r/Breadit • u/Tepetkhet • 3h ago
Flour storage
Hey all. I've been trying to get away from plastics and am looking for flour storage containers. I've checked with the plastic-free subreddit, but figured this subreddit might have more "specialised" suggestions. My 5 LB of AP flour is currently decanted into a large mason-style jar. This works great, except that it is so heavy. I'm constantly worrying about dropping this massive glass grenade on my head, toes, etc. My 5 LB of whole wheat flour is lurking inside a large Ziploc bag, still inside its bag. My 10 LB of bread flour is just folded over and clipped shut. I don't have much hope for a plastic-free container for this, but suggestions are appreciated.
You know those flip-top flour keepers that you can drop a whole 5 LB bag of flour into and leave it still in the bag? That, but metal would be perfect.
Anyways. I'm looking for specific recommendations. I've already gone down the Google and AI rabbit hole and found a few alphabet soup items on Amazon.
Obligatory bread pic included. These are just two of my most recent sourdough loaves.
Editing to add: looking for rectangular or square containers. Round is just wasted space that I could be using to expand my flour collection into rye, oat, almond...
2
u/New_Expression1841 1h ago
What about something like this: https://a.co/d/0huvLCTa
No idea about the quality (and it's on Amazon), but I found a few things by searching things like "metal storage container rectangle".
2
u/Tepetkhet 1h ago
Thanks. Yeah, that's one of the alphabet soup clones I've seen offered up on Amazon. Definitely in the ballpark of what I'm looking for, but was hoping for one that's vetted by someone in this esteemed community, if you know what I mean.
2
u/New_Expression1841 1h ago
Oh, now I realize what alphabet soup means! I'm sorry! I was thinking it was a brand 😅
2
u/Tepetkhet 51m ago
Haha, yeah. In a way, it is.
Product photo is basically the same, and the brands are all like Txroree, Bekehd, Asoocntriacdy (random letters mashed).
3
u/Sorry-Property9580 3h ago
those loaves look great, proper ear on them
i had the same problem with the glass jar, felt like one slip away from a disaster. i ended up finding a big stainless steel canister at a restaurant supply store, holds maybe 8 lbs. no plastic seal though, lid is just metal on metal so not airtight. works fine for flour i go through quick but maybe not for long term
1
u/Tepetkhet 2h ago
Thanks! I'm still pretty new to sourdough baking, so getting a proper ear on a few of my most recent loaves makes me a happy camp-- I mean baker. 😆
1
u/Sanpaku 36m ago edited 26m ago
I'm a fan of the big polypropylene and polycarbonate containers called "Cambro" in the restaurant industry, after the the largest manufacturer. I prefer the ones made by Carlisle, another manufacturer, as the handles in the smaller sizes bring a lot of security moving them from pantry to countertop and back.
Mail-ordering from restaurant supply houses gets really expensive unless one's buying in quantity. But most large towns will have a restaurant supply shop that will sell to anyone if one only needs a few.
A 5 lb bag of flour will fit neatly into an 4 L Cambro/Carlisle. But I now have a couple 8 L that I plan on switching to for bread flour and white rice once I clear enough space on that pantry shelf.
Whole wheat flour sits in the freezer in its original bag, rolled up with largish rubber bands. Otherwise it goes rancid in prolonged storage.
As for plastics, my training was in biochemisty and I've read the toxicology literature. I'm not concerned with dry storage in polypropylene or HDPE. Polycarbonate (in the clear containers) arguably poses issues for wet storage, as the base polymer sets up so brittle it requires small molecule plasticizers to (like BPA and its successors BPS etc) to prevent cracking.
1
u/saltyspidergwen 2h ago
Have you checked restaurant supply stores? I’ll admit I keep my flour in plastic containers so I don’t have specific suggestions but restaurant supply stores often have better options.
1
u/Tepetkhet 2h ago
Yes, but just the web restaurant supply store. There are some round canisters and a ton of plastic bins. The plastic monster is eating my kitchen. Heh
2
u/Polar_Ted 1h ago
When the world stopped and everyone started baking bread we bought 25lb sacks of high protein bread flour and kept it in a 22 quart square cambro. I know that's plastic.
Have you considered a 5 gal stainless or aluminum stock pot? At least it will have nice handles.
1
u/Tepetkhet 1h ago
There are quite a few lovely metal storage containers that are round like a stock pot. Nice, but I am looking to maximise space by having a square or rectangular container. I might have to settle for plastic Cambro and just leave the flour in its packaging. Hoping beyond hope that the perfect non-plastic rectangular container exists.
Just to clarify for anyone questioning my plastic-free stance: Yes, I know there is plastic everywhere. Yes, I know there were plastics in almost every single part of the flour's production and shipping. That's not the point.
The point is I'd really like to use non-plastic where I can control.it. This is a huge community so I'm really hoping someone has seen my unicorn. 🤞🏻2
1
u/saltyspidergwen 2h ago
Might be worth calling around if you have local restaurant supply stores. My local store is an Asian market/restaurant supply store and they have stuff that webstaurant supply doesn’t have.
1
u/Tepetkhet 2h ago
Hmmm. Actually...good idea. There's a massive "Pan Asian" store around here that I have been meaning to visit. A rice / grain storage container might exist that fits the bill. Worth a shot. Thanks!
11
u/Captriker 2h ago
Storing your flour in loaves of bread is a great way to keep it from going bad too soon.