Cereals, grains and flour have a rather long shelf life, but if stored improperly, they become prey and habitat for very unpleasant bugs, worms and other evil spirits. To prevent this, the owners of cereal stocks resort to a variety of tricks.
Store check
In order not to have problems with cereals and flour at home, take a closer look at them even before buying. Ideally, cereals in the store should be stored in compliance with all sorts of rules and regulations, at low humidity, in whole packages. If cereals or flour stick together, black dots are noticeable among the grains, and even more so - bugs or worms - you should not buy such a product. But often cereals are sold in paper bags or cardboard boxes, which makes it difficult to check. Here it remains only to look at the release date of the cereal and the recommended shelf life.
They brought him home - he turned out to be alive
After the purchase, some experienced housewives recommend frying the cereal in the oven. This will not harm the quality of the cereal, but it will be possible to get rid of the larvae of the bugs, if they are still in the cereal. Others advise keeping cereals in the freezer. There is logic here - the cold is fatal for both bugs and larvae. You don’t need to constantly keep cereals in the freezer, four days is enough. If it happens in winter, take the cereal to the balcony - it's more convenient, because there is more space and the freezer will be free. It may also be effective to process cereals by roasting for 5 minutes in a microwave oven.
In any case, newly purchased cereals should be checked. Although measures are taken in production to prevent infection of cereals with insects, troubles happen. Even in seemingly clean cereals there may be larvae. After you brought the cereal from the store, it is better to pour it from the store container. But you should not store cereals and flour in tight plastic bags - they “suffocate” and acquire an unpleasant smell and taste. Perforated bags are not suitable, as there is a danger of dampness of the cereal or infection with its bugs. Where to spill?
Rescue containers
It is best to store flour and cereals in glass jars or containers with tightly ground stoppers or lids. Our grandmothers also knew that flour would be completely safe in a three-liter glass jar with a lid. But the shape of such jars does not allow rational organization of space, so choose square or rectangular containers for storing bulk products. Optimally, if the container is glass. But the cereal will be good in a plastic container, especially if it is equipped with rubber gaskets for a tighter fit of the lid. Metal boxes for storing cereals and flour quickly rust and do not provide the necessary tightness.
Containers should not be placed in direct sunlight. Hide them in the closet - so your cereal will be whole. For greater safety, you can put a couple of cloves of garlic, a chili pepper or a leaf of parsley in a container with cereals, which bugs do not like very much. A bag of salt, which protects the cereal from moisture, will not be superfluous. But keep in mind that even perfectly “packed” cereals cannot be stored forever.
How long do cereals last
Farmers will tell you that when properly stored, grain can last a very long time. Of course, during long-term storage, the taste of cereals deteriorates, but they remain quite acceptable. However, most supermarket cereals should be used within a few months of purchase. If cereals are stored in the refrigerator, the period increases slightly, but it hardly makes sense to store cereals for a year or more. Consequently, there is no particular reason for large stocks of flour and cereals if you do not have an equipped place to store them.
Rice and corn do not lose their qualities for the longest time. They can be stored for more than a year, but with all the precautions described earlier. Wheat grains, barley, oats and buckwheat are stored well, but millet quickly becomes rancid. Semolina and flour can be stored for a little over a year, but in the refrigerator. If you cannot imagine life without strategic food supplies, use airtight containers to store grain, cereals and flour, and once every few months arrange a review of your treasures. Replace stale cereals with fresh ones and check for signs of infection with bugs.
Hello my dear readers! I think every home has cereals, pasta and flour. These are fairly common and cheap products. Cereals contain a huge amount of useful vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. The quality of food depends on the conditions under which we store them.
It would seem that there is nothing complicated, buckwheat, rice, oats and so on have a fairly long shelf life. I bought myself half a bag and let them lie. But everything is not so simple. High humidity, heat and other factors can adversely affect the quality of cereals. In addition, pests and insects are waiting for this.
Therefore, first of all, I want to talk about under what conditions it is optimal to store cereals and pasta.
How and where to organize the storage of cereals?
They absolutely do not perceive moisture. You probably know that rice loves water and absorbs it with pleasure from the air. Choose only dry and cool places. The ideal place could be pantry, but only in a way that is ventilated. If you do not have it, then the lower ones will go cabinets kitchen set. Why not the top ones? Because the higher the air, the warmer it is. And given that we cook every day in the kitchen, the air heats up, and hot vapors rise up. In addition, under the influence of such conditions, cereals oxidize and lose their beneficial properties. But if you have an air conditioner in your room and the conditions are quite suitable, then you can place containers with grain on open shelves.
As for the shelf life of cereals, here the data differ, for example, it is best to store oatmeal for no more than 5 months, buckwheat 20, and half a year in rice. Therefore, in order to remember all the terms, it is possible on a container with cereals stick paper with the data until what date they should be cooked. This is a very convenient method for tracking the quality of a product.
