Where can I find large airtight storage containers

[Luckiestgirl]

big enough for several lbs of flour, cornmeal, etc.? We buy our grains in bulk and our pantry was a nightmare. I finally have it whipped into shape and had no problem finding airtight containers as large as 1 gallon, but that's as big as I can find them. Not large enough. I have been to every store in town. Has anyone found a good online/mail order source for these?

Thanks!

[sapphire_chan]

http://www.organize.com/lolofostcota1.html

If you're okay with plastic. It holds 38 cups, which would be ~9 pounds of flour.

[Luckiestgirl]

Thanks, sapphire chan -- those look great!

[sapphire_chan]

Don't they? I want to change out all my current plastic storage containers.

[momaste]

I have these containers and LOVE THEM! I can't rave highly enough.

The rectangular container here really is quite large. I use one for our first aid kit and it is tall enough for the Nyquil bottle. I also use one for our snacks and it holds a lot of snacks! I posted about them in New Good Things. Here's what I said:

My Lock 'n Lock containers are fantastic. I use them for my bulk dry goods. They are square, so they stack nicely and don't waste a lot of space like round containers do. There are various sizes with the same lids, so I can have a bunch of beans in a tall container and just a few peanuts in a short container and they'll still stack pretty. They're air- and water-tight and I've dropped them a few times without any damage. They're also dishwasher safe, and they say they're microwave safe but I've never tried.

I got most of mine at Target, and a set with smaller containers (I use them for baking stuff) nested inside a larger container (I use it for snack foods) at KMart. Here's the set I bought at K-mart:

http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Airtight-...&s=home-garden

I've seen them on QVC, too.

Here are mine, all nicely arranged on my "pantry" bookshelf.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j7muse/90530286/

I put them in the containers in January and my pantry space has remained organized since then. I don't work for the makers, I just love these containers!!

[Ravin]

My mom has some Tupperware brand containers she uses for this purpose (not so much any more, she doesn't cook as much from scratch as she used to and watches carbs more). She still has them, they're still in good condition, and she's had them as long as I can remember (so probably since sime time in the early-to-mid eighties).

[chel]

momaste- very nice setup. My biggest issue is not buying the right thing for the right job. I try to make do with what I have to a fault.

[srain]

If you'r eokay with plastic, you can use five-gallon buckets, and buy new lids if you want super-airtight:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_...Lid%20-%20Blue

[Luckiestgirl]

Thanks for the additional suggestions. I finally got to the point where I have the money to put toward good storage containers that work for us, and where not being organized was costing us money (things going bad, duplicates because I couldn't find anything, wanting to order in b/c cooking from scratch with a messy pantry was daunting, etc.) I'm almost there.

[mamamelia]

how about storing your goods in a large canning jar like the luminarc ones?

http://www.villagekitchen.com/mfg/ar...ing_jars_.html

i have some large ones that i bought that can hold anywhere from 3-5kg (6.5-11lbs) of dried goods per jar.

they are glass, so they are non-toxic and can be steralized through boiling between uses. they are also air tight and (no joke) have kept goods fresh for over 2 years. not to mention they look pretty on the shelf!

i'm right there with ya regarding the un-organized pantry. tonight i cleaned out our pantry and tomorrow i need to go through what we have, what we need, buy and use on a daily basis, and work out a new storage system. i have quite a few canning jars but only a couple of them are large enough to hold a decent amount of bulk goods (like the ones i mentioned above). the rest are smaller. i think i am going to buy more of the larger ones and donate the small ones to good will. it's a little costly, but yeah, just like you - we were also wasting money through double purchases, not wanting to cook from scratch because of a messy pantry etc. and i have such a small pantry, that proper storage and organization is essential if i wish to keep up with "from scratch" cooking.

it feels good to know that my pantry will soon be organized and well-stocked! actually, right now i'm working on organizing the entire kitchen. it's looking good, i must say.