In addition to all kinds of bugs and moths that live in different types Bulk cereals are at risk of becoming bitter and tasteless when cooked. Each cereal has its own shelf life, during which it retains its taste qualities, appearance And beneficial features. For example, rice, the shelf life of which according to the manufacturer’s packaging is 12 months, is still best not to be stored for more than six months. Buckwheat can be stored for a longer period - up to one and a half years. Manna and oatmeal are most at risk of unwanted organisms appearing in them, so it is better to make such reserves for a period of no more than 5-6 months.
Place cereals on long-term storage recommended in autumn. At this time, the risk of buying old-harvest cereals (which, accordingly, is already lying on the shelves of stores and warehouses) is much lower than in the spring. Cereals from fresh harvest have a maximum supply of vitamins.
Buying cereals in Not large quantities, it is recommended to sort them out at home and only then put them into storage. However, there is an effective and inexpensive way to secure your supplies - put a bag of cereal in freezer or on the balcony (if the temperature outside is negative). The cereal freezes, and possible larvae die in it. After this procedure, it will be stored for quite a long time.
Basic rules for storing cereals
When planning to stock up on bulk goods, it is important to pay attention to what they will be stored in and at what temperature. Having chosen the optimal place and method of storage, it is better to resort to additional tricks in order to certainly rid yourself of unwanted animals.
Storage method
Glass or ceramic dishes are better suited for storing bulk goods than containers made of other materials. The simplest, fastest and cheapest option is to use traditional glass jars for conservation. It is important to consider that you should not close such containers with plastic lids. Instead, it is better to use a piece of linen, cotton fabric or gauze folded in several layers. An elastic band or ribbon will help secure the fabric into a lid. This design will allow the cereal inside the jar to “breathe” and prevent the appearance of a stale, rotten smell.
Storage
Under the influence of light, and especially direct sun rays, the product deteriorates. Containers with cereals must be placed in a dark, dry place. In the kitchen, this is often the kitchen cabinet (it is recommended to leave the jars in the lower cabinets, where it is cooler). There is always quick access and cereals are at hand during cooking. Bulk in large quantities can be left in the pantry, provided that all kinds of chemicals and toxic substances are not stored in it.
Secrets when storing cereals
You can prevent the appearance of bugs and unpleasant odors by placing a jar at the bottom Bay leaf or pod hot pepper. You can easily get rid of excess moisture, which can spoil the cereal, with the help of salt - a bag of natural fabric with salt inside, you need to put it on the bottom of the jar, and pour the cereal on top.
When planning to store cereals at home, you should adhere to the basic rules. Bulk, left in a glass container with access to air, which is placed in a dark, cool place, will retain its beneficial properties for a longer period.
I don’t think there’s much need to talk about the benefits of cereals. These are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber products are on the menu of almost every family. It’s so great to eat a bowl of oatmeal or millet porridge for breakfast and get a boost of energy for a long time.
But we, as housewives, often have to decide problem of storing bulk products. After all, if you leave cereals in open bags, uninvited guests can lodge in them, and taking out and arranging bags, from which something constantly spills out, is not very pleasant.
What should you store cereals in?
1. Special glass jars with airtight lids. Now on sale great amount beautiful and functional containers for storing cereals. But if you don’t have the opportunity to purchase them, I assure you that ordinary glass jars with lids are no worse. You can stick on beautiful stickers with inscriptions or buy multi-colored lids.
2. Plastic containers Also quite suitable for storing bulk products. And you don’t have to buy them either. If you still have ice cream or mayonnaise buckets with sealed lids, feel free to pour cereal into them, after thoroughly washing the container.
3. Plastic bottles. What craftsmen do from plastic bottles! So they can be useful for storing cereals. You can just fall asleep bulk products into bottles, or you can modernize them a little by cutting off the neck and adapting the bottom of another bottle as a lid.
Small secrets for storing cereals:
- Cereals should be stored in a hermetically sealed container.
- To prevent bugs from getting into the cereal, you can:
– before storing the cereal in a jar, heat it in a frying pan or keep it in the freezer for a day
– place unpeeled garlic, bay leaf or lemon zest on top of the cereal
– Place a piece of foil or a spoon into the flour.
- If the storage rules are followed, buckwheat, rice, pearl barley, and millet can be stored for a very long time. It is better not to buy semolina and oatmeal for future use.
- If you do not store the cereal in its original packaging, it would be a good idea to mark the expiration date on the container.
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“Business Slavyansk” has collected useful tips for you on how to properly store cereals, in other words, what conditions need to be created so that they can be stored for a long time and without problems.
