[KitchenWench]

How do you all store your flours? I've been making do for a while with the original bag in a metal canister but I've been wanting to upgrade for a while. Yesterday I stopped and picked up different flours at one of the posh grocery stores in the area and had a lightbulb moment.

They give away plastic 3 gallon frosting buckets with good tight seals on the lids so I picked up one for each flour. Good idea or bad and why?

 

[Old Gnome]

We use rectangular Lexan bins (the ones marked with the volume in Metric and Imperial units) with covers. We like the six-quart size because it fits on our shelves and doesn’t hold so much that they’re difficult to move around.

 

[Wooleybooger]

How do you all store your flours? I've been making do for a while with the original bag in a metal canister but I've been wanting to upgrade for a while. Yesterday I stopped and picked up different flours at one of the posh grocery stores in the area and had a lightbulb moment.

They give away plastic 3 gallon frosting buckets with good tight seals on the lids so I picked up one for each flour. Good idea or bad and why?

Good idea. I keep AP and Bread flour in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma lids. That is a screw top lid that is air tight and insect proof. Unless of course your flour had weevil eggs in it to start with. I've had that happen.

 

[PickyPrincess]

I put any flour I buy into the freezer for a week before storing it to kill any weevils (I do the same with rice). Then I move it over to airtight canisters.

 

[Wooleybooger]

I put any flour I buy into the freezer for a week before storing it to kill any weevils (I do the same with rice). Then I move it over to airtight canisters.

I've done the same with some things when I had an infestation of pantry moths. As for the weevils I'm not sure that freezing kills the eggs or active weevils. I've read both ways on that. I've had more weevil trouble with Basmati rice than flour. I buy Basmati in 15/20 lb bags.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Another thing I do to eliminate or kill weevils in putting food grade Diatomaceous Earth at the rate of 1 teaspoon per pound of flour into it and mixing together. I just put and estimated 5lb in a bucket the 5 t DE, another 5 flour and 5 t DE. Close the bucket, roll it around in the floor. Open it and continue. A 5 gallon bucket will hold about 33 lbs. of AP flour. Check it out.

Home

www.usaemergencysupply.com

 

[Colbyt]

I am at the point where I only buy 5 lbs at a time and it like all the other staples is stored in one gallon glass jars with screw top lids on the lazy susan in the bottom of the corner base cab.. We started using jars 45 years ago when I got them free and never found a solid reason to upgrade when we could afford to do so.

 

[Wooleybooger]

If it works for you there is no problem with it. I've alway been into having large quantities of most anything on hand as a hedge against inflation.

 

[Wooleybooger]

As far as storing large amount of ingredients there are a couple things that can be done. The buckets and screw top lids for one. There other is sealing them in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers inside.

 

[KitchenWench]

I'm liking these 3 gal buckets! They hold 3 5lb bags easily, the lids have gaskets to seal them tightly and don't smell like pickles...lol China pencil markings wash off with a bit of effort so I can label them and they stack nicely in my pantry where space is limited. My next trick is to see how well they hold 10lb bags since that's how I buy my AP flour.

 

[Wooleybooger]

If you decide to buy more buckets check your local Walmart online for 3 gallon food grade buckets before going there. I know my store has 5 gal FG buckets for $4.98. If not careful you'll spend many times that for 1 bucket. For lids check Home Depot for them mostly cheaper. Many people hit up the bakeries for buckets, often free but usually very cheap.

 

[KitchenWench]

Thanks for the tips. I like the buckets I picked up very much. They're food grade since they had bulk frosting in them and came with the tightly sealing lids. I'm not looking for "the end of the world" storage, simply something to keep the bags contained, pest free and my pantry in decent, functional shape. It's bad enough my husband can't seem to shelve like with like, I don't dare add to the chaos I'm regularly sorting out...lol

 

[Wooleybooger]

Well I'm not worried about TEOTWAWKI. Just like to have large quantities of most things on hand as inflation protection.

 

[PickyPrincess]

My long term storage has become my hedge against inflation stockpile now. It's been quite helpful.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Helpful absolutely. I'm finding things I canned 5 years ago still sitting on shelves. Tuna, I see about 30 5 oz cans from where I sitting. Who cares about the best buy date? I don't, it'll be good. Spam is a little short only 12/15 cans. Nopalitos very short and the price just went up 25%.

 

[Shane R]

My dad has a nearly limitless supply of 5 gallon buckets. He works at a grocery store and everything from the soap they use to scrub the floor to cake icing comes in a 5 gallon bucket. He rinses them out and brings them home.

 

[Colbyt]

Probably a lot easier to clean than drywall mud buckets.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Probably a lot easier to clean than drywall mud buckets.

I'd use food grade buckets.

 

[KitchenWench]

I can understand your point about stocking up against inflation. It makes me regret the closing of my favorite healthy home market type grocery store. I bought everything in bulk, including the grains and legumes I feed my parrots, flour, nuts, seeds and more. I could have taken the buckets to the store, have them weighed empty then full and be good for a while.

 

[Colbyt]

I'd use food grade buckets.

For food so would I. But those buckets are handy for a lot of things from tools to smoker pellets. Also a great place to store mortar mix, cement and powdered drywall mud.