Top Three Ways to Store Flour Long-Term

Have you been looking for new ways to store your food, particularly flour? If so, you need to keep reading this to find some of the best ways that you can keep your flour fresh for up to 20 years!

We have all experienced an unsettling shortage of food throughout the pandemic, and it’s clear that those who were prepared for emergencies really had the upper hand. Preppers who were utilizing the best storage methods, such as mylar bags, had less to worry about when basic food essentials like flour were scarce.

There is no way around the fact that flour is a worldwide food essential. There are so many different types of food that can be prepared using flour. So, storing it correctly for an emergency is crucial. Even if you don’t have anything else to eat, bread, salt, and some wine can do the trick! 

But how can you extend the life of your flour from months to years? Here are a few ways. 

• Vacuum Sealing

This is one of the most common ways to store flour long-term. Vacuum sealing increases the shelf-life of flour by 1-2 years. 

It is easy to store flour long-term if you have the right type of vacuum sealing bags and machine. However, you should keep in mind that these bags are not leak-proof. So, even if you do vacuum seal, air can still get inside of the bag.

Another thing to consider is that even the flour you just bought from the supermarket could already have insect eggs, and vacuum sealing cannot remove them. Vacuum sealing can only prevent live insects from entering your flour.

There are a few steps that you can take to kill insect eggs before you vacuum seal your flour. You can start by pouring flour into the vacuum seal bag, use the vacuum seal machine to vacuum it, and then pop it in the freezer. 

Vacuum sealed bags must be kept in the freezer for about 96 hours to kill insect eggs. You must then remove the bag from the freezer, bring it to room temperature, and store it in a dry place. 

• Freezer

You always have the easy option of storing your flour in the freezer. The shelf-life of flour is indefinite when you store it this way. If you chose to go this route, you need to make sure that you store the flour in air-tight containers to avoid condensation.

Before you can use the flour, you need to bring it to room temperature. If you find your flour has become damp, you can spread it out on a baking sheet and heat it in the oven at 200F for a half hour, or longer, depending on the level of moisture. 

• Mylar Bags

Finally, we have the best way to store flour or any dry food materials—Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. 

Made with metallic components, Mylar bags are light-blocking and moisture proof! They can prevent moisture and sunlight from entering your flour, while oxygen absorbers suck up any oxygen that is present in the bag. This prevents the hatching or growth of insect eggs.

By using Mylar bags, you can store flour and other dry ingredients for up to 10-15 years. However, the quality of your Mylar bags matters when you are trying to store flour long-term.

If you are prepping for an emergency, or simply want to keep your flour fresher for longer, you should prioritize buying high-quality and sturdy Mylar bags.

At Wallaby, we believe that everyone should have the right resources to prepare for an emergency. This starts with effectively storing food in Mylar bags that you can trust. Flimsy, thin and poorly made bags cannot be trusted when it comes to long-term food storage, which is why we engineer our bags with an added internal layer of aluminum foil for superior durability and puncture resistance. 

For more tips on food storage and supplies, visit our blog or browse our food storage solutions.