OT: Food Storage Containers : Moldy Gaskets
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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- 8 years ago
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food storage question on 50 lbs. rice
Comments (5)I am going to put rice in quart mason jars and store it. Alternatively, you could buy a couple of 5 gallon plastic buckets with gasketed lids, and fit it all into them (probably with room to spare). Won't break if knocked into. If you're worried about the plastic being food-safe (e.g., if the buckets are used and you're not sure what the buckets contained), you could add an inner liner bag. If you're worried about not getting a vacuum in the jars, toss a chunk of dry-ice into the top of each bucket before pressing down on the lids to seal them. It'll sublimate into CO2, which is inert. If you want some easier-to-access storage too, you could mix it up. One bucket for long-term storage, and a bunch of jars for short-term. --Steve...See MoreMy best tip for those darn food containers
Comments (11)Although I have a good amount of well-organized plastic storage containers (I'm from the Tupperware Party generation ;-), I use canning jars for much of my food storage - 1/2-pints, pints, quarts and 1/2-gallon sizes. I vacuum-seal the lids on canning jars with my FoodSaver using a canning lid or a FoodSaver Universal Lid, which means no pantry pests in dry goods due to the oxygen-free environment, and foods stored this way will stay fresher and last longer. Glass doesn't absorb oils from foods or retain odors like plastic does. I use a wide variety of freeze-dried foods so this method of storage is great each time I open a #10 can. I can repackage the food in user-friendly size jars and just vacuum-seal them shut until I need to move them from the food storage room in the basement to the kitchen for use. Fresh salad greens keep longer vacuum-sealed and stored in the refrigerator. I make salads for a week and vacuum-seal them in jars in the refrigerator. When hubby takes a salad to work for lunch in a pint jar, he inserts a recycled plastic container from an individual tub of applesauce into the top of the jar (fits perfectly in a wide-mouth jar) and puts dressing in the plastic tub, then places a plastic screw-on lid on the jar. There are plastic lids available for canning jars now, so you don't have to use the metal lid and ring, as well as a plastic lid with a flip-top spout for pouring I really like. I recycle the flip-top lids from dry Parmesan &/or Romano cheese (one side for spooning from and the other side for sprinkling). These lids fit on regular-size canning jars (not wide-mouth) and are handy for things like baking soda, which I purchase in bulk and keep a user-friendly amount in a pint jar in the baking cabinet. I also pre-mill flaxseed and chia seeds and keep a pint jar in the freezer covered with one of these lids. It makes it easy to flip the lid for spooning from. I have some decorative jelly jars I keep spices in (also purchased in bulk). If I don't use the spice frequently I can place a vacuum-sealed lid on it for longer storage, or put a recycled flip-top lid from the dry cheese product for quick access of things I use frequently. I spray painted the top of canning lids with chalkboard paint and they are fun to use in the pantry for marking the contents. Use chalk or (liquid) chalk markers to mark the lid. I've maximized some storage space in the pantry by laying quart jars with dry goods like lentils, beans, rice, etc., in them on their side on a narrow shelf, with the chalkboard lids showing the jar contents facing the front of the shelf. I also have a good selection of Pyrex glass containers (in 3 sizes) with plastic lids we use daily for leftovers for the refrigerator or freezer. They stack nicely, can be placed in the freezer, and the food can be heated in the oven/toaster oven or microwave. Hubby takes them to work in his lunch and can reheat leftovers in the microwave. I store portions of leftovers in the freezer in Pyrex containers for his (or my) lunch choices. I do have a tip for anyone who needs to separate food in storage containers....(pancakes, pre-cut quick breads, etc.). I was given two packages of plastic cutting boards that I never really used (each package had 4 cutting boards in different colors in it). With my old-fashioned guillotine paper cutter, I cut the plastic sheets into sizes that fit in my plastic containers. Now those tuna patties, black bean patties, pancakes/waffles, slices of homemade gluten-free bread, etc., never stick together. I was using squares of freezer paper for this, but the plastic cutting board works much better and can be reused. -Grainlady...See Morepantry pests - ISO airtight food storage jars
Comments (22)Thank you all for the ideas. We are going to start freezing flour and similar dry goods for a few days before putting in the pantry in well sealed containers. I would just store them in the freezer if I could, but we are always short on freezer space thanks to Costco. Speaking of which, I plan to buy a Costco size bag of bay leaves and use them generously around our stored food. We do watch out for phthalates, pvc and bpa in plastics (I'll add styrenes to the list). That is part of why glass containers appeal to me, as well as the aesthetics. Of course, glass containers are tricky with a 2 year old in the house! We are going to run around to Ikea and The Container Store and wherever else I can think of to look at the available options. Maybe we will do a few really pretty glass jars with frequently used items like lentils and rice on the counters, and do a mix of glass and plastic containers in the pantry. I love the pantry pictures that show all the dry foods lined up in matching glass jars, but I should probably get over that fantasy. We have started checking the spices (which were in a different location), and there is no evidence of pests so far. We are bad about collecting spices. I'll buy something like juniper berries or cumin for a particular recipe, and then not want it again for a long time. We probably have 40 jars of various dried herbs and spices and another dozen of seasoning salts and seasoning blends (most of which we were given and don't use because we like to mix our own seasonings)....See MoreDecent looking container to hold 30lb bag of dog food?
Comments (42)When I redid my kitchen this spring, I wanted a different solution to the dog kibble storage; it had lived in an old popcorn tin I spray painted black on the outside, for the last 32 years. Storing in the basement or garage attracted mice BIG TIME. So, I found the wonderful company on eBay and had a drawer liner custom built to hold the dog kibble. <http://www.kennedyhardware.com/custom-bread-drawer-liner.html?cat=89> I have a drawer (shallow drawer on top, same size as middle, on bottom) that holds this wonderful thing and it holds 30 lbs of PurinaOne Lamb & Rice kibble. Oh the joy of opening a drawer, sliding back the top, and using the measuring cup that lives in the drawer with the kibble, to fill their bowls! No smell, no rodents or insects, just perfection! One of my FAVORITE things in my new kitchen....See More- 8 years ago
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