Using and storing a variety of flour

[Norm Matthews]

Before storing at room temp, put it in the freezer overnight to kill any microscopic eggs that can hatch later into those flour bugs.

[Jeffery C]

Keeping it it cool, <90F, will deter any hatching eggs, but flour kept for more than 2-3 mos should be stored airtight in a refrigerator to keep any vermin from hatching.

[Darienne]

I keep the flour and the sugar in one airtight Rubbermaid container in our cellar, on one of the higher pieces of floor (it's a century farmhouse). I could it up higher...especially when we go away.

For a home of two people, we use an incredible amount of sugar feeding our hordes of hummers. Why they have picked our place I cannot say. We don't have flowers except for day lilies which are wild. I think we just have an invisible sign over the roof which says: All hummingbirds welcome.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

In high humidity situations, use an airtight container and store in the coolest possible area of the house or bakery - when I lived in the upper Amazon, that was up on bricks in the back breezeway of the house, which never saw sunlight.

[HungryC]

The refrigerator or freezer are best for whole-grain flours in hot, humid climates. The oils in whole wheat go rancid far faster than white flours.

[qrn]

Ikeep mine in airtight22quart plastic buckets from the restaurant supply place.holds 50 lbs,keep it in a cool,dark closet...live in a low humidity area on the plains..never a problem..

Bud

[Shel_B]

Allow me to preface my questions by saying that I don't bake very much, and often a 5-lb bag of flour may hang around for months, and then I may engage in a flurry of baking.

 

So, what's the best way to store flour, both white AP and whole wheat?  I am thinking of getting one of those canisters with a tight fitting lid, something like these.  I'd like to stay away from plastic and go with stainless steel, or some other non-plastic material, but that's not a requirement.  Are these types of containers a good choice for storing flour?  Is there another alternative?

 

How long can flour be stored and still remain viable?  I'm sure it depends some on conditions, but a rough idea is fine.  What can be done to extend the life of stored flour?  And how might I know if the flour has gone bad?

 

Thanks!

Edited June 29, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Whenever I bring a bag of flour home from the store, I slide the bag into a zip-top freezer bag and seal it up so any little critters will be confined to the package they arrived in.  AP or other white flours stay in the pantry.  WW and speciality flours go in the freezer as they can go rancid.

If it looks and smells fine, I use it.

[Darienne]

You said you wanted to stay away from plastic, but in our farmhouse cellar, where much is stored, I don't feel I have many alternatives.  Flours, sugar, and many other things are stored in Rubbermaid bins of various sizes.  For example, we buy sugar in mammoth Costco bags...we have a flock of hummingbirds which we feed every summer...and the bag goes into an 18 gallon (US) bin.   I've never had any troubles with them over the past twenty years so for me it's a viable answer.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Darienne (log)

[Arey]

I store all my flour in the fridge except for all-purpose which I store in a canister on the counter. Before it goes in the canister, it goes in the freezer for a week or so. I buy KA flour which gives a best by date on the sack.  I also store things in the fridge such as pasta, potato flour, rye improver, and such.Since I'm just cooking for one I have the space in the fridge to store stuff.  I even store stuff which doesn't have to be in there just to have all the similar items on the same shelf.  At one time I was plagued with pantry moths so I try to avoid making my kitchen too inviting for them.

[andiesenji]

I use only Cambro containers - the translucent round ones - the same that most commercial places use.  They range in size from 1 quart to 22 quarts and I use the larger ones for proofing big batches of dough.

 

I store all grains and most flours in the freezer - except for self-rising flour that I use almost daily - whole wheat and other whole grains flours, cornmeal and etc., all go in the freezer.

 

I have purchased all my Cambro containers at Smart & Final and there should be one near you. 

 

You can also use them for leftovers and they can survive microwaving without harm to the containers or to the contents, just pop the lids.

They can be put through the dishwasher and the lids DO NOT WARP, which is a problem with other containers.

 

I recommend them highly for lasting use.  Some of mine were purchased in the 1980s before I moved up  here and they are still in use.

 

Note, you can buy a large one and put several 5# bags of flour in it for freezer storage.

Edited June 29, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[Shel_B]

I use only Cambro containers - the translucent round ones - the same that most commercial places use. 

 

I store all grains and most flours in the freezer  [...] whole wheat and other whole grains flours, cornmeal and etc., all go in the freezer.

