When first introduced for home use, vacuum pack sealers were touted as the best food storage revelation, guaranteed to protect your meats from freezer burn. However, this is just one of the many ways in which a sealer can prove itself useful in the home. Here is a list of some of the many other uses for these handy machines:

1. Coffee storage. Coffee beans and ground coffee are particularly susceptible to losing much of their freshness through oxidation, and storing them in vacuum packs can help keep them in top form for longer. In fact, coffee beans are usually vacuum-sealed when purchased in large quantities from retail stores.

2. Keep non-freezable foods fresher longer. These machines are a great way to keep foods that don't necessarily freeze well - such as nuts, seeds and grains - fresh in your cupboard longer.

3. Camping and backpacking. Vacuum packing food to take with you can save a lot of room in your cooler. If backpacking, this is an ideal way to keep trail mix and all other snacks and meals fresh for the whole trip.

4. Saving leftovers. If you or members of your family just aren't the leftover-eating types, you can make sure your meals don't go to waste by freezing them in vacuum return pouches. It's also an easy way to have a favorite meal fast. Be sure to pick up bagging materials that go straight from the freezer to a pot of boiling water without disintegrating.

5. Marinating. These machines offer cooks a way to speed up the marinating process. The vacuum process opens the pores of the meat up just enough to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat faster. In some cases, the meat can be fully marinated in less than a half hour.

6. Keep your catch fresh. On more and more chartered fishing trips, guides and outfitters are taking a cue from commercial fishermen and are now offering filleting and vacuum-packing services right on the boat, or as soon as you have docked. This is the best way to keep your fish fresh for the trip home.

7. Non-food uses. These machines can also come in handy in a lot of other ways, including: keeping items such as maps and matches dry on hunting, fishing and camping trips; keeping passports and other important documents safe from mildew or water damage; saving larger keepsakes that cannot be laminated from yellowing and oxidation; keeping little-used clothes fresh and increasing closet and suitcase space.

Of course, these are only a few of the uses for vacuum sealers. With these machines, your only limit is your own creativity.