I have saved up about two dozen extra-large pickle jars. I've made sure that they are clean and sanitized. I was thinking about using them to store dry goods, such as pastas, beans, rice and grains. I don't own or have access to a vacuum machine to thoroughly seal them. I was wondering, if I put some dry ice in the jar for a few minutes to force out all the oxygen before putting the lids on, would this benefit in making the food keep longer? Should I even be worried about oxygen in the jars in the first place?
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Question about dry goods storage
- Thread starter rapture
- Start date
Yes, and yes. The absence of oxygen will keep any critters dead/out and help keep the food from deteriorating as quickly.
Remember two things though: Dry ice expands, so don't seal the lid before it completely turns into a gas or *kaboom*.
Glass breaks easy, and if it does (even a little bit) the food is ruined. I would go with plastic, but that is just me. I have had *awesome* luck with this company:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pr...gory_name=20327&product_id=26588&clickid=land
Thank you for the advice. I had planned on waiting for the dry ice to completely turn to gas before finally putting the lid on the jar to prevent explosions, but I'm glad you pointed that out in case someone else reading this wasn't aware of that fact.
There are some gadgets - Pump'n'Seal <http://www.pump-n-seal.com/> is one - that permit you to pull a vacuum through a jar lid. A little flap of tape seals the pinhole in the lid when the tool is withdrawn. Note that most plastics, primarily polyethylene (HDPE and PET) are "airtight" but not impermeable to oxygen, so metal lids are better for longterm storage - if they don't rust through from cellar damp. Obviously, for primers and for foods whose deterioration might involve generation of CO2, plastic jars are a lot more sensible.
That being said, there really is not a lot of oxygen present in a well-filled container.
That being said, there really is not a lot of oxygen present in a well-filled container.
As a homebrewer, one trick I use is running my CO2 line from my kegarator into the bucket and gassing it that way. Another trick is the O2 absorbing packets, they tend to work well from what I hear, but I have not used them. http://www.majorsurplus.com/Oxygen-Absorbers-50-Pack-P14384C1987.aspx
