In times of unknown, uncontrollable circumstances, such as a pandemic, people respond by buying toilet paper, beef dried meat and active dry yeast. Psychologists had studied Our panicked buying behavior during this time and everything makes sense – the term “scarcity” needs no explanation. I have more yeast than I need. I am sorry!
The yeast was irrational, but even in times without a pandemic, I buy in bulk the foods I go through quickly: rice, Flour (s), Sugar, oats and cases of tuna. This way I get a better deal, it reduces my trips to the grocery store, it reduces packaging waste and the time I spend in the car and yes I feel SAFETY and CONTROL and all those other delicious delusions that happen in the brain, when we accumulate buy.
That was a long introduction to get right to the point. If you are shopping in bulk for some logical or illogical reason, you need bulk containers to keep these goods airtight and as durable as possible. Do you store everything in a cool, dark place? Look at a bunker. Then fill it up with a couple of these, my favorite bulk food containers.
For a 10 pound bag of flour
Since baking is one of my only hobbies, I go through so much flour that I can keep a flour 8 quarter Cambro Flour right on my kitchen counter; this is the perfect size for the 10 pound bag of King Arthur’s all-purpose flour. I stack a 6 liter Cambro container top with granulated sugar. (Attention, sometimes lids are sold separately.)
Some of the many reasons restaurants, bakeries, and our test kitchen love Cambros are because they are easy to stack, the lids are very tight, and the square shapes can nestle on shelves without wasting space. Especially for flour and sugar, I can open it and dip it in a measuring cup without splashing flour particles over the counter and myself.
8-Quart Cambro Square Food Storage Containers with Lids
For a 20-25 pound bag of rice
I timed it, and my household of two went through an 18 pound bag of brown rice in six months, which is roughly the duration of dry brown rice, depending on your surroundings (compared to white rice that lasts for years). The rice came in a large non-sealable bag and I knew I had to transfer it to an airtight container ASAP as rice can go moldy or worse, attract a terrible nightmare known as Rice beetle. There are huge cambros, but I prefer those Tellfresh Superstorer with 13.21 quart from the container store because it has a nifty handle that makes it easier for me, a relative wimp, to pull it off a shelf in my basement (i.e. my bunker). The handle is also great if you’re storing something you might be traveling with, such as a bag. B. Dog food. And it means you can use the container as a kettlebell as I never fail to work on it my biceps also.
13.21-quart Tellfresh Large Airtight Superstorer
For oats, smaller amounts of rice or beans, I think
I could have written this entire article on Cambro, but the “squeeze-top closures” on the Click Clack canisters also have a purpose in my mass life. This lid has strong suction and is easier to open and close than a Cambro lid, which you sometimes need to check to make sure it’s completely closed around the edges. However, those click clack lids are a disaster when there is powdered sugar or flour in them. They send a cloud of poof every time you open and close when the suction is released. And they are annoying to clean (the water seems to be trapped in the lid ?!). All in all, I like them for oats, rice which I buy in quantities smaller than 18 pound bags, and if you’re a dry bean person that would work too.
Click on Clack Pantry Canisters
For canned fish and others
Yes i bought a case of tuna at Zingerman’s summer sale and I’m very proud of this cute deal. But I also have a supply of others Canned fish (I got several for Christmas that said as much about me as I’d expect), sprinkles to bake, bags of chocolate chips, spare cocktail cherries (important), and sheets of nori – and all of those random extras a warehouse needs, too. I make categories like “BAKING STUFF”, “FISHES” and “CANNED BEANS” and save them in Sterilite 15 liter rectangular containerthat I chose because it fits into the narrow height of my bunker shelves. Keeping the coincidences stored in it makes me feel a bit organized and the lid keeps everything from getting dusty or cobweb-like.
15 qt. Sterilite Latching Storage Box (Pack of 2)
To cooking oil
Since the huge 3 liter cans of Extra virgin olive oil from Zoe It is almost impossible to pour a single tablespoon out of it. You must have an olive oil bowl or squeeze bottle. I think the cruets are good for dressing up a salad (and look how pretty), but a squeeze bottle is much better for commonly used cooking oil. Yes, they are clear and let in sunlight, which makes olive oil rancid faster. However, if you cook with olive oil two to three times a day, this is not a problem. I currently have one 32 ounce tablecraft squeeze bottle for my olive oil, but it’s almost too big for my hands, I think I’d prefer one 16 ounce bottle next time. Make sure you close the lids tightly or the oil will seep through. And no, you don’t need bottles with those little red lids that are rolling under your oven anyway.
TableCraft 16 Oz.Wide Squeeze Dispenser (Pack of 6)
In this ongoing battle against an increasingly contagious virus, a fluctuating economy, a frenzy for FocacciaHope you find the little control and comfort you seek in sacks of flour the size of pillows. I know that I will.
