How to best store some food items?

[mackysmama]

What's the best way to store flour? I have some in airtight containers on my counter that I use regularly for baking and I have some bags that haven't been opened in the fridge and then another airtight container in the pantry of flour that I hardly ever use. How long can I keep them in each of these scenarios? I'm in a hot, humid climate. Should I move the flour in the fridge from the original bags to ziplocs? Should I put it in the freezer instead?

And, what dairy can I freeze? Can I freeze milk? cheese? butter? yogurt? sour cream? What's the best way to keep the freshness?

[LianneM]

I'm no expert but I keep my flour (whole wheat) in the freezer. I have one airtight container out and going all the time, and I just refill it with flour from the freezer.

I know you can freeze milk and cheese, but have no idea about the rest. Cheese needs to be wrapped really well as it can get freezer burn easily (IME)

[KariM]

Oxidation is what will turn your whole grain flours rancid. The oxygen in the air reacts with the oils in the grains.

The less oxygen exposure, the longer your storage time will be.

I'll keep bags of flour on my pantry shelf (climate controlled year round) for around 3 months, tops.

Any flour that we plan to store for longer periods of time we'll seal in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and then store them in food safe 5 gallon buckets with gamma seal lids. Some people think that storage method is overkill, but I just don't care for rancid flour!

[zersha]

Originally Posted by KariM

Any flour that we plan to store for longer periods of time we'll seal in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and then store them in food safe 5 gallon buckets with gamma seal lids. Some people think that storage method is overkill, but I just don't care for rancid flour!

Sorry to hijack, but where is the best place to order the buckets, lids, Oxygen absorbers, etc?

I was looking around, and am really lost. I've just started trying to store dry goods for long periods.

I would like a storage system that I could open and get out a bit as needed to refill my kitchen containers (beans, rice, etc) and then reseal easily.


To the OP - I've just been storing my flour in the freezer. When I want to use it, I just take it out and let is sit on the counter a bit. I've found my pizza dough seems tough if I use it while still frozen.

[mum4boys]

Originally Posted by zersha

Sorry to hijack, but where is the best place to order the buckets, lids, Oxygen absorbers, etc?

WALTON FEED
RAINY DAY FOODS
BEST PRICES STORABLE FOODS
DOUBLE SPRINGS HOMEBREW SUPPLY
LAKERIDGE FOOD STORAGE
NITRO-PAK PREPAREDNESS CENTER

You can google the above places also if you know anyone who is LDS you can obtain it from their family canery or you can order it through the LDS website.

[mackysmama]

For those that store flour in the freezer, do you put it in ziploc bags? What is it in in your freezer?

And, I still have questions about freezing dairy products (milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, etc.).

Thanks!

[timneh_mom]

Butter freezes great. The last time it was on sale, it was $1 per pound and I bought 10 pounds, and threw them in the freezer. Should have bought 20. We go through a lot of it.

[farmgirl83]

We just stick 1lb boxes of butter in the freezer and move them to the fridge when the fridge butter is gone.

We do the same with yogurt. I only by (organic) yogurt when it's on "manager's special"-- meaning close to being outdated and half priced.

If we have the little cups (like Yo-baby), we can take them out of the freezer and let them partially thaw for a "frozen yogurt" treat. Otherwise, just thaw in the fridge and stir. It seems to have the same consistency (than it does without being frozen). I never bought the discounted yogurt before because I didn't think we could eat it *all* before it went bad-- but the freezing slows the going bad process, and we eat each container quickly once it's thawed. It's never tasted bad, and we've eaten stuff at least a month past the date on the container.

I've also frozen heavy whipping cream, but put that in pint freezer jars with plastic lids.

I just read freezing shredded cheese works better than blocks, because blocks tend to crumble after they've been frozen and don't slice well.

That's all I know!

[zersha]

Originally Posted by mackysmama

For those that store flour in the freezer, do you put it in ziploc bags? What is it in in your freezer?

And, I still have questions about freezing dairy products (milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, etc.).

Thanks!

I just put my flour in the freezer in the original packaging. But I usually get local organic flour that comes in plastic bags.

Sometimes I buy the flour from the store in the paper bags, and I put that in too, but I haven't ever stored it for really long periods like that - usually less than a few months.

I've never had rancid flour yet.

When grated cheese goes on sale (like today, just bought a BUNCH for $1.50 each), I just throw the unopened packaged in the freezer. So far they've kept great, but again, I've never stored them for really long timeframes. Usually it's a few months or less. I've never had them freezer burn.

I would really like to buy wheatberries and a manual grinder sometime. I have heard that wheatberries practically last forever, but flour that's already ground goes bad quicker. I just have no idea where to buy bulk wheatberries.

[velochic]

It's actually a combination of factors that affects your foods. Temperature, humidity, and exposure to air. They all work together to degrade your stores.

For flour... I'm using flour that was kept in its original packaging, put into a plastic bag and frozen for a week, then 18 months ago, put into a rubbermaid tub kept in the basement where there is a humidifier running and stays about 60 degrees F year round. The bread I made with it this morning was, (in my daughter's words) absolutely delicious.

Cream will often not whip after being frozen. Cheese is often very crumbly after frozen. But the taste of dairy isn't affected if you protect it against freezer burn.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by zersha

Sorry to hijack, but where is the best place to order the buckets, lids, Oxygen absorbers, etc?

You can get food grade buckets from your grocery store bakery for free. Unless you are planning to store foods for 2+ years, you don't really need the O2 absorbers and unless you plan to frequently open your buckets, you don't need the gamma lids.

[KariM]

Originally Posted by zersha

Sorry to hijack, but where is the best place to order the buckets, lids, Oxygen absorbers, etc?

I was looking around, and am really lost. I've just started trying to store dry goods for long periods.

I would like a storage system that I could open and get out a bit as needed to refill my kitchen containers (beans, rice, etc) and then reseal easily.


To the OP - I've just been storing my flour in the freezer. When I want to use it, I just take it out and let is sit on the counter a bit. I've found my pizza dough seems tough if I use it while still frozen.

We buy our mylar bags and oxygen absorber packets from Sorbent Systems

http://www.sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html

We buy our food grade buckets with the gamma seal lids from Walton Feed.

[mackysmama]

This is all very helpful. Thanks!

Okay, shredded cheese is on sale this week so that is something I am going to throw some into the deep freezer. If I get the big giant bag of shredded cheese, should I separate into smaller freezer bags before freezing?

Organic milk is also on sale this week. What's the best way to store that for long-term use? Can I freeze it in the 1/2 gallon containers?

Can I freeze things in glass if I leave room for expansion or should I stick to plastic?

I know my questions are very basic but I just never learned this stuff (which is interesting since my mother often canned, jarred, made preserves, etc.).

[HydeParkB]

Originally Posted by mackysmama

Okay, shredded cheese is on sale this week so that is something I am going to throw some into the deep freezer. If I get the big giant bag of shredded cheese, should I separate into smaller freezer bags before freezing?

I put it in freezer bags in in 8 or 16 oz quantities. The texture does change a bit, but I find it works just fine for melting in pizza, burritos, lasagnas, etc.