Do not store them in plastic or paper bags, in which you bought them, because the bag can tear, the cereal will crumble, and when you collect it, garbage will naturally fall into it, no matter how hard you try. Cereals in plastic bag may “suffocate”, since a special perforated bag is required for its storage. Therefore, purchased cereals should be immediately poured into a dry, clean glass or metal container. If the grain requires it, you need to sort it out immediately; this will make the cooking process take much less time later.
From time to time you need to open cans of cereal and check them for pests. Do not eat already spoiled cereals.
What pests can you encounter in the kitchen and in cereals? Granary weevils, Surinamese flour beetles, bread borers and other pests can happily settle here. For humans, in principle, they are not dangerous, but they are unpleasant. These are bugs that can appear in your cereal for several reasons.
If you want the pests to forget their way to you, place a few cloves of garlic (in the peel) in a container with cereal. When storing cereals, starch and flour, place gauze bags with salt on the bottom of the container, and on top - dry lemon zest, bay leaf leaves or chestnut (one of three products). A piece of foil or an ordinary iron spoon placed in a container of cereal/flour helps well against bugs. You can put a pod hot pepper, it protects rice not only from pests, but also from mustiness.
Containers: making a choice
Metal jars. They, of course, look stylish and high-quality, but such containers have their own drawback - they can easily rust, and this will not happen from water, but simply over time. Not only does it look unsightly, but also harmful oxidation processes will be dissipated onto your cereal, thereby not adding beneficial and taste properties, but rather the opposite. Stainless steel jars will not cause such problems.
- Plastic- a completely convenient and appropriate option, they often have an attractive appearance, and also boast an important advantage - they are very light, which is why the load on the cabinets is minimal. When there are 10 jars on one shelf, then, you know, this fact will play a significant role in literally this word. Alternatively, regular plastic bottles from under the water.
- Glass containers. Probably one of the best and optimal options. Modern glass jars for cereals have a stylish design; they may differ in price, but if you don’t chase brands, you can choose a completely decent option at a very reasonable price. And in general it is believed that ordinary jars with lids can also be used as containers for storing cereals.
- Ceramic containers. Also an excellent and very stylish option, it is believed that this best solution for storing any bulk products.
Naturally, all these containers must have a good sealed lid that will close tightly without leaving any gaps. By the way, in addition to special containers, ordinary linen bags are excellent for such purposes, which must first be soaked in a saline solution and then ironed. You can put the cereal in a bag directly into a glass or any other container, so you will definitely forget about bugs and other annoying insects.
Video survey of Slavyansk residents:
We do not allow bugs and other pests
We sorted out the containers, everyone made their choice, but that’s not all. It turns out that in order for cereals to be stored for as long as possible, and at the same time, everything will be done without bugs, as well as the development of unpleasant odors, you need to resort to some tricks.
Not all grains last the same long time. For example, rice can easily be stored for years without harm, but buckwheat can be stored for no longer than 20 months. Millet is not long-lived at all, but in order for the porridge to turn out tasty, it can be stored for no more than 4 months, otherwise later the cereal will taste bitter and taste bad unpleasant smell. Cereals They also don’t last long, optimally 4-5 months, especially if it’s muesli with various additives.
To prevent bugs from infesting the rice and to prevent it from giving off a musty smell, place a pod of hot pepper in the container. If there is no pepper, then a few cloves of garlic will do, and you do not need to peel off the top skin from them.
Another method that is suitable for all cereals is to use gauze bags of salt, which can be placed at the bottom of the container. Some housewives add dry bay leaf or lemon zest, which is also very effective.
If the bugs still started
Flour usually contains “living creatures” when the humidity is too high. This indicator is easy to determine. You need to pay attention to whether the flour squeaks between your fingers: if not, its moisture content is increased.
If it was still infected, it must be sifted through a fine sieve, then poured onto clean paper in a three-centimeter layer, and then dried in the oven. Pay attention to the temperature - it should be no more than 50 o C, otherwise the flour will no longer be suitable for baking. After drying, it is poured into a paper or cloth bag, which is placed in another one. The bottom of the second bag should be lined with calendula flowers. They are excellent at repelling insects. Garlic cloves can also solve the problem of bugs.
If you have been infested with insects semolina, then everything can be fixed. You need to sift it through a large sieve, and then fill it with water (slightly salted). After some time, the larvae and worms will emerge. It will not be possible to dry such cereals, but you can still cook the porridge or add it to meat cutlets instead of bread.
