Question from a non-cooking gal

sisterpine · #1 03/27/12, 02:40 PM

Hi, Admittedly I do know how to cook, I have just chosen not to for the past 20 years. Now that I am starting over with my prepping I want to buy some bulk sugar to store. I have no idea how to store this and wheat flour? Or even where to get the quantity I might want. Any ideas appreciated. Kathleen

SpaceCadet12364 · #2 03/27/12, 03:29 PM

wholesale clubs (like sams, costco, bj's) are good places to check for massive quantities.......if you don't belong to one, you can check with your local grocer or bakery. They might be willing to order you in some when they do.

If you have any amish settlements in your area, you might check in with them and ask as well.

I will leave storage questions to the more informed to answer. As far as sugar, I dont think you need to do too much special other than store it in rodent & moisture proof containers (those 5 gal food grade buckets with the rubber seal in the lid are excellent for sugar...among other things).

beachcomber · #3 03/27/12, 03:29 PM

for sugar just put it in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. for wheat get wheat berries and a grain mill and store the same as the sugar. both will last for a long time

unregistered29228 · #4 03/27/12, 07:06 PM

Sugar will last forever just in a bucket with a lid. It might get hard, but you can break it up and it's as good as new.

Don't buy whole wheat flour for storage - it will go rancid in just a few months. Buy whole wheat berries and grind them, or if you can't do that buy white flour. It has less nutrients than whole wheat flour, but it will store for a year or two without spoiling. Just seal it up air-tight with a vacuum sealer (in a mylar bag or canning jar) and it will store fine.

Danaus29 · #5 03/27/12, 10:03 PM

I buy 20 (25? been months since I've bought some) pound bags of sugar from Sam's. I store it in 5 gal buckets with lids with a rubber gasket in them. Flour is usually purchased in 5 pound bags, on sale whenever possible, and stored in zipper plastic bags in the freezer.

bruce2288 · #6 03/27/12, 10:17 PM

May I ask what the alternative to cooking for 20 years was? Raw foods? Dining out?

mpillow · #7 03/28/12, 10:08 AM

I agree that wheat berries are what to store....if you want to go the easy route buy from lds pkg in #10 cans....they have wheat berries (white and red) pintos, quick oats, ricewhite- white flour (new).....I save all my glass jars from spaghetti sauce etc for storing this kind of stuff and the old rubber ring bale jars also....our dump sets them aside free for the taking before crushing too!

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thequeensblessing · #8 03/28/12, 10:14 AM

Don't buy 25 lb bags of sugar merely because they are quantity. Often times I can pick up 5 lb bags of sugar for less per pound than the 25 lb bags/boxes would cost me. As always, shop around!

sisterpine · #9 03/28/12, 10:28 AM

LOL, lets see...raw foods are yummy, I dont eat milk butter or cheese so that cuts a lot of cooking right there. Married a man who enjoyed cooking so decided it was his turn. Mostly I just live on fruits and veggies unless I go to Sonic or someplace and bring home a burger. I know, how sad.

bruce2288 · #10 03/28/12, 11:12 AM

No judgement, just totally foreign comcept to me. Husband who cooks is fairly common in my experience.

olivehill · #11 03/28/12, 11:16 AM

You might want to start cooking before you go stocking up. Best laid plans of mice and men and all that...

Limon · #12 03/28/12, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olivehill

You might want to start cooking before you go stocking up. Best laid plans of mice and men and all that...

Can't recommend this suggestion enough. Don't buy anything unless you know you'll use it. I can't tell you the number of people I know who bought mountains of wheat and then had no idea what to do with it.

You might want to consider a dehydrator and dry your own fruits and veggies. It won't be the same as fresh, but they take up little room and last for years. In the long run, it's less expensive than buying them, and you get the things you like.

stef · #13 03/28/12, 05:31 PM

I know nothing about storing wheat, but spare yourself the costly mistake I made. If you buy sugar to store, THE NUMBER ONE storage tip for sugar is avoid moisture. I purchased 15 pounds of sugar ( 3 five-pound bags) and they got moisture in them. They turned into cement blocks that no amount of chipping, steaming in the microwave or hammering broke apart. I finally gave them to someone who does a lot of canning hoping she might be able to dissolve them and use them for syrup. ( I don't do enough canning to melt a five pound block of sugar.)

Other than moisture, white sugar will last practically forever in storage. You can always make your own brown sugar by adding a small amount of mollasses to white sugar and pulsing it in your food processor.

sisterpine · #14 03/28/12, 05:42 PM

You are right about the moisture in the sugar and not prepping with stuff you will not use. I am looking at what I used to cook before I was just one person and figuring out what I would need if I ran out of canned goods.