Flour storage?

[sgtredleg]

Hi All,
Just got back from my Wally World prep run. My question is : What is the best way to store all-purpose bleached flour, while in the original packaging? Can it be refrigerated or will it be ruined that way? What options do I have?
Thanx in advance,

[Hallofo]

I'm no expert, but anything airtight and put in a cool, dry place away from critters should be good. If you are really set on original packaging (I'm assuming the small, 1-5 lb bags here) you could seal them in large, heavy-duty trash bags and then drop those in one of those big tupperware bins. As far as refrigeration: if you want to use up that much food storage real estate on flour instead of more perishable items you probably could. A 'fridge is a good place to store pretty much anything, even with no power as they are airtight and have good insulation.

Just my non-experienced ideas, feel free to cure my ignorance!

[skud]

I used 5 gallon pails with mylar bags (sealed) - Oxygen absorbers and desiccant. O2 absorbers will help with any infestation

[Thedishdoc]

I think you can freeze it as well to preserve it for a longer period.

[ROADKING1]

You can store it in tin cans, still in the bags, to keep bugs away. It can be frozen. I take it in the package, and put it in my food saver bags, and vacuum seal it. It will last forever this way. Many ways to store flour, good luck

[arisinwind]

Originally Posted by Hallofo

If you are really set on original packaging (I'm assuming the small, 1-5 lb bags here) you could seal them in large, heavy-duty trash bags and then drop those in one of those big tupperware bins. A

Just my non-experienced ideas, feel free to cure my ignorance!

I believe some of those garbage bags are treated to kill insects. You might not want to store food in them.

[Pinkrancher]

Buying whole grains and storing them in properly is preferable to flour. Healthier too. Cheaper in the end. And you have to learn to cook them.

[New_Pollution1086]

Im sorry if this is a thread jack, (if so you just got jacked)

what about whole wheat flour, any difference in storage. i have the same question about whole grain rice.

my sister has recently gotten the whole family onto whole grain/wheat diets. it is alot better for you...

T

[craftymama]

I think you'd be better suited to store the whole wheat and when you want flour, grind it into whole wheat flour.

I've always learned that brown rice really isn't one to be canned/pouched because of it's oil content. (See here) That said, when I do buy brown rice, I keep it in the freezer.

[Hallofo]

Risinwind: Thank you, that's exactly the kind of ignorance I needed cured!
I'll be sure to check for that if I ever store food in that manner.

Another thing to consider: why, exactly would you bother with storing grain as opposed to flour? That would require more prep work and equipment to maintain in the form of a grain mill etc... The price of flour in really not all that high, and is much more readily available from stores versus un-milled grain. I guess in the very long term it would be a worthy investment just to have the mill to provide a service far down the road.

But then there's the potential health benefits, and the "warm-fuzzy" feeling of doing it yourself to consider, all depends on what you're planning for I guess. Super long term (EOTWASKI) with NO return to civilization in your lifetime? get the mill! 5-10 years of S hitting TF? go with (lots) of flour.

Just my opinion!

[HFTB-PFTW]

Whole grains keep better, with nearly no nutrition loss. You can sprout them, use them in breakfast cereal or grind them into flour. Having those options could be useful in an emergency.

Flour has been loosing nutrients from the day it was ground until and unless you get them stored in an airtight oxygen free environment (mylar bags and oxygen absorbers are best)

Freezing the grain or flour for 3 days or more at zero degrees is supposed to kill any insect eggs. I'm not a complete believer in this as I live in a place where it can be below zero for three days at a time and the bugs always seem to come back in spring.

I currently have about a 3 month supply of flour which I have put in ziploc freezer bags, squished all the air I could out and then frozen for 3 days. No bugs yet! I use this flour for making bread though. It is constantly cycled through.

I have whole grains for long term storage that I'm slowly getting into mylar bags. The grains were frozen as well, on the 'what can it hurt?' philosophy The sealed grains will be good for decades.

If I were to long term store flour, it would be whole wheat flour in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Whole wheat has more nutrients and fiber. You need to learn how to cook with it, but that is not really too difficult.

hope I helped!

[Lowdown3]

I've thrown out hundreds of pounds of flour over the last 22 years of storing food. Finally about 10 years ago I said "enough" and decided to never put any up unless it was professionally packaged in #10 cans.

Whole wheat is cheaper, last longer, has more nutrition. Much more versatile also.

[meisje]

"Whole wheat is cheaper, last longer"

flour or whole grain?

[Texas mom]

I purchased some cheap non-food grade 5 gallon plastic pails with tops. I'm putting bags of flour in them with a little bit of diatomaceous earth sprinkled in the pail. This flour should last at least until the expiration date, and since I plan on using the flour, it's not going to go bad. This is a much cheaper way of storing foods that you would be using, anyway.

