Food 

Considering getting some bulk food storage containers so I can keep certain essentials in bulk in my basement. Things like rice, sugar, and flour. I know of a couple places I can get 40-50lb bags of such for much cheaper per pound/kilo than the grocery store. Problem is finding decent food grade storage containers that aren't nearly $200 each D: Rubbermaid makes some nice ones that are durable, stackable and can be accessed without downstacking anything, but those are heavy duty commercial bins that cost over $100 EACH.

Luckily I can get some nice 22qt containers from a local restaurant supply wholesaler for $20 each. Granted I'll need 2 per bulk bag, but still, $40 for storing a bag's worth of ingredients is a better price than the $240 at least one place wanted for a 50 quart bin D:

re: Food 

Ooh, I could get 60 1 gallon mylar bags (heat sealed airtight bags that also block light; these also include factory sealed oxygen and moisture absorbers) for like $40 too! Granted it's not good for repeated usage, but if I ever had the energy to do so I could prepare entire meals (or at least the dry ingredients) for long term storage for those lazy days when I just want to enjoy a delicious meal but with only the work of throwing it all in the crock pot or pressure cooker and enjoying! Some of those meals can require a considerable amount of prep work, but having it all done ahead of time and stashed in long term storage bags would be quite handy!

re: Food 

@Kilroy when it comes to long-term food storage, you can get creative if you are mindful of food-safe plastics.

I buy 50 lbs of flour at a time. my storage solution is a clear $10 "trash can" with a locking lid. it is however not airtight, which can be a problem when it comes to bugs and potentially shelf life.

bulk dog food storage may help you.

for items like dry beans that i don't require so much of (but still need a stockpile), i reuse and relabel metal or plastic coffee cans

re: Food 

@Kilroy depending on the items you'd like to stockpile there are a few possible solutions.

i do not yet know a good way to store onions and potatoes in bulk, in the average home

re: Food 

@tsunderdog Mostly looking at dry ingredients like flour, sugar, and rice. Sugar would definitely need to be airtight to prevent clumping/infestation though.

re: Food 

@Kilroy i keep my sugar in a glass jar which holds one bag at a time. i have not noticed much in the way of clumping, but i suppose this depends entirely on ambient moisture

i wonder if a food safe silica packet would help tooo

re: Food 

@tsunderdog Oh yeah, it would help. Problem is, if I want to get sugar in bulk I don't think a glass container would help too much (and would get ridiculously expensive for one that big :P)

re: Food 

@Kilroy indeed, you would need a lot of clean coffee canisters for something like that. xD

whatever your solution, dividing into smaller containers (such as choosing 5 or 10-lb standardized) is generally a good policy

I have used OXO containers, with the pop-top, for airtight storage

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Awoo Space

Awoo.space is a Mastodon instance where members can rely on a team of moderators to help resolve conflict, and limits federation with other instances using a specific access list to minimize abuse.

While mature content is allowed here, we strongly believe in being able to choose to engage with content on your own terms, so please make sure to put mature and potentially sensitive content behind the CW feature with enough description that people know what it's about.

Before signing up, please read our community guidelines. While it's a very broad swath of topics it covers, please do your best! We believe that as long as you're putting forth genuine effort to limit harm you might cause – even if you haven't read the document – you'll be okay!