15 replies to this topic

[Wholemeal Crank]

One of the many things I've got to fit in my new kitchen are my wheat buckets, or something very much like them:


Wheat buckets by debunix, on Flickr

I use them to store the wheat I buy in 50 pound sacks, for grinding in my small electric mill. They're very useful, keep any contamination or bugs isolated to one bucket at a time, and are quite sturdy for stacking up. But they're not at all pretty.

I remember my sister had a neat-looking antique Hoosier cabinet, that was designed to store some bulk flour and sugar handy to the baking counter, and now I'm wondering about other more attractive storage solutions that would also keep bugs that come in with one batch from contaminating another, without necessarily having to be fully air-tight, just tight fitted; permit me to scoop out the grain for weighing before milling, a little at a time, rather than have to try to control the flow of grain from an elevated bulk box/tube/whatever; and it would be endlessly cool if it was sufficiently transparent to really show off the beauty of the grain.

The kitchen is currently furnished with maple cabinets in a plain modern style, which will stay, but the rest of it is currently in flux, so that's about the only design element I need to match at present:


Kitchen - 08 by debunix, on Flickr

Any ideas out there?

[Mjx]

For weight, durability, sturdiness, and keeping contaminants out of what they hold, plastic containers are hard to beat, so would a solution for storing them out of sight be something you'd consider? Are any of the floor-level, what-look-like-cabinets actually tall drawers? If not, do you have the option of converting the space behind them to hold tall drawers? I can't recall whether I've ever seen this in the US, but in Denmark, it's a popular solution for holding large/heavy items.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I definitely would consider a cabinet/drawer combination, but I anticipate completely filling all the space in the current cabinets with other things before getting to the grain buckets, and I'll probably be getting more cabinets for the dining room, which could include something more specialized. I can even imagine a simple cart/tray that might be 'hidden' behind ordinary appearing cabinet doors, but a single cart would be very awkward with 100 or 150 lbs of grain on it. Drawers shaped to fit the buckets might be a really nice solution, if sturdy enough.

[Paul Bacino]

Our spare bedroom is our Back-up storage!! Works just fine..

[Butterbean]

Would it be possible to build an island and use the underside of the island for bulk storage?

[Wholemeal Crank]

Our spare bedroom is our Back-up storage!! Works just fine..

The storeroom is already going to have to hold a lot of stuff, and it's downstairs. I want to put the entire volume of the grain sacks into storage as they arrive, and there really is nowhere else on the upper floor. In my current kitchen I haven't worried so much about the appearance.

Would it be possible to build an island and use the underside of the island for bulk storage?

I could do something like that, or to put it in the kickspace under a standing-height work/eating counter. I can't do an island unless I move the front door, but that is definitely a possibility right now.

[ericthered]

Another vote for Cambro containers. Square ones are more space-efficient than the round ones.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Referring to the containers I already have?

[Wholemeal Crank]

(Asking because I see many different types of containers from Cambro, some like what I've already got.)

[HungryC]

I like the square Lexan Cambro lidded containers. More expensive than the white plastic, but you can more easily see what's inside, and they fit better in a fridge or cabinet.

[Wholemeal Crank]

As it turns out, the budget won't stretch for the new cabinets yet, so I have lots of time to ponder (probably another year or two before I can afford the quality and quantity I think I will need--the intermetro will have to keep me going a while longer. Meantime, I saw one really clever thing at the kitchen showroom today--cabinet where the bottom piece rolls out from below the others. Maybe a cabinet where the doors open to an open space for a drawer on wheels, with those nice rectangular bins inside.....

[Pierogi]

How much do one of those containers (of any configuration, round/square/rectangle) weigh when full? This might be something to consider. If you intend to stay in this home for the long run, I'd say keep it in the back of your mind. It may not be an issue now (or ever), but then again, 10 years ago *I* never thought there would be days I'd need help taking a 5 pound sack of flour out of my shopping cart.

Maybe putting a false front on one of the lower cabinets, complete with a false toe-kick, and finding a set of wheels/dollies for under the containers would work? You could pull them out to clean under them, and not have to worry so much about hoisting a full one.

[Wholemeal Crank]

The buckets hold up to 25 lbs of grain apiece, and sometimes I measure from them where they are, and sometimes I pick them up and bring them to the rest of the work area. I am thinking about the long run here, because I'd like to be in this house for 20 or 30 years, and I may not be lucky enough to keep slinging those full buckets with ease forever. That's actually one of the reasons I am not excited about a drawer setup, because a just managing a drawer with 75 to 100lbs of weight, no matter how solid the hardware, is not always going to be trivial. Something where individual bins can be managed and wheeled separately might be a better bet.

[flourgirl]

(Asking because I see many different types of containers from Cambro, some like what I've already got.)

I have the Cambro contianers. They do take up space. I have a pantry closet and keep them on the bottom shelf. I have three 10-pound containers and five 5-pound containers. They fit on one shelf.

[vimaladevi]

Not sure if this will help, I think those are 5 gal buckets you have now to work with... these lids add nice color and I love the how easy they are to open and they are super air tight, we use them for storing the bulk dry goods and for compost, really useful for those 5 gal buckets. perhaps for now or until you get the cabinets going...

[Wholemeal Crank]

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, the lids I have are quite adequate--they look ok, aesthetically, with the white buckers. They're not airtight, but they're critter tight, and that 's all I need. I've had infestations come in with one bag of grain, and never had it spread to another bucket.

My wish here would be for a way to turn wall o'buckets into a really pretty wooden or wooden and glass cabinet/box/bin/something, and I'm content with the buckets until I can (1) afford to do something special and (2) figure out what that will be. I've gotten lots of great ideas here for possible whats, but it's going to be a while before the budgeting is clear. I just spoke to the contractor today about several additional items that may add quite a bit to the final budget....