Packaging Pasta for Long Term Storage

We had an old freezer that was using too much electricity, we were gifted a very nice, larger freezer. I cleaned it all up (the old freezer) and it’s in the corner of our basement - holding all our dry goods! I put the stuff in the freezer for a few days, then over into the non-working one. Seems to be working good so far. I got the idea from my Mom (she’s in her mid-80’s). Smart cookie. 😊

I like to store my pastas in big popcorn tins. My in-laws gave us a tin of prepopped popcorn each year and I washed them and dried them thoroughly first. They work great!

If your potato chips get stale, put them on a cookie sheet and put in the oven on 200 for about 5 minutes. Like new.

Pam/Audience. With your long spag and sharp edge types of noodles. Leave them in the original package and wrap them with several layers of plastic wrap, THEN put them in to your mylar bags with oxy abs. Then you can put your mylars in a white bucket. The long and sharp edge types will sometimes poke holes in your mylar. Spend a few extra moment and pennies to secure your long term foods!😉

Thanks for the latest post. My experience has taught me that if the mice can smell something interesting in a plastic container they will try to get into it. I think it is their job to do so. Gaskets sound like a really good idea. PS Please don't be embarrassed to share the mouse invasion, I was inspired to check my pantry and found that I needed to pay attention to what was going on. Thank you very much!!

The fact that you have to explain that your counter is clean, is just crazy to me! You're a clean freak, and it'd probably be safer to eat off your floor than on most restaurant plates!

I kept a big refrigerator that broke and store all my dry goods in it. Free metal box.

We had a rodent problem and they did chew through the plastic to the food. We had to start putting mylar bagged foods in metal trash cans. We bought the small ones to keep the weight down. Expensive ... but not as expensive as replacing the food!

I read an article about using dried bay leaves to keep bugs out of flour, cereal, etc. I placed some on my pantry shelves. I realized that winter that there was no signs of mice. 2 years later and still no mice.

For pasta I use 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids. I separate the Costco pasta packs into shapes, one bucket per shape. I am not a big pasta eater, but it stores well and pasta is a comfort food and a meal stretcher. 😊

We are serious pasta eaters so we have tons of it. We store in sealed mylar bags in 5 gal storage buckets, 1/2gal Mason jars sealed, vacuum sealed food saver bags and some in those #10 cans from the lds storage center. Pasta pasta everywhere. Lol

Perfect timing - We just bought 36, 1lb bags of pasta for $.99/ ea; the last store in the area to have 16 ounce bags at this price in the area and pasta at this unit price. Thier stock of 16 oz bags was dwindling and being replaced 14 oz bags for the same price. We bought a case each of the remaining 3 types left.

From what I have read mice won't chew through unless they can smell it. I think that is why peppermint oil is good. It messes up their "smeller".

Pam, I use up the little bits and pieces of pasta in vegetable/beef soup. It’s an easy way to use them up and not waste anything.

Bins that do not have a gasket can be sealed very well with a 1/4" door gasket along the top edge of the container. I also covered the opening and door gasket with press and seal cling wrap then the lid. this worked very well.

I personally prefer glass jars for food storage. I know not everyone can do their food storage into glass jars, but because I did a recycling project at my job a long time ago. The things I learned were astonishing. All plastics are air permeable long term. All plastics off gas the life of the plastics. Now I try to buy as much as I can in glass and that is hard to do. However I will repackage things I am able to into glass jars. :) My biggest frustration is storing water. I am now looking into a stainless steel water barrel to store my water.

We keep our dogfood in metal trash cans to keep the mice out. Perhaps I should use them for food storage too.

We had mice chew through a large plastic bin, so we store them in metal garbage cans now

Last year I bought a bunch of pasta I opened packages and put the pasta in glass jars gallon and half gallon jars then then vacuum seal

Rose Red, I've learned quite a bit from your video's. But if I may make a suggestion. Though you've sealed up the containers for pasta, there may be bugs and their eggs in the packaging prior to you acquiring it. I myself store all packages in the freezer for 3 days prior to placing it in sealed bins...