#10 cans vs. pales?

[imcurious]

Can anyone tell me whether it is better to use #10 cans or food-grade buckets when creating my food storage?

Thanks!

[HiJolly]

Each have their uses. Whether its pails or cans, it depends on you & your needs. I have both, but generally prefer the cans.

HiJolly

[applepansy]

I use both. Depends on what I'm storing.

[Blocky]

I like the cans because they're easier for me to store since I have a small house with no garage. I put the boxes of #10 cans under my queen bed, it's a perfect fit. Also, I can't imagine using a whole pail of carrots or onions in any understandable time, but I do get through a can of them in a few months-year. The beans and rice would probably be ok in a pail because we go through those fast, but even then I like that if something contaminates the cans, it's only a can and not a pail.

[mirkwood]

I use both. If I am doing the "canning" I use pails. Most of what I purchase is in #10 cans.

[Gwen]

You also need to consider the climate you live in. I'm in a very humid area and the cans will rust in a fairly short time.

[Iggy]

Mirkwood, I know from the other forum that you are super into preparedness, etc., and have a question for you.

I am considering purchasing whole grain wheat through the Church. In the past when I purchased whole grains from Co-ops and at the local Fred Meyer store there were weevils in the grain. I never purchased more than 10 #'s of grain at a time, thus I was able to put it all in the freezer to kill the weevils. Then I picked through the grain to get the dead weevils out(after 2 hours, I lost my squeamishness and just wished that freezing would turn the bugs fluorescent orange so I could find them better & quicker!)

I am curious about if I order a case of #10 cans of whole grain does it actually come in the cans, or in buckets/boxes and then I have to can it? I am prepared to vacuum seal most anything for long term storage.

I already vacuum seal boxes of Rice-A-Roni, spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni, pasta, Hamburger/Tuna/Chicken Helper, etc. Bugs & vermin eat through the cardboard and thin, flimsy plastic packaging. I then store the vacuumed sealed packages in buckets or plastic totes, as they don't stack worth a darn!

[Iggy]

You also need to consider the climate you live in. I'm in a very humid area and the cans will rust in a fairly short time.

Would dipping the cans in paraffin help or would it just invite bugs? Mom poured paraffin on top of the jams and jellies, then covered the jars with a square of foil tied with string dipped in paraffin. When she ran out of string in a pinch she tried waxed dental floss- as long as you don't saw back & forth too much when your tie it, that works great too.

[mirkwood]

You can buy it from the cannery both ways. I have purchased their wheat in #10 cans and also in the 50 lb. bags and put it in buckets myself. I think the most important thing to remember about cannery wheat is that it has only been cleaned one time. Most other brands of wheat you buy has been cleaned 2 or 3 times. The reason this is important is putting cannery wheat in some of the higher end electric grinders will void the warranty. For example, we purchased a Bosch a couple years ago and they told us any use of the cannery wheat voids the factory warranty. I also have purchased some other brands of wheat which is what we grind in the Bosch. If we ever have to use the cannery wheat I have a hand grinder that we will use.

[lds2]

What containers are suitable for longer-term storage of dry products?

Recommended containers for longer-term storage include # 10 cans (available at Church home storage centers), foil pouches (available through Church Distribution Services), and PETE bottles (available commercially). Visit Welfare and Self Reliance Principles | ProvidentLiving.org for additional information on recommended storage containers.

http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7636-1-4104-1,00.html#question_7

The Church used to talk about using the dry ice method with plastic buckets...maybe they still do but I couldn't find the instructions when I looked...

My experience is that if you don't have perfect storage conditions you are usually better off using the cans in a dryer climate. If you are lucky enough to have a "cold storage" area in your basement storage methods are not as important...like some people use diatomaceous earth (food grade) or nothing at all in buckets and report they haven't had problems with vermin. Others say that the mice can eat through the plastic buckets and your back to square one so you should also use mylar bags inside the buckets.

Misc.

Using diatomaceous earth for pest control article

Frequently Asked Questions

Dry Ice Method (There are probably better sources on the web) little blurb on what to do

Family & Consumer Sciences | Cooperative Extension | Publications | Consumer's Guide

If you live near West Valley City, Utah you can get great prices on six gallon buckets, Pete bottles, gamma lids, etc. at Industrial Container Supply

You can from Youtube on using an iron (or food saver I don't know if this works long-term) to store in mylar bags which is the best way to store in buckets...be careful there is also a lot of misinformation there...

I have seen mylar bags at Waltonfeed.com and I'm sure there are other places, you need to make sure they are thick enough

[Cacinok]

You can buy it from the cannery both ways. I have purchased their wheat in #10 cans and also in the 50 lb. bags and put it in buckets myself. I think the most important thing to remember about cannery wheat is that it has only been cleaned one time. Most other brands of wheat you buy has been cleaned 2 or 3 times. The reason this is important is putting cannery wheat in some of the higher end electric grinders will void the warranty. For example, we purchased a Bosch a couple years ago and they told us any use of the cannery wheat voids the factory warranty. I also have purchased some other brands of wheat which is what we grind in the Bosch. If we ever have to use the cannery wheat I have a hand grinder that we will use.

The Church actually cleans their wheat better than most other producers. Who exactly told you that using the cannery wheat would void the warranty? The cannery worker or a Bosch employee?

Most wheat, oats, rice, has weevil eggs - the weevils lay their eggs in the individual pieces of wheat, rice, etc. There are various methods to prevent weevils from hatching. You can freeze, use an oxygen absorber, use dry ice, etc.

If you use buckets and mylar bags, the bag protects the food and bucket protects the bag of food. You do not need to use food grade buckets. The mylar will protect the food from any impurities in the bucket.

Ultimately, whether you use a can or bucket depends on the space you have available.

You can use an iron to seal mylar - I've done over 40 6 gallon mylar bags this way and only two have not sealed properly.

[mirkwood]

The Church actually cleans their wheat better than most other producers.

I've found more debris in my cannery wheat then any other brand I've purchased.

Who exactly told you that using the cannery wheat would void the warranty? The cannery worker or a Bosch employee?

Bosch.

[Cacinok]

I've found more debris in my cannery wheat then any other brand I've purchased.

I've had the opposite experience and have numerous people who I know who've bought wheat from various other sources. A few years back, a group of us placed a 14,000 pound order of wheat w/ the local grainery. We asked them to double wash it and then when we went to pick it up wash it again, they did, but it still was not as clean as the churches wheat.

If Bosch told you that using cannery wheat would void the warranty, then I've lost all faith in Bosch as a wheat grinder company. Our ancient (25 year old) wheat grinder has easily churned through hundreds, if not, thousands of pounds of church wheat w/o a problem.