How do you store your flour and sugar?

[fioner]

Simple question. How do you store your flour and sugar, and where did you get the containers? I've had ants lately and really need a better system than rolling the tops of the bags over slightly

[Ironica]

I've started putting any bags that don't seal tightly into Ziploc bags, because we've had pantry moths :-/. I don't like that solution either, though, and would LOVE to find canisters that make me happy... but I'm not hopeful. For one thing, they'd need to be pretty small; I have (goes to count) eight kinds of flour and four kinds of sugar right now... and if I go back to eating corn, that will add three more (cornstarch, blue corn meal, and yellow or white corn meal... don't need *both* of those).

I have some "stacking" canisters, but they're not airtight it turns out, and they only "stack" for very small values of stacking... they came in a four-pack of different sizes, and no shelf in my home can take more than the two smallest ones stacked together. Also, I want glass, not plastic, and square/rectangular (for space efficiency) not round.

[Gwendolyn's babies]

I store mine in recyled honey containers..that actually used to hold large amounts of condiments.

I wonder if you could go to a restaurant and ask for containers that they would discard

[MamaLeslie]

I use various sizes of canning jars. Some from freecycle, some from second hand stores, some new.

[lucyem]

I have some round glass jars that I bought years ago. They hold a 5lb bag of flour or sugar. I have seen them recently at the King Arthur Flour store though I am sure you could find them for less elsewhere.

[Malva]

I have some glass containers I got at Ikea, some ss canisters I got at Canadian Tire and some other large glass jars I got second hand from various sources.

[karne]

Large or extra large glass Ball canning jars, and flour stays in the fridge. Alternately you could store flour in the freezer in plastic. I have lots and lots of jars-rice, beans, millet, etc. It helps me keep a handle on my supply to see it all so clearly.

[urchin_grey]

Another vote for canning jars.

[Scribe]

Thrifted glass jars with sealing tops work great.

[fioner]

Thanks for the ideas! I like the idea of canning jars. How big is a large canning jar? I've never canned anything before, so I have no idea how big they come.

[Llyra]

I'm using big rubbermaid containers right now, that I found at the grocery store, for flour and sugar. But I also use old glass honey and pasta sauce jars for storing beans and rice and barley and stuff like that-- they would work for flour and sugar.

[lightheart]

Originally Posted by fioner

Thanks for the ideas! I like the idea of canning jars. How big is a large canning jar? I've never canned anything before, so I have no idea how big they come.

easy to find in the stores around here are 1/2 pints, pints, and quarts, the pints and quarts are usually wide or small mouth, most of the 1/2 pints are small mouth, although I saw aome pretty squat ones this year made by ball that were wide mouthed... they were lots more $ though.... you can find 1/2 gallon ones too but I've only seen old ones of those, think most of them are small mouth.

I like the canning jars because the lids and rings are easily replaceable.

Depending though on the size of bag you buy your food goods in it will take a few (or alot) of jars to put everything in. but that's nice in a way because once things are in the jars you are only opening a smaller amount of stuff up at a time exposing it to the 'outside' world and in case you do get bugs or drop a jar you only loose a small amount.

One trick I have with beans, if they all don't fit in the jar I have a seperate jar that I add the last little bit to so I end up with a pretty mixed bean jar that is all the time changing on quantatity of the different varieties.

[mama_ani]

I went to the Bulk Barn and bought big plastic buckets, the ones they stored pie filling/cherries etc in. I have a huge one for rice and a fairly large one for flour and one for milk powder. I need to get one for oats too.

Edited to add... I use large canning jars for my other baking supplies that we don't buy in huge quantities.

[MamaLeslie]

Originally Posted by fioner

Thanks for the ideas! I like the idea of canning jars. How big is a large canning jar? I've never canned anything before, so I have no idea how big they come.

I am in Canada, so ours are labelled differently, even though they are the same sizes...

I can get 1 L (quart?), 1.5 L, and .5 L (pint?) in wide mouth or regular, but I prefer wide mouth. I also use old gallon pickle/hot pepper glass jars when I find them in peoples'recycling or at thrift stores. I use half pints for spices, as they are the perfect height for my drawer, and hold a substantial amount of bulk herbs.

The decorative ones are more expensive and no more functional- I like wide mouth because it's easier to dig out a scoop of something that way.

[*stargazer*]

I bought a set of four 1-gallon jars from an Azure Standard co-op- they JUST hold a 5lb bag of flour or sugar. Smaller amounts of baking supplies go in recycled glass food jars, and spices go in baby food jars I love having everything in clear glass, because it makes it so much easier to see how much I have of what.

Extra bags of sugar and flour are bagged and stored in the freezer downstairs.

[Pashie]

We have also had problems with ants, weevils and pantry moths so we reorganized and put everything in Lock boxes (stacking plastic boxes that have a seal and flaps that lock down). They work great! They also keep food a lot fresher than our previously rather haphazard method of storing things in glass jars and assorted other containers. We use them for leftovers as well. I am a big klutz and frequently drop stuff, the lockboxes keep things from spilling everywhere. We got them at Target and our local grocery stores, although they are becoming difficult to find here.

[CarrieMF]

I haven't bought one for the sugar yet, but I keep my flour in a safe plastic container. It holds 1.5-2 10lb bags.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by Gwendolyn's babies

I store mine in recyled honey containers..that actually used to hold large amounts of condiments.

I wonder if you could go to a restaurant and ask for containers that they would discard

Yeah... my mom stores all her stuff in pickle jars back from when she used to work at a Wyatts cafeteria.

I don't know if you can get stuff like that anymore.

[cece]

Originally Posted by Gwendolyn's babies

I store mine in recyled honey containers..that actually used to hold large amounts of condiments.

I wonder if you could go to a restaurant and ask for containers that they would discard

I work in a restaurant and think this would be totally feasible. Find out the chef or restaurant manager's name, call them and tell them what you are looking for. I have had my eye on a few of our containers, for sure! WE go through them like crazy, and unfortunately, we don't recycle (yet) It's a big goal of mine to convince them to start, though. It's a big company and change will take time, but we are putting together a green committee to work on this :.

hth

[angelcat]

Tupperware.