I think many housewives are familiar insects and bugs that settle in bags with cereals. A very unpleasant phenomenon, I can tell you. You have to throw away the grain, which of course does not add money to your wallet. But in order to prevent bugs from starting in cereals, there are several life hacks that help to avoid this misunderstanding. I use them myself, and I can say for sure that for several years now, I have not noticed a single insect in the kitchen, try it too.
- Firstly, I have not stocked cereals, pasta and flour bags for a long time. and making lists give me a huge advantage. I know exactly what I will need to buy in order to prepare food for the next week. Therefore, I do not have stale stocks in my cabinets, they are always fresh.
- Secondly, follow the conditions, I wrote about this at the beginning of the article. The room or area in the house where grain is stored should be dry, cool and dark.
- Give special importance to the container in which the cereals and pasta are located, we will talk about this later.
- After purchasing the product, you can put the bag of grain in the freezer for 24 hours. Thus, you completely exclude the possibility of insect larvae surviving there and protect them from their appearance in the future.
- And finally, very good advice. In the container where the cereal is stored, put a bay leaf, a clove of garlic or a pod of red pepper. Thus, you will never get pests.
As promised, let's talk about how to store cereals and pasta.
We know that bulk products are sold in bags or cartons. We buy them, bring them home, open them, take the quantity that we need and safely put them on the shelf as they are. This method of storage is quite acceptable, except for the risk that you may spill cereal or flour. If you are not stocking up on food for the whole winter, then this option is suitable for you, the only thing that needs to be added to this picture is that the packaging should still be closed. A simple paper clip, special clips or a simple plastic bottle cap can handle this task.
The second option for storing bulk products is plastic containers. They are cheap, practical, and available at any hardware store. I am generally silent about the shape and size, you will find what you need, that's for sure. Many housewives replace such containers with mayonnaise buckets. It's also quite possible. But, despite the fact that they are made of food-grade plastic, their shelf life is limited. Over time, containers can begin to release toxins and harmful substances, especially if stored in unfavorable conditions. Today it is the most practical way to organize the storage of grain, pasta and flour. But there is a third one.
The best and highest quality way to store cereals is glass. Unlike plastic, this material has no expiration date, is easy to care for and does not require special conditions. Glass jars and containers are the perfect place for groceries. But they are quite heavy, so you need to carefully evaluate the load on the shelves.
There are also wooden and ceramic barrels for storing cereals, they are also suitable for this, but less common. If there is an opportunity to purchase such containers, do not miss it.
Also, before pouring grain into jars or containers, make sure they are clean and dry. Otherwise, nothing will save the product from spoilage.
That's all for today, I hope that the article was useful for you! Read my new article "". Write comments and leave feedback! Kisses to all, bye!
Any housewife should have an idea of how to store products, including non-perishable ones: rice and other cereals, pasta, flour, sugar, tea, etc. Temperature, humidity level, selected container for bulk products - all this has meaning. After all, it is often improper storage that leads to food spoilage. And spoiled foods not only lose their taste, but also become hazardous to health.
One of the enemies of bulk products, especially cereals, is mold, which usually develops due to high humidity in the kitchen. Reproducing, it destroys products, as a result, an unpleasant odor is released, toxins are formed. Eating moldy food is dangerous to your health.
Insects can also appear in bulk products. One of the common pests is the Surinamese flour beetle. This is a brown bug that starts in flour, different varieties of cereals, dried fruits. Unlike microorganisms, insects do not destroy cereals, but pollute them. But at high concentrations, pests or their waste products can lead to food poisoning.
Expired products, although they look normal visually, lose their taste and useful properties. Even if you know how to store cereals, it is important to remember that bulk products cannot be stored forever. If you prefer to buy in advance, first try to cook from products bought a long time ago. And in order not to confuse anything, you can stick stickers on the containers with the date the content was bookmarked.
Of the cereals, oat flakes spoil the fastest - in 4-6 months, and flakes with all kinds of additives are stored even less. Rice can be stored for about 1.5 years, peas and buckwheat - up to 2. The rest of the cereals are best consumed within 9-12 months. Plain pasta will last about 1 year. And pasta with various additives, such as tomato, is recommended to be stored no longer than 3-5 months.
Have an annual audit in the kitchen, during which you check the expiration dates of the contents of the cabinets and, if necessary, throw away everything that is spoiled.
Basic storage rules
To avoid problems with the products in your kitchen, carefully study them in the store. Damaged packaging, sticky grains, foreign inclusions among the grains - all this signals that the product is not worth buying. If it is not possible to evaluate the product visually, for example, if it is sold in an opaque bag or box, be guided by the production date and the recommended shelf life.
