FoodSaver FFS005X review
FoodSaver FFS005X Vacuum Sealing System
By Tom Calder
The best-known name in vacuum sealing, and the sensible default for batch-freezing a glut, protecting meat from freezer burn, or extending the life of dried goods. The built-in roll storage and cutter make it the easiest to live with day-to-day. Budget for the real running cost: FoodSaver's own bags and rolls, which UK pricing puts well above US levels — generic embossed rolls work and cost far less.
- Best for
- The mainstream vacuum sealer — freezer burn ends here.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.We earn a commission if you buy through the retailer links on this page. It doesn't change our verdict. How we make money →
Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- The most widely stocked, supported sealer brand in the UK
- Built-in roll storage and cutter speeds up batch days
- Moist/dry settings handle everything from jerky to stew portions
Worth knowing
- Own-brand bags are the ongoing cost — generics work for much less
- UK pricing runs high versus the same machine abroad
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Our review
A 140W countertop vacuum sealer from the brand that defined the category, with a roll store and cutter under the lid, moist and dry settings, three speeds and a pulse button. The thing that matters most is simple: it takes the air out before food goes into the freezer, which is exactly what the Food Standards Agency says prevents freezer burn. It suits a household that batch-cooks, buys meat in bulk or freezes a glut.
What it is
FoodSaver UK lists the FFS005 (FFS00501 on its site, FFS005X on the box) at 64 by 17.4 by 28 cm and 140W, standing upright to store. Lay a bag across the drip tray, close the latch, and it pulls the air out and heat-seals in one automatic cycle. A roll lives under the lid with a slide cutter, so you make bags to length and seal one end with the seal-only button. A food-type button switches between dry and moist, a speed button gives slow, normal and fast, and a pulse button stops short of crushing soft food. An accessory port and hose vacuum FoodSaver canisters, one of which is in the box with ten bags and a roll.
FoodSaver's 'up to five times longer' claim is its own comparison with ordinary storage. Its bags are five-ply and BPA-free, and the manual says they can be frozen, simmered below 75°C or defrosted in a microwave, never used to reheat.
In a British kitchen
Adopt the manual's habits from day one: leave 75 mm of empty bag above the food for the seal, wait at least 20 seconds between bags to avoid overheating, and pre-freeze wet foods or tuck a folded paper towel in the neck to catch liquid. Its storage table claims vacuum-packed beef, pork, lamb and poultry keep 2 to 3 years in the freezer, fish 2 years and bread 1 to 3 years, while hard cheese in the fridge manages 4 to 8 months. The same page says vacuum packing is not a substitute for canning and only slows quality loss; perishable food still has to stay at 4°C or below, or frozen.
The Food Standards Agency says you can freeze food right up until midnight on its use-by date, that a freezer acts as a pause button on bacteria, and that freezer burn harms quality rather than safety and is avoided by air-tight packaging, which is this machine's whole purpose. In a power cut a full freezer of sealed blocks is still a freezer; our power cut food safety guide has the timings. At the Ofgem price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026, the machine's rated 140W works out at under 4p an hour of running.
How it compares
The Bonsenkitchen 5-Mode Vacuum Sealer on our food preservation page lists the same feature set, a 125W pump rated at 8 litres a minute, pulse mode, a built-in cutter and roll storage, an accessory hose and a 28 cm starter roll, and our comparison rates it for a batch every week or two rather than daily use. Kilner jars and a maslin pan are water-bath preserving for jams and chutneys, a different method. The Presto 16-Quart Pressure Canner is the route to shelf-stable low-acid food with no freezer, at the cost of American jars and recipes.
Living with it
The real running cost is bags: FoodSaver's own rolls are the ones the manual assumes, and our catalogue notes that generic embossed rolls work too. FoodSaver UK's own store listed the FFS005 as out of stock when checked on 21 October 2026, so it is a retailer purchase. The guarantee is two years from Jarden Consumer Solutions (Europe) with a receipt, handled through the place of purchase. Cleaning is a wipe of the body, a dishwasher cycle for the tray and a soapy cloth for the removable gaskets, which FoodSaver recommends replacing every year. FoodSaver publishes no noise figure or weight.
Our verdict
Buy it if you freeze meat in quantity, cook ahead, or want rice, pasta and flour sealed against air and moisture, and you value a machine that takes no thought on a batch day. Skip it if you seal a few bags a month, where a cheaper sealer does the same job, or if your aim is food without a freezer, which is a canner's or a freeze dryer's job. See how to prepare for food shortages for where sealing fits.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: FoodSaver UK — Stainless Steel Vacuum Sealing System with Roll Storage FFS005 product page; FoodSaver — FFS005X instruction manual (PDF); Food Standards Agency on GOV.UK — How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely; Ofgem — energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 October to 31 December 2026).
Key specs
| Type | Vacuum sealer (heat-seal) |
| Capacity | Rolls/bags to ~28cm, built-in roll store & cutter |
| Method | Vacuum + heat seal |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
If this isn’t the one
Best for The proper jam pan: wide, sturdy and made for a rolling boil.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Turning a seasonal glut into jams, chutneys and pickles that keep for months.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Fermentation without the guesswork — a proper water-sealed crock you can see into.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 19:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Questions
Can the FoodSaver FFS005X seal soup, stew or other liquids?
Not straight from the pan. FoodSaver's manual says to pre-freeze liquids until solid and bag the block, or use a canister through the accessory port. Too much liquid in a bag stops it sealing; the moist setting is for juicy food, not free liquid.
Can FoodSaver bags go in the microwave?
Only to defrost. The manual sets a maximum of 180 watts (the defrost setting), two minutes and 70°C, and says food in the bags must never be reheated in a microwave. To reheat, simmer the bag in water below 75°C.
How long does vacuum-packed meat keep in the freezer?
FoodSaver's storage table claims 2 to 3 years for beef, pork, lamb and poultry, 1 year for mince and 2 years for fish. The Food Standards Agency says frozen food does not go bad; freezer burn affects quality, not safety.
What bag width does the FFS005X take?
Our catalogue records rolls and bags up to about 28 cm wide, the standard FoodSaver roll size. Leave 75 mm of spare bag above the food for the seal.
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