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Rice, beans, etc. whats the best way to preserve?

6143 Views 32 Replies 23 Participants Last post by  Redneck
Ive seen and read multiple ways to reserve rice,beans etc for a long time. So wanted opinions on what some of you do.

Ive seen mylar bags, coke 2lt bottles, original packing.

So whats the best method to preserve these?
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I use coke/soda/pop 2 liters for my rice. No idea if they're the best or not, but they're Mylar, and very cheap.
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While probably not nearly as good as storing in Mylar with O2 absorbers, I store mine in 1 gallon plastic containers and Mason Jars. Some I have had around for as long as three years. This seems to work out fine for me but unlike a lot of folks...I eat a ton of rice and beans and I am able to rotate through mine pretty quick before it has a chance to go bad on me. I have has some on occasion that was about 4-5 years old on beans. They were still good but were a little hard and a bit firm even after cooking. But hey beans aint never really good until they have been left over and reheated at least a couple of times!

Now on brown rice becuase of the higher oil content, I will make sure I go through it within a years time. The higher oil content kind of seems to put it in the same catagory as pecans, peanuts, walnuts ect... I just store far more white rice than I do brown or wild rice.

This has just been my experience with these two. I am sure there is someone here that might have a little more sound knowledge and reason on storage requirements here. Like I said I blow through mine too quick for it to go bad on me or test out storing any longer.
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Thanks for ther tips. I don't understand what you mean though that your soda 2ltr bottles are mylar? Aren't the plastic?
Thanks for ther tips. I don't understand what you mean though that your soda 2ltr bottles are mylar? Aren't the plastic?
Sorry, I mis-typed earlier. They're not quite Mylar, but look up PET plastic, and you'll see that it and Mylar are very closely related. PET is an oxygen barrier, so it works along the line of Mylar. Used with a oxygen absorber (to absorb oxygen in the bottle), white rice stored in 2-liters can supposedly last for a long ole time.
I leave them in the package and put them package and all in a 5 gallon bucket with the lid sealed. I do the same with dry beans. As for vehetables, I prefer canning over freezing, as canning isn't dependant on a freezer to store.
I have a ton of 2 liters, but thinking of going to 5 gal buckets with a liner. Sure is easier to bug out (vehicle) with 5 gal buckets!
Check out, "sprouting" beans and rice. Its a easy way to prepare them to eat, without cooking them.
We caccum seal ours and place in bucket for now..I plan on a bulk order soon and we will then use mylar zipper bags.
So far I'm done rice in vacuum sealer bags; however, I'm not happy with it. the rice tips can be sharp and poke holes.
so far i'm done rice in vacuum sealer bags; however, i'm not happy with it. The rice tips can be sharp and poke holes.
i gave up on that process 20 years ago.

I use 5 gal food grade pails, load with rice, oxy eaters and then fill with co2.

I posted the details in another thread.

I vacpack beans in a form with oxy eaters then put the bricks in 20mm cans.

Food for thought, if these two are your basic food stores, get veggi oil or canola oil and take a teaspoon a day.

If you intake animal fat you can bypass this.
Be careful with the 2 liter plastic bottles. The plastic can absorb into the rice. It has been shown to cause cancer and other health related problems. I use mylar bags with the o2 eaters. I put the mylar bags into a home depot bucket with lid... I do not see the need for a food grade bucket if the food is in a mylar bag.
I put mine in a Mylar bag in a bucket, I push the air out of the bag throw in 2000 cc of o2 absorer's and seal with an iron. The bag becomes a brick of grain in the bucket as the oxygen in eaten.
My approach to this is a short-term approach, since I do not want to store a year's supply of food (or longer). My preps are aimed at a two-week and one-month time frame. Most of what I am concerned with is a natural disaster - hurricane, tornadoes, ice storm - transient events of limited duration. Although I can envision scenarios where society is disrupted beyond those time frames, in America I do not think we will face a long-term loss of civilization, absent a thermonuclear exchange, in which case food supply may be the least of our worries. I do not prep for absolute worst case as a result -- I aim at the probable versus the possible, just based on my own experience and knowledge.

For rice and beans, I buy canned beans and prepackaged dinner sized rice (such as Rice-a-Roni). We already eat these, so we are used to them and they have long shelf lives. For emergency supplies, I just store them in their original containers on metal restaurant ventilated shelving. It has come in handy during storm events, and we mark expiration dates with Sharpie markers so we eat these before they expire, and replace as we go.

Same thing with nuts, bottled water, canned meats and fish, and Gatorade powder, batteries, etc.

Others I know go further, but they have larger families to feed....

Each person has to individually assess needs and adjust to what confronts them, of course. But for me no elaborate storage beyond original packaging for these items.
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Like alot of others, I store mine in mylsr bags with O2 eaters in 5 gal bucket. Much faster to load into vehicle if needed.
I recently started using 2 liter soda bottles for my grains, etc. Clean/dry them out, then toss a bay leaf and an o2 absorber, then fill with rice, beans or whatever. It works great.
I can my beans. It is so easy just 1- cup dry beans 1- tsp salt fill with water and can 10 lbs. pressure for 90 minutes. They are ready to go. So easy to use...Rice is in 5 gal bucket with Mylar and 02 absorber....
I vacuum seal alot of my stuff.. Keeps it fresh
How about vacuum packing in mason jars with a food saver and jar adapter? Im waiting on the jar adapter to be delivered but plan to do 50 or so pounds of rice like this. Will it work just fine? I know it will be harder to move than in a bucket but I dont plan on leaving my bunker unless absolutly necassary
Yes this will work fine, just jars take up more space and cost more than bags. But are also mouse proof....
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