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This post will go over five of the best reliable techniques about how to vacuum seal flour so you won’t need to buy flour for the next several years.
An essential staple that everyone should have on hand is flour, which you should keep in a separate pantry section for emergencies.
Besides being a delicious ingredient for cooking, it is also a necessary food recipe item that can be consumed in large quantities and keep a person alive. Many of us have ample flour on hand since we are homesteading.
On the other hand, we may not be storing it correctly for the long haul.
A good stockpile is where we use the older products first, and then the freshly acquired ones are added to the rear of the stock. So, those restocking TikTok videos you see make sense to follow.
Even though this is a typical procedure and might even be trending, it is still possible to wind up with a large amount of flour that is either contaminated or unusable due to contamination.
Poor storage of flour results in the flour becoming bad. With these tried-and-true methods, you may extend the life of your flour. That’s by up to a decade or even longer!
Some of these suggestions may be something you currently do, while others may be entirely new for you and something you haven’t considered.
Let’s jump right in and prevent those flour bugs from pestering your stocks and seal shut your flour for extended shelf life.
Reason Flour Goes Bad
Flour exposed to air, light, moisture, or insects tends to spoil. It’s just like any other dry food. If you leave a bag of flour in your cupboard, some problems might arise, causing the flour to spoil.
Mold
First of all, it can develop mold. Flour absorbs moisture and becomes moldy due to humidity or temperature variations. Mold growth and foul odors may develop in flour sacks if stored in a moist environment.
Before you see the mold, you’ll be able to smell it. The best-by date printed on the packet of flour sold in shops is a notably clue to know how safe-keep your flour stock.
If the flour looks and smells fine, you may still consume it beyond the expiration date. But I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t tell the difference between bad and good flour. Go with what the best-before-date says in this case.
When sniffing the flour bin contents, it is easiest to identify rancidity in the flour. Any flour that has gone rancid will have a foul scent and may even have a different color and texture from regular flour.
Oxidation
This other factor you need to watch out for aside from mold. It happens when oxygen from the air reacts with the nutrients in flour, causing them to degrade.
It’s especially true for whole-grain flours, and that’s because it inherits oils in whole grains that will develop rancid due to oxidation.
Insects
The next possible problem to look out for is insects. Even if you keep your flour in airtight containers, insects like weevils or moths may find it.
There have also been reports of weevils, sometimes known as flour bugs, infesting flours, grains, and rice in the hands of certain homesteaders. When you buy flour, weevils are there because they were already in the bag when you purchased them.
Feminine weevils deposit their eggs in grain before being milled and further processed into flour or other products. The eggs may survive the field-to-table procedure and hatch in the sealed flour, providing the proper circumstances.
Because of the limited amount of processing involved with less refined grains and flours, there is a greater risk that they will include live weevils.
Depending on the environment, it might take weeks or months for them to hatch. However, after they hatch, you’ll have an infestation that’ll be difficult to eliminate.
Additionally, you need to know that flour acts like a sponge, absorbing the odors of anything around it.
So, if you have onions near your flour, chances are, the cake you’ll make with it will then have an oniony aroma. Similarly, flour, or any other food, is not stored near chemicals such as cleaning agents.
5 Ways to Store Flour
There are several ways you can safely store flour in your pantry, cupboard, or fridge. I’ve included five of the best ones I tried in different circumstances.
When deciding which one’s best for you, whether you’re staying outdoors, living in the city, or settling in an off-grid location, it is best to consider the weather and temperature where you are situated.
Consider the possibility of your flour and other food supplies being exposed to insects or pests. Also, you can try one or more of these methods on how to vacuum seal flour simultaneously for better and longer shelf life.
Airtight Containers
Because air is a significant cause of food spoilage, most people keep flour in airtight containers in considerable amounts. Plastic Tupperware (on Amazon) that fits on a shelf, big 50-pound bins, and food-grade plastic buckets are examples of these containers.
Whatever container you select, be sure there is no way for air to get into the container and destroy the flour. Ensure the lid is secure and there are no fractures, cracks, or other concerns with the container’s integrity.
