Pantry percolations
Kasia April 22nd, 2009
As some of you know, Canuck and I reside in a lovely, though not overlarge, apartment-style condo. Particularly not overlarge: the kitchen. What’s more, the existing cabinetry doesn’t really make the most of the possible storage space. (TBS has a nearly identical condo in the same complex, but her kitchen is laid out much better.)
We’re not in a position to remodel the kitchen at present, nor are we likely to be in the next few years. There are other priorities: heating/cooling, car, etc. And we’re not likely to be able to move any time soon, given that selling a home in metro Detroit right now is pretty much a pipe dream. So I had been thinking about ways we could maximize our current space.
Well, it occurred to me that we have an exceptionally large hall closet that was just not being used to its full capacity. So my beloved and I went to Home Depot and priced out, then bought, some shelving – nothing fancy, just the stuff where you screw some metal strips to the wall, attach brackets to the strips, and pop the pre-made shelves onto the brackets. Not ideal, and certainly not the prettiest option (though also not the ugliest!), but it’ll do in a pinch.
Let me just pause for a moment and admire the fact that my beloved managed this home improvement project with just one trip to Home Depot. (A fellow parishioner – male, of course – was very impressed by this.) Oooooo… 
So now we have a makeshift pantry. I think we’ll be getting another shelf or two eventually, but it’s a start. I am a very happy little Clam about this.
We also decided, after some considerable deliberation, to use the Christmas gift money that Mère de Canuque had allocated for me to purchase a Costco membership. So far, I think it was worth it; even if we just bought gas there, based on current prices and our current consumption, we could pay for the membership in gas savings alone. (It’d take a bit of planning to not have to go out of the way to do so, but it is theoretically very feasible – Costco is not much out of the way of our route to and from church each week, for starters, and that’s not the only reason we go by 696 and Gratiot.)
Obviously, we’re not going to be buying a lot of fresh food in bulk with just the two of us; but we were pretty pleased with our options for nonperishables and non-food household items. We’re being very careful – it’s easy to spend a lot of money there! – and watching our budget, but so far, so good.
Anyway. One of the things I was thinking we might try purchasing in bulk is flour. (Canuck and I both really enjoy making bread; he makes a mean pizza; etc.) We haven’t done so yet, primarily because we don’t have a good storage option for a large quantity of flour as of yet. But I found myself wondering whether an airtight Rubbermaid bin (like we use for our cat food) mightn’t be the solution.
Well, I went online on my lunch today, and I have to admit that I’m confused. Perhaps one of my blog friends could help?
I found some beautiful, professional-grade ingredient bins that were designed for just such a purpose. However, those run over $200 each. I don’t think we’re going to realize much savings on buying bulk flour, if we’re weighing the savings against the cost of investing in a $225 flour bin. At the least, it’ll be many years before we break even; and who knows what may change between now and then? (Yes, I saw the $105 economy bin, but I’ve dealt with those kinds of lids before, and I’d be shocked if it’s airtight. I don’t think they even claim it as airtight on the site. And I was really thinking more in the $25 – 50 range…)
I also found smaller containers, more in the 12 – 22 quart range, which would work in a pinch. But really, I have a cracker jar that holds (I’d guess) around five pounds of flour, that I would probably continue to keep in the kitchen for convenient day-to-day use. (I have another one for sugar.) I’m really looking for a big bin that I can dump the bag into and tuck into a corner. The smaller containers would, I think, be a bit of a nuisance.
I did find this, but I noticed that the way they advertise it is for holding, say, a bunch of bags and boxes of snacks. I’m wondering if there’s a food-safety issue associated with dumping foodstuffs into it? If so, is that something a lining (whether a plastic bag or the original flour sack) could neutralize? Or is this just the way they’re advertising this, and it could really be used in the way I’m envisioning?
Finally, I also found containers that advertise as airtight pet-food containers, rather like this one. Canuck and I currently use a similar bin to this, though smaller and without casters, for our dry cat food. (The boys are on the pricy prescription fatcat kibble from the vet, so you’d better believe I buy in bulk and make it last as long as I can). I’ve always just emptied the bag into the bin, but now I’m wondering if there’s a safety issue involved there. (It does get washed periodically.) I’m thinking specifically of the melamine-in-pet-food scare, and then the BPAs in plastic baby bottles, and wondering if this kind of bin is (a) designed to be food-safe, and (b) actually food-safe.
What do you know? Anyone out there have insights? I have to say that the cats don’t seem any the worse for wear, and I’ve been using the bin for a couple of years now…but is this something that Protective Services would take away our hypothetical kids for?
In the past I have gone to our local Zips (fast food place) and picked up their lidded pails. All the fast food places have their relish, mayo, and other stuff delivered in these pails. If they charge anything it is usually only a dollar.
I’ve stored bean and rice (with the addition of bay leaves to keep the bugs out.
Flour does not store well for long periods. It loses it’s nutritional value pretty fast.
You would have to store wheat berries and grind your own flour which IMHO is crazy! Even a hand crank flour mill costs waaaaay over a hundred dollars.
Here’s a website where you can see a picture of what I’m talking about. The square pails in the back of the picture is what you would be getting. They are also designed to stack which is nice.
Oh yea – I forgot…..when I first saw your post heading I thought it said Pantie Percolations ha ha – typical newly weds.
http://www.shop.com/Airtight_8_Gallon_Pet_Food_Storage_with_ Wheels_by_Iris-88403989-p!.shtml
?
It says it’s for putting pet food in so you can see through it, so no bag needed
If I remember correctly, the two scares you mention are from bad manufacturing processes– or out-right malice. If you’re still worried, though, just use a black garbage bag and keep the flour in its bag.
This site has some information on how long stuff can last:
http://www.blisstree.com/articles/bulk-food-storage-flour-an d-other-dry-basics-207/
Wheat flour goes bad in just three months, but white can last up to a year.
Adrienne – thanks!!
FF – thanks also!! You’re right that the two scares are more from bad manufacturing processes, but BPA is still a subject of considerable debate (as to what level is safe for human exposure, etc.) and is reputed to leach into food that BPA-containing plastics hold.
The debate as I understand it centers around two central points: first, does it in fact leach into food; and second, does it do so in quantities that may be harmful to humans, especially children. Canada has, I gather, banned BPA-containing plastics (IIRC the BPA is either the compound that allows for, or is a byproduct of a process that makes plastic shatter-resistant). The US is still on the fence AFAIK.
So – potentially harmful, depending on what kind of plastic it is, but I’ve sent an e-mail to Iris to ask about what kind of plastic the containers I’m looking at are, and whether they’re food-grade.