Storing food bought in bulk

January 7, 6:42 AMSoutheast MI Home & Living ExaminerJackie DiGiovanni

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I got back from a local store that sells dry foodstuff in bulk. I was especially enthusiastic in making selections. That is code for I bought a lot of food. Now how do I store it?

I know the dried rice needs to be in a closed container in the refrigerator. I know the dried beans need to be in a closed container in the freezer.

I kept staring at plastic bags with twist-ties full of corn meal, biscuit mix, table salt, whole wheat noodles, and so on. I would have been so proud to have a collection of tall, large, or otherwise right-sized glass or plastic containers. I applaud everyone who has a great stash.

The not-so-stylish solution I found was empty plastic coffee jugs, the two-pound size. (I freely admit I don’t grind coffee beans.) I had two jugs waiting to go out with recyclables. I rewashed them, dried them, and put the plastic bag inside. Easy fit. I put stick-on labels to tell me which was which. These jugs even stack up in the cupboard.

I really must rethink the multi-purpose aspects of the container before I buy food or before I decide to pitch the empty. Maybe buying the extra large jar of peanut butter, jelly, or mayonnaise is a very good idea. It is possible the jar of ready-made spaghetti sauce is a purchase that keeps on giving.

What do you use to store bulk food purchases? What containers do you use to store left-overs?