After I get about a year's worth of regular foods that we use in the house, I will worry about whole grains, long term storage items. It's much cheaper to do it this way.

[Lowdown3]

Originally Posted by meisje

"Whole wheat is cheaper, last longer"

flour or whole grain?

Whole grain.

[Lowdown3]

Originally Posted by Texas mom

I purchased some cheap non-food grade 5 gallon plastic pails with tops. I'm putting bags of flour in them with a little bit of diatomaceous earth sprinkled in the pail. This flour should last at least until the expiration date, and since I plan on using the flour, it's not going to go bad. This is a much cheaper way of storing foods that you would be using, anyway.

After I get about a year's worth of regular foods that we use in the house, I will worry about whole grains, long term storage items. It's much cheaper to do it this way.

Not quite sure where you get the "cheaper" to do flour instead of wheat from.

White flour= $.40 a lb.
Whole wheat= $.20- .40 a lb.

Whole wheat, put up even using half way methods will last 20 years (see video below). Flour put up correctly might get half of that.

Whole wheat- almost complete protein, lacks lysine. Can be sprouted for Vitamin C and fresh roughage. Can be boiled for cereal, ground for real flour to make pastas, bread and anything you can do with white flour.

White Flour- so stripped of nutrition (and let's not forget BLEACHED) that the FDA makes them add back Vitamins A and D (iirc). Processed foods like this tend to not be the best overall for the body. Flour can only be used as.... Flour so less versatility as I mentioned above.

Storability-

Whole wheat- if protected against mice and some reasonable care is taken in purchasing and packaging, not much can cause it damage.

White Flour- highly susceptible to both moisture (any "powdered" type product is very hydroscopic) so this WILL be a problem in high humidity areas, all sorts of bugs love white flour.

I've thrown out hundreds of lbs. of flour over the years. I'm EXTREMELY FRUGAL, if it was truly "cheaper" I would be storing it. But tossing out hundreds of lbs. due to insect infestation and other losses makes it more expensive not cheaper. Also the long term health hazards of eating stripped food like that DOES have a "cost" also, most especially in a long term survival situation.

The only remotely valid argument for storing flour is the "mix it with whole wheat until you get used to whole wheat" argument. This argument is also racked with holes as if we are remotely serious about doing this, we will be eating our the foods we store NOW so we get used to preparing them and our bodies get used to digesting them.

Lowdown3

[Lowdown3]

Here's how wheat NOT packed properly held up over 15 or so years-

YouTube - Long Term food storage results pt1

[Texas mom]

Whole grain would just sit in the bucket for a shtf scenario. I don't have a mill, I don't grind wheat, etc. etc.

Instead, I think it's wiser to stock up on foods that we already eat - FIRST. After you have a good supply of those foods, "then" you start purchasing foods like whole grains, get a mill, etc.

Most regular foods you purchase at the grocery store will keep for at least a year. Start with those, since they won't go to waste if nothing happens.

[Angrist]

Originally Posted by HFTB-PFTW

Whole grains keep better, with nearly no nutrition loss. You can sprout them, use them in breakfast cereal or grind them into flour. Having those options could be useful in an emergency.

Flour has been loosing nutrients from the day it was ground until and unless you get them stored in an airtight oxygen free environment (mylar bags and oxygen absorbers are best)

Freezing the grain or flour for 3 days or more at zero degrees is supposed to kill any insect eggs. I'm not a complete believer in this as I live in a place where it can be below zero for three days at a time and the bugs always seem to come back in spring.

I currently have about a 3 month supply of flour which I have put in ziploc freezer bags, squished all the air I could out and then frozen for 3 days. No bugs yet! I use this flour for making bread though. It is constantly cycled through.

I have whole grains for long term storage that I'm slowly getting into mylar bags. The grains were frozen as well, on the 'what can it hurt?' philosophy The sealed grains will be good for decades.

If I were to long term store flour, it would be whole wheat flour in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Whole wheat has more nutrients and fiber. You need to learn how to cook with it, but that is not really too difficult.

hope I helped!

Freezing the grain might make it last longer, but it probably won't sprout afterwards. Thats not a problem if you're just going to mill it, but a consideration if you ever want to start eating wheat sprouts.

I think that insects and plants survive the extreme cold by being under snow, underground, or as close to underground as they can be. The Earth stores a lot of heat and will keep things in contact with it from getting too cold.

[Lowdown3]

The only way your food goes to "waste" if nothing happens is if you don't use them. You already stated that your using the flour regularly, so that shouldn't be an issue if your using whole wheat flour ground from your own wheat berries.

If you'd like to PM me, I'd be happy to send you a couple lbs. of whole wheat for you to experiment with (Texas Mom).

You don't "have" to have a $200. grinder, you can get started with the $15.00 Northern Tool Corona Mill knockoff or a $50. back to basics model.

Lowdown3