Normally I try to find a tip or two to link up to the Works for Me Wednesday post at We are That family, but this week we are supposed to ask for tips FROM our readers. Which is very timely, because I have a storage dilemma. You see, ever since Saturday, I’ve had a 40 pound bag of bread flour riding around in the trunk of my car.
I recently discovered Costco and their baking supplies, but now I need to figure out how to store them. I suppose I could buy a LOT of Tupperware, but that seems like an expensive option. And aren’t we supposed to try to be cutting out plastics because they give us cancer or something?
Does anyone have inexpensive storage ideas for large quantities of baking supplies? Thank you for your advice!
Amy over at Homestead Revival just did some posts in the last two weeks on bulk storage. You should go check them out!
I purchased large food safe plastic storage containers from King Arthur Flour to store my 50 pounds of sugar from Costco.
I actually leave my huge bag of flour in the bag and put a garbage bag around the whole thing. Not sure how practical or helpful that is. I go through it pretty quickly though.
I keep the big bag of bread flour in an old ice chest in the garage! On the rare occasion that we need the ice chest, the bag goes in a lidded rubbermaid container for the short term (day or two). Airtight and critter free 🙂
I always put mine in plastic food containers too. Good luck!
.-= Cascia@Healthy Moms´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday | Swiss Chard =-.
I keep my bulk grains, flour, sugar, etc. in 6 gallon food grade storage buckets with gamma lids. You can see pictures of mine on my webite here:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/awellstockedpantry.aspx
and I have a list of sources to find them here:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/grains.aspx
(Wlaton Feed is where I bought mine).
Hope that helps!
I don’t have any specific tips for flour, but this might give you a direction to go in anyway. My sister’s neighbor is a Mormon, and they are very into storing food for an emergency; they have lots of good info about rotating your supplies, etc. Google Mormon/LDS/food storage and you’ll find a TON.
She (the neighbor) wrote a blog for a while, but then stopped. She had backyard chickens too 🙂
I use 5 qt ice cream pails for my bulk storage like my bread flour, all purpose flour, sugar, rice, oats, etc.
I have heard of people going to Costco’s or Sam Club’s bakery and asking if they can have their big buckets that the stores get their frosting in. And the stores will either give them or let you have them for a few bucks.
This is not quite on topic but…the plastic thing is no joke. BPA in plastics has been linked with many illnesses including cancer and disorders of the endocrine system such as endometriosis and others. I avoid plastic whenever possible, never heat anything in it or put hot food in it, or look for “BPA free.” I keep my flour in the paper bag it came in – but I don’t get it in as big of a bag as you!
On the subject, though, the BPA/plastic thing is exacerbated by heat. I keep my flour in the freezer so that would probably help you too.