Additionally, store flour in sealed containers for extended long shelf life in a cold, dry location. In the right circumstances, flour kept this way may survive up to two years.
Vacuum Sealed
Most people who live on their own have a vacuum sealer, which can help flour last longer. For flour storage, airtight containers work. Vacuum sealing takes things a step further and removes all of its air, making it even more airtight.
It’s easy to store flour in vacuum-sealed bags or jars with a small vacuum sealer. However, you don’t want to put flour in the vacuum seal bag right away. Make sure to put it in another bag so that the flour doesn’t get sucked into the vacuum seal machine.
Also, plastic bags that can be vacuum-sealed are easy to store, but they might be slightly damper than other bags.
On the other hand, when you store flour in vacuum-sealed glass jars, like mason canning jars (on Amazon), you can keep it safe from both the weather and any extra air that might get in.
Vacuum-sealed flour usually lasts at least two years, but it can last up to five years in dry and cool storage.
Freezer
Another solo-living flour storage hack is choosing to freeze flour to make it last longer. You can also put the flour in the freezer for 48 hours after you bring it home to kill off any weevil eggs that might be in it.
Technically, this method can keep flour fresh longer, but they would always need a power source. Generally, those who want to live off the grid don’t want to keep flour in the freezer for years at a time, so they might not want to go for this technique.
Because you freeze flour, it is best to let it come to room temperature before cooking. Frozen flour should be easy to scoop and handle right out of the freezer, like frozen coffee grinds. Even so, it’s best to bring the flour to room temperature before you start baking.
Lastly, frozen flour can stay frozen for at least two years, but some think it can last forever. Always freeze flour in small batches in airtight containers (on Amazon) no matter how long you keep it in the freezer.
This way, the constant opening and shutting of the freezer won’t hurt the flour’s long-term quality.
Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers
Using mylar bags with additional oxygen absorbers (on Amazon) is one of the most acceptable methods to preserve flour for an extended period. Mylar bags are a unique kind of bag that you may have seen in shops.
They are typically used to keep MREs and are composed of a metallic substance. Mylar bags withstand moisture and oxygen well, but they may struggle to endure in a rodent-infested environment.
Adding oxygen absorbers to a mylar bag extends the food’s shelf life even further. These absorbers help flour survive up to 10-15 years on the shelf by removing oxygen from the pack.
In addition, it is critical to use the appropriate number of oxygen absorbers for the kind of food you are preparing and utilize any open packets of absorbers as soon as possible.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth isn’t precisely a vacuum seal flour method, but there’s a reason it’s on this list.
To raise chickens, most poultry people know a lot about the diatomaceous earth (on Amazon). It’s a vital farm supplement made up of tiny fossils that help keep mites and bugs away from crops.
You can also add them to flour to help it last longer. Also, you can buy industrial and food-grade diatomaceous earth. For flour, the food-grade option is the best choice.
A little goes a long way for diatomaceous earth: This isn’t true. Sorry to burst your bubble there. You only need to use about one-half cup for 25 pounds of food.
Many people who live independently choose to store a lot of flour in 5-gallon buckets or bins like this to make it less likely to hatch weevils.
The best thing you can do is follow more than just one of these tips on storing flour for a long time and use them with proper precaution. It’s an expense-free tip. You can ensure the flour is free of Weevils, smells right, and looks good.
Make sure the flour is still safe to use even years from now.
Also, keep in mind that you may keep different types of flour for various lengths of time depending on the ingredients. You can also consider this factor when trying to preserve your flour for a long time.
Last Words
To conclude, flour is a common culinary component. At home, vacuum sealing is an excellent technique to extend the shelf life of your food and keep germs, bugs, and even moisture at bay.
If you prefer to purchase food in large quantities, these methods will be your best friend. This way, flour may last up to two years, especially if you use vacuum-sealed canisters and pumps. As a personal tip, I urge you to give it a go.
Here are some other posts you may find as interesting and informative as this one:
- 11 Food Storage Myths You Should Know ASAP
- The Best Ways to Use Powdered Eggs in Your Recipes
- 8 Delicious Powdered Egg Recipes You Need to Try
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