Heat, humidity, light, so many elements that can make flour unusable. So here’s what you need to know about the best way to store flour.
The trick to keeping flour longer
A widely used ingredient for the preparation of various breads, dishes and desserts, flour is rightly considered the basic ingredient of our diet and therefore an essential food in the pantry. So essential, it has continued to be available in several types and varieties: wheat flour, almond flour, corn flour, rice flour, white flour, semi-complete flour or wholemeal flour. So many varieties that end up in your pantry and most of the time go unused or little used. Wrongly considered as a non-perishable food, flour can nevertheless present some risks of fermentation and mold if it is poorly preserved.
Generally, the best use-by date for flour is between 6 months and a year, but only if it has been stored in good conditions. Namely, enclosed completely hermetically, in a place at room temperature and protected from humidity. Otherwise, by being poorly preserved, the flour could undergo a change of color, give off an unpleasant odor and be infested with food moths. Obvious signs of rancidness and fermentation.
To avoid getting there and wasting a whole quantity of flour; especially if you have barely opened the package, there is a practical trick, simple and within everyone’s reach: the freezer.
Flour preparations – Source: spm
The freezer to optimize the conservation of your flour
To prevent your flour from spoiling and eventually going bad, it will need to be kept away from hot and humid places. It is therefore necessary to keep your flour usable as long as possible and what better than to keep it in your freezer. Indeed, keeping a dry food such as flour in the freezer away from any heat source, prevents moths and food larvae from investing in your flour and laying their eggs there.
The freezer will not only protect the flour from temperature variations to which it may be subject, but also from the proliferation of various insects which may find refuge there.
How to properly store your flour in the freezer?
Beyond being a safe place to store all kinds of food, the freezer also slows down or even stops the production of microbial activity. Also, freezing can be a great way to keep some flours, such as wholemeal, fresh.
As you will have understood, the most important thing will be to protect your flour well so that it does not take on moisture. It is therefore essential to avoid certain mistakes before freezing your flour. Thus, it is not recommended to place the package of flour directly in your freezer, even if the flour has not yet been consumed. To proceed in the best possible way, it will be necessary to follow the following steps:
Note and depending on the quantity of flour needed for each of your culinary preparations, you can distribute it in several small freezer bags by adding on the label, in addition to the freezing date, the quantity present in each of them. between them. This will save you from having to use your kitchen scale every time you use it.
To thaw your flour, it is possible to place it in the refrigerator and then leave it at room temperature. To be sure that it has not deteriorated despite being stored in the freezer, it is useful to check its smell and texture to find out if it is still suitable for consumption.
A freezer – Source: spm
Thanks to this ingenious trick, you will have the possibility of keeping your flour longer and its freshness, depending on its variety, but also of preventing the proliferation of food moths which can lead to its mold.