Despite the fact that measures are taken in production to prevent insect contamination of cereals, unpleasant exceptions do occur. Therefore, before storing the cereal, it is recommended to check it again for the presence of mold and larvae and pour it from the store container. Some prefer to leave rice and other grains in plastic bags. But this is not recommended: in them, the products can become damp, “suffocate” and acquire an unpleasant smell and taste.
Every good hostess should have an idea of how to properly store certain foods in her kitchen. It is important to know how to approach the issue of storing bulk products and cereals. Very often, young inexperienced hostesses store cereals in purchased packaging, and this is not entirely correct.
First, it's not very convenient. Due to the violation of the integrity of such packaging, cereals are often scattered on the floor or table, in a cabinet, but anywhere.
Secondly, when storing cereals in leaky packaging, all sorts of beetles and worms can start. This means that stocks can be safely thrown into the trash bin, or do a good deed - feed the birds. So how do you store cereals?
Now in stores you can find a wide range of various sealed containers designed for storing cereals and bulk products.
Modern manufacturers produce various beautifully designed jars that will successfully fit into the kitchen in any interior.
Whether it's modern hi-tech or classic sunflowers on wallpaper, you can buy the right container in almost any household hypermarket. However, what is important to know about the cereals themselves?
When storing cereals, it is important to understand that they have different expiration dates. For example, rice can lie quietly for a year and a half and retain all its beneficial properties and will not deteriorate, provided, of course, that it is properly stored.
But millet should not be stored for more than 4 months, because after this period, cereals can go rancid and have an unpleasant aftertaste.
Buckwheat is stored for a long time, about 20 months, but semolina must be used up within 14 months. Oat flakes are not recommended to be stored for more than 5 months, this also applies to muesli.
Types of containers for storing cereals
Very often they are attractive in appearance, practical, comfortable and very light. Their weight plays an important role, because, for example, if you put a lot of such containers filled with cereals on the shelf, then the weight of the load on the locker will be minimal.
- metal cans
Good, beautiful and high-quality containers, convenient for storing various cereals. Unfortunately, there is one drawback with metal cans; over time, rust spots may appear on them. And such containers automatically become unsuitable for food storage.
- Stainless steel cans
A stylish and modern option for storing bulk products, but quite expensive.
- Glass containers
An excellent, beautiful and convenient way to store cereals is to keep them in a glass container. There are a lot of glass jars of different designs in stores.
You can store cereals in ordinary glass jars with lids, which our grandmothers used. And you can style them according to the design of your kitchen with your own hands. You just need to turn on your imagination and buy a couple of jars of acrylic paints, stained glass contours or paints on glass.
- Ceramic containers
Ceramic containers are considered the best in the storage of cereals and bulk products.
- Plastic bottles
You can adapt ordinary plastic bottles for storing cereals.
Important! All grains should be stored in airtight containers.
Folk secrets for long-term storage of cereals
Use these simple tips for storing bulk products and then uninvited guests will not start up in your food stocks.
Thrifty is a trait inherent in both the real owner and the person. Unfortunately, there are not always conditions for long-term storage of various cereals and other products in large quantities and for a sufficiently long time.
But turning to old folk recipes, you can find ways to store not only apples, potatoes or tomatoes, but also various types of cereals, which are without a doubt one of the most consumed foods. As an example, we will prepare buckwheat, and instead of a basement, we use an ordinary balcony for this.
Using the freezer, even after three days, will not be able to guarantee the extermination of pests, therefore, in order to be completely sure of the result, it is better to use the oven. To do this, pour the cereal in an even layer on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven. But do not pour more than 1kg at a time. This is necessary in order for the buckwheat to warm up evenly, both in the middle and on top or bottom. We set the temperature to 150 degrees and, stirring as it is calcined, maintain it for 30 minutes. Some "craftsmen" use a microwave oven instead of an oven. It is categorically not recommended to do this, because almost immediately the cereal begins to burst like popcorn does.
So that the cereal does not become damp during long-term storage
We let the buckwheat cool on its own, after which we prepare a bag of napkins, in which we wrap 3 tablespoons of table salt.
If you do not want the bag to unfold and the salt to wake up, tie it with a regular thread, but do not forget that its size should be such that it can freely pass into the neck of the prepared bottle.
If you are afraid that the napkin may tear, replace it with a cotton flap or gauze, which must be rolled up in 2-3 layers.
Such a bag will absorb all the moisture, so that the cereal will be stored for a long time and will not become damp. For a full mince, tape more tape to an emergency storage container.
Our grandmothers as antiseptics for long-term storage of cereals garlic and bay leaf were often used, adding them to the container. They put a few cloves of garlic or a sprig of lavrushka in bags, and thus prevented the appearance of worms and other insects in them.
Loading...