimensions: 14” x 20” x 15” (components all together)
Chamber Size: 1-5 gallons
Misc. Spec: 3 main components, Disconnect for easy storage
The original uses were mainly industrial, such as resin off-gassing or as part of a solvent recovery system. The most significant difference in the price range for a set is the type and size of vacuum Pumps. A good pump is worth the money, but a simple pump is more than adequate for use with food prep.
The vacuum chamber set has the upright posture of a pot. The contents can either be placed in a bag to lie down or stand up, or they can be put directly into the pot. To begin the process, turn on the pump and monitor the vacuum level on the lid’s vacuum gauge. When it reaches the desired level, close the valve on the lid to stop the vacuum draw and maintain an exact vacuum level. The vacuum can be easily adjusted up or down, and for any desired duration.
Compare
Price & Size
The equipment specifications reveal significant differences in cost and size between the two setups, making a vacuum chamber setup a more sensible choice for a typical household and home cook. It offers a much more affordable entry point, making it cheaper to start than investing fully in a proper vacuum sealer. Beyond the clear initial cost advantage, there is added value in the customization available with the chamber setup to meet individual needs. If the normal meal and needs are small, a small pot and lid function just as well as a larger one. Conversely, for larger tasks, a big stock pot and lid may be more suitable. If both small and large jobs are common, one set with a large pot works well, and smaller bowls or bags can be conveniently loaded into it for the smaller tasks. Its versatility contrasts with the sealer, which lacks such flexibility.
Even if the two systems were comparably priced, the sheer size and weight of the vacuum sealers make them almost impossible to fit in a typical home kitchen with dedicated counter space or to move around and store. A vacuum chamber setup's modular design makes it infinitely easier to clean, maneuver, put away, and store.
Food Storage & Sealing
A commercial vacuum sealer is AMAZING at sealing, and it’s fun to use. The vacuum chamber set has no answer to this and happily concedes the round.
Food Prep
The loading and usage experience differs significantly between a sealer and a vacuum chamber. It's obvious, but the sealer is designed to seal bags while lying flat. If the contents to be sealed are mostly dry, it works like magic. However, it becomes more complicated when liquids like sauce, marinade, or brine are involved. A small amount of liquid can work, but when you aim for good coverage of the contents in a flat bag, it quickly becomes challenging and restrictive. The process may start out looking fine, but as the vacuum level drops, the contents expand, and the liquid becomes unstable. Liquids can boil at room temperature under strong vacuum conditions, pushing the liquid out of the bag, which hinders sealing and creates a mess inside the sealer chamber. It sounds strange, but water can boil at room temperature in a strong vacuum. To tackle the issues caused by bags laying down, you can remove the spacer plates and use a bowl instead of a bag. There isn’t much room, but there’s enough to work with. The controls allow for this, though it's not easy. It’s a limited workaround, but it can work.
On the other hand, the vacuum chamber wasn’t designed to seal a flat bag but to contain volatile compounds, so its upright, pot-like design is much better equipped to work with marinades and brines under vacuum. In a vacuum chamber, the contents can be loaded directly into the pot or into a bag to be placed in the pot, in whatever position necessary to control and reduce volumetric space. This allows the contents to be amply covered and submerged without restriction, hassle, or worry.
(Important note: if a bag is used in a vacuum chamber to hold contents for preparation, it must NOT be sealed. A sealed bag will expand and rupture or burst when the vacuum is applied. Magnets, clips, or a stand should be used to secure the bag and keep it in place, allowing ample space for air and pressure flow.)
Once the contents are loaded into the equipment, each utilizes a vacuum pump to reduce the vacuum pressure within the chambers, albeit with notably different controls and operations. The contents in both types of equipment undergo the same physical process initially when the vacuum is applied, but their experiences diverge significantly afterward. A sealer vacuum control is, at best, a clunky workaround, while a vacuum chamber system maintains simplicity with immediate, direct, and precise control. The sealer features an adjustable setting for the duration of the vacuum cycle, which only regulates the vacuum level attained before quickly stopping to seal the bag. Otherwise, it goes straight to full vacuum and can maintain that level for a programmed period. This setting must be established prior to initiating the process and cannot be altered once it begins. On the other hand, the vacuum chamber provides limitless control over both the vacuum level and the duration of its application. It can be easily adjusted up or down, released, and reapplied at the user’s discretion. This allows for straightforward control and adjustment of vacuum levels on the fly for various proteins and applications. It’s the ultimate in ease in controlling the processing environment.
The pressure environments and controls at the end of the process are quite different. A sealer creates an abrupt and relatively violent vacuum release at the end. It’s fun to watch and works well with resting pasta and hearty proteins, but this sudden force is excessive for delicate items and those you don’t want to compress. Once the vacuum is released, there’s nothing to resist the atmospheric pressure that presses down on the sealed bag after the insides of the contents have been sucked out. It’s effectively smashed by the atmosphere. In a vacuum chamber, the pot and lid keep the pressure of the outside atmosphere at bay when the vacuum is applied. Otherwise, it just remains in ambient atmosphere, not being crushed. Depending on the task, this may be important, or it may not be.
Sustainability
Sustainability and the use of usage are the last significant differences between vacuum sealers and vacuum chamber sets. I appreciate the convenience and compactness of a vacuum-sealed bag. They are easy to toss in the fridge, freezer, or use for Cooking. While they offer great convenience, there’s limited opportunity to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic when using these sealers. In contrast, a vacuum chamber can be loaded directly, vacuumed, placed in the fridge with protein to rest, and even used for cooking (with the right pot). Afterward, it can be cleaned with the regular dishes. Minimizing plastic waste and utilizing the easy-to-clean chamber pot are significant advantages for sustainability and health.
Leaving the Sealer Here
With my usual overload of information, I hope the differences in the equipment and their functions are somewhat clear. Throughout the rest of the series, the vacuum sealer will take a backseat, appearing occasionally, while the focus will be entirely on using the old, reliable vacuum chamber setup for food preparation.