When summer comes and it is hot, storing flour is often a problem. How can I store flour to avoid insect infestation and spoilage?
Read on to discover our tips on how to store flour and flour bags properly. Read on to discover our tips on how to store flour and flour bags properly.
First of all place the flour in a dry, ventilated and low-light place in the cupboard away from heat sources This is because temperature, moisture and light are the main enemies of food preservation. Temperatures below 25°C, low light and moisture are essential to avoid rancid and oxidised flours.
Plastic or, even better, glass containers are useful for this purpose. They will ensure stable humidity and prevent the mixture of odours from others products in the food cupboard. (The flour is like a sponge, it absorbs all smells around it). So you can also store the flour in the fridge to keep the ideal temeprature.
Do not store flour in the same place as rice, legumes and pulses. oder you will establish the perfect conditions for insects to infest and to move from one food to another.
Natural repellentscan be also used in the cupboard to keep insects away For exemple bay leaves or soaked cotton balls in lavender or eucalyptus oilcan be placed near the containers.
If I do not follow these advices, what will it happen?
One of the most commons consequences of poor flour storage is the infestation of butterflies and grain insects. It can sometimes happen that the wholemeal flour rich in fibre and wheat germ becomes rancid. In this case, do not worry. This does not mean that the flour has expired or gone bad, on the contrary this shows that flour is natural, without additives and it has not undergone any treatments.
To solve these problems, modified atmosphere packaging is used because they ensure a longer shelf-life, without loosing the quality and organoleptic properties of the product. In modified atmosfhere packaging, oxygen is replaced by nitrogen, another element present in the atmosphere and suitable for contact with food (more thant 70% of the air we breathe is made up of nitrogen) However when this packaging is opened, all the positive aspects of the modified atmosphere packaging are lost and you should follow the advice you find here.
Expiry date of flour
Another common question concerns the expiry date of flour If I have a bag of expired flour, what does it mean? Can I still use it?
The expiry date specifies the minimum storage time (e.g. “best before”) That is the date by which the flour retains all its properties, if stored properly. Before throwing it away, you should check: if it has stored properly and has no problems, it may have started to lose some properties but it could be good and still be used.
In summury, in summer we advise you not to buy a lot of flour but to buy it more often.