No, not for mylar storage. An oxygen absorber removes oxygen far more completely than a vacuum sealer can, and pulling a vacuum on mylar crushes brittle food and stresses the seams. A vacuum sealer is useful for fridge and freezer storage in its own bags, which is a different job.
The two do different things
| Vacuum sealer | Mylar + oxygen absorber | |
|---|---|---|
| Removes | Most of the air by suction | Essentially all the oxygen chemically |
| Residual oxygen | 1–3% typically | Under 0.1% |
| Blocks light | No, bags are clear | Yes, completely |
| Puncture resistance | Low | High at 7 mil |
| Crushes brittle food | Yes | No |
| Best for | Fridge, freezer, short term | Long-term shelf storage |
A vacuum sealer works by suction, and suction has a floor: you cannot pull every molecule out, and what remains is roughly one to three percent oxygen. Over twenty years that is enough to slowly oxidise the food. An absorber works chemically, rusting iron powder to consume the oxygen, and gets you well below a tenth of a percent.
The crushing problem
Freeze-dried food is brittle and full of air pockets — that structure is exactly what makes it rehydrate in minutes. Pull a vacuum around it and the atmosphere outside crushes the pockets. You end up with strawberry powder instead of strawberry slices, which still tastes fine but is no longer the product you made.
Where a vacuum sealer genuinely helps
- Fresh food before drying. Portioning and freezing your prep in vacuum bags is a good workflow.
- Short-term fridge storage of anything, dried or not.
- Freezer storage of food you have not got round to drying yet.
- Non-food items where crushing does not matter.
If you own one already
Keep it and use it for those jobs. Do not use it as your storage method for finished freeze-dried food, and do not buy one specifically for that purpose — the money is better spent on a 12-inch impulse sealer, which is the correct tool for mylar and costs about the same.
The chamber vacuum sealer question
Chamber sealers — the commercial units where the whole bag goes inside a chamber — are better than domestic edge sealers and can handle mylar. They are also several hundred to several thousand dollars, and for freeze-dried food they still do not beat an absorber. If you are running a food business and already own one for other reasons, fine. Nobody should buy one for this.
Impulse heat sealer, 12 in
The right tool for mylar, at roughly what a domestic vacuum sealer costs. Verified 6 September 2026.