If buckwheat is infected, then you have to sort out the cereal, then rinse it thoroughly cold water and put it in the oven to dry. Heat it at 60 o C, and when it cools down, you need to pour the buckwheat into a linen bag and take it to the cold, for example, to the balcony. There it will be perfectly preserved until the summer.
Millet can be stored for up to 4 months, then the outer shell of the grain, as a rule, deteriorates. This is what you need to try to get rid of. Millet should be washed in cold water, then pour boiling water and leave for 4 hours. After that it is poured warm water, add a little baking soda(1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) and grind the cereal with your hands. Now it can be washed and dried in the oven.
Thus, spoiled cereals can always be saved. But it is better to prevent the appearance of insects.
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Thriftiness is a trait inherent in both the real owner and the person. Unfortunately, there are not always conditions for long-term storage various cereals and other products in large quantities and for quite a long time.
But turning to the old folk recipes you can find ways to store not only apples, potatoes or tomatoes, but also various types cereals, which are without a doubt one of the most consumed products. As an example, we will prepare buckwheat, and instead of a basement we use a regular balcony for this.
Using a freezer, even after three days, cannot guarantee the extermination of pests, therefore, to be completely sure of the result, it is better to use an oven. To do this, pour the cereal in an even layer onto a baking sheet and place it in the oven. But do not pour more than 1 kg at a time. This is necessary so that the buckwheat heats up evenly, both in the middle and on top or bottom. Set the temperature to 150 degrees and, stirring as it heats, hold it for 30 minutes. Some “craftsmen” use a microwave instead of an oven. It is strictly not recommended to do this, since almost immediately the cereal begins to burst the way popcorn does.
To prevent the cereal from becoming damp during long-term storage
Let the buckwheat cool on its own, after which we prepare a napkin bag in which we wrap 3 tablespoons of table salt.
If you do not want the bag to unfold and the salt to spill out, tie it with regular thread, but do not forget that its size should be such that it fits freely into the neck of the prepared bottle.
If you are afraid that the napkin may tear, replace it with a cotton rag or gauze, which needs to be rolled up in 2-3 layers.
Such a bag will absorb all the moisture, thanks to which the cereal will be stored long time and will not get damp. For complete stuffing, tape more tape to an emergency storage container.
Our grandmothers as antiseptics for long-term storage croup Garlic and bay leaves were often used, adding them to the container. They put a few cloves of garlic or a sprig of bay leaf in the bags, and thus prevented the appearance of worms and other insects in them.
Although most cereals are quite cheap, many people get very upset when they find bugs and midges in their kitchen cupboards. These insects multiply very quickly: if they start in a bag with one cereal, then within a couple of weeks they will “occupy” the entire cupboard.
If insects are found, you have to throw away all the contents. kitchen cabinet. You can not only fight bugs and midges, but also prevent their appearance. The rules for storing cereals are quite simple, and if every housewife adheres to them, she will not have to constantly throw away fresh food.
How to deal with bugs?
Cereals are ideal products for the reproduction of insects such as bread borers, Suriname flour beetles, granary weevils. They quickly leave traces of their vital activity, which not only spoils the taste of food, but also often leads to poisoning. What causes bugs to appear in cereal bags? They may already be in the cereal when you buy it at the store. Manufacturers are required to process cereals before packaging, but, unfortunately, they do not always do this.
Many housewives, after purchasing cereal, warm it up or put it in the freezer for a day. So, if you buy cereal by weight, such manipulations will help reduce the risk of bugs breeding.
It should be noted that bugs appear not only in cereals, but also in dried fruits brought from Central Asia. Before storing, rinse and dry prunes, raisins and dried apricots in the oven, and then store dried fruits separately from cereals.
Shelf life
- Semolina, rice, buckwheat and flour can be stored at home for no more than six months.
- Hercules, oatmeal, kernels and millet are stored for only four months.
- And polished rice can be kept on a shelf in a cupboard for several years.
- Millet, rolled oats, oatmeal and buckwheat are stored only in a cool place at a temperature of 18 degrees. These cereals contain vegetable fats oxidizing in heat. If you store them at high temperature, over time they will become bitter.
Best packaging
The best “packaging” for storing cereals is linen bags boiled in a salty solution. The fabric allows the grains to “breathe”, and the salt prevents mold and insects from entering the bags.
Another a good option for storage - plastic or glass containers that are hermetically sealed with lids. To prevent worms from appearing in cereals, place a clove of garlic in the container with the product. IN winter period Cereals can be stored on the balcony in large, tightly closed containers.
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