 

I have purchased all my Cambro containers at Smart & Final and there should be one near you. 

 

You can also use them for leftovers and they can survive microwaving without harm to the containers or to the contents,

 

It would be workable if I can store the flour in the bag it comes in inside a Cambro.  I'd have to check my freezer space ... I don't have a lot.  There's a Smart and Final less than two miles from my apartment.  I'd neither store leftovers nor do any microwave cooking in them, though.  I just don't store food or cook in plastic.  Thanks for your suggestions.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I've stored my flours in Cambros for decades.  King Arthur sells Cambros in several sizes.  I don't freeze my flours but it might be a good idea with whole wheat.  Other than whole wheat I've opened bags of flour fifteen and twenty years after I bought them and they were perfectly delightful and OK.

 

If white flour doesn't get infested why should it go bad?

[cakewalk]

Damn. Counter space, shelf space, freezer space. Gardens!

[Lisa Shock]

I use Cambros, I also have the grain grinding attachment for my DeLonghi/Kenwood mixer, so I buy wheat and grind it into WW flour. The wheat grain seems to stay fresher longer. That said, I only buy a little at a time. If I saw a deal someplace, I would freeze it.

[Shel_B]

I've stored my flours in Cambros for decades.  King Arthur sells Cambros in several sizes.  I don't freeze my flours but it might be a good idea with whole wheat.  Other than whole wheat I've opened bags of flour fifteen and twenty years after I bought them and they were perfectly delightful and OK.

 

If white flour doesn't get infested why should it go bad?

 

Wow!  I didn't know that.  Thanks!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Wow!  I didn't know that.  Thanks!

 

I confess it surprised me too.

[Jaymes]

I don't use a lot of flour so have room for it in the freezer.  That way it never gets little visitors.  And I can keep it forever without worrying.

 

I remember hearing many years ago that if you store flour in glass/porcelain/china canisters, it won't go bad or get bugs.  Haven't ever tried it.  Don't know if it works.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I forgot to mention that I store small quantities in mason jars, vacuum sealed. That works very well against bugs, but rancidity is still an issue.

[SylviaLovegren]

I don't use a lot of flour so have room for it in the freezer.  That way it never gets little visitors.  And I can keep it forever without worrying.

 

I remember hearing many years ago that if you store flour in glass/porcelain/china canisters, it won't go bad or get bugs.  Haven't ever tried it.  Don't know if it works.

 

If the bugs are there, they'll live happily inside the glass canister.  Trust me on this.

[Shel_B]

I forgot to mention that I store small quantities in mason jars, vacuum sealed. That works very well against bugs, but rancidity is still an issue.

 

Might there not be an issue with condensation when storing flour in the freezer? 

[andiesenji]

I've stored my flours in Cambros for decades.  King Arthur sells Cambros in several sizes.  I don't freeze my flours but it might be a good idea with whole wheat.  Other than whole wheat I've opened bags of flour fifteen and twenty years after I bought them and they were perfectly delightful and OK.

 

If white flour doesn't get infested why should it go bad?

King Arthur prices are a lot higher than Smart & Final. 

[Jaymes]

If the bugs are there, they'll live happily inside the glass canister.  Trust me on this.

Oh I will. Honestly never made sense to me. Which is probably why I never tried it.

[paulraphael]

Refined flour in any airtight container. Square or rectangular ones make more efficient use of space on the shelf. Cambros or the equivalent are great; I use the consumer containers with the pushbutton lid. Either will keep critters out. Plastic is a 100% non-issue here. Even "bad" plastic like polycarbonate can't leach anything into dry flour. The only issue would be stinky plastics like PVC or EVA, but those aren't used in food containers.

 

Whole grain flour should be stored in the freezer if you're not going to use it right away. Refined flour was originally developed to prevent spoilage. Whole grain flours have the germ of the grain which contains oils; these can go rancid. A ziploc freezer bag (or a double layer of them) with as much air as possible evacuated from it would be ideal. 

 

This will not make whole grain flour last forever, but I'd guess it would be good for a year or two.

[LizD518]

I have some glass ones from Ikea that I like because the tops are wide open and it is easy to measure right over the top of the jar.  It also holds an entire bag of flour or sugar: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40112543/ I have a deep window opening with shelves that holds grains, flour & sugar in glass jars of various types.  There is a shade behind the shelves so they aren't in the light.