Dumping food from containers into bins for the pantry

NicoleWI · March 2014

This is totally trivial, but I'm trying to organize my new pantry. I keep flour in its bag, in a bin, but I have never actually dumped anything into bins. I never really saw the point and I thought it seemed harder to have to wash out the bin and "re-load" than just to throw away a package. I also like to know the expiration date. It IS hard to scoop baking supplies out of the bag, though.

What do you store in bins and why do you like it? Or, if you tried it and didn't like it, why did it not work for you? Thanks.

LoriLee14 · March 2014

I keep them in the bags. I kept flour in the bins one time and it got little bugs in them. After that flour and cornmeal is kept in bags in the freezer (just like my momma did) and sugar in a bag in the pantry

Spin313 · March 2014

Coffee, sugar, rice, and flour goes in containers

nonoemily · March 2014

I keep dried things like nuts and seeds and beans in canning jars. Anything else goes in ziplock bags or other types of containers. I try not to keep opened packages in the cupboard, because of moths.

DAMN MOTHS.

caybeh · March 2014

I keep flour and sugar in bins. I have brown sugar in a bag in the bin. I haven't had problems yet with bugs in my stuff. Knock on wood....

thechickencoop · March 2014

caybeh said:
I keep flour and sugar in bins. I have brown sugar in a bag in the bin. I haven't had problems yet with bugs in my stuff. Knock on wood....

This is exactly what we do too.

AimeeL85 · March 2014

Right now the only things we dump are Cheerios because DD eats them for snack a lot and it's just easier to open the container and scoop....and also peanuts, the kind with the shell on them, that DH eats a lot. Those are just neater that way.

I do have some things in mason jars, though. Sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, taco seasoning, stew seasoning, quinoa...

I am going to get containers for my different flours this week, also.

ariel06 · March 2014

I have airtight containers for flour, sugar, brown sugar, ect. Nothing is in bags. We bake and cook a lot, so nothing really ever expires. I store lots of other things in mason jars of various sizes.

notreallyirish · March 2014

How often do you wash the containers?

lexusolsen · March 2014

We had a difficult time getting rid of the pantry moths (like scrubbing out and vacuuming cabinets) so everything goes in an airtight container or in the fridge or freezer. We write calories and expiration dates in dry erase marker if we need them.

dmartin726 · March 2014

We use snapware containers. I dump in brown sugar, confectioners sugar, oatmeal, cereals, rice, quinoa, bread crumb, panko, granola. And anything else that I buy that I don't want in it's actual packaging. All my containers match and look uniform in the pantry which I love. I also know as soon as I am getting low on something and the airtight containers help to ward off those damn weevil bugs