What you'll need
- Food-grade buckets (HDPE #2)See it on Amazon
- Gamma seal screw-on lids for buckets you open oftenSee it on Amazon
- A rubber mallet or lid wrench
- 1
Use food-grade only
Look for the #2 recycling symbol and "food grade" or "FDA approved". Bakery and deli departments often give away frosting buckets for free. Just wash them well.
- 2
Decide: long-term or everyday
Long-term buckets hold sealed Mylar bags and stay closed. Everyday buckets get a gamma seal lid that screws on and off so you can scoop flour or rice.
- 3
Fill and close
For long-term, stand the sealed Mylar bags upright inside. Close regular lids with a rubber mallet all the way around.
- 4
Label the outside
Write what's inside, the date, and the number of servings on tape or a label. Label the side too, so you can read it when they're stacked.
- 5
Stack smart
Up to 3 or 4 high. Keep them off concrete on a board or shelf, in the coolest dark spot you have.
- Buckets alone keep out bugs and mice, but not air. For more than a year or two, use Mylar inside.
- A bucket on its side with a gamma lid makes a great flour dispenser.
- Using paint or hardware-store buckets that aren't food-grade.
- Stacking too high. Lids crack and buckets tip.
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