[afreeradical]

How would you store your spaghetti long term? I use mason jars for the smaller pasta, but the spaghetti doesn't fit and I don't want to break it up. I have a spaghetti jar with a rubber seal for immediate use. Ideally I'd like to do 3-4 boxes of spaghetti together instead of bulk storage. I need a creative solution. Vacuum bags?

 

[lotsoflead]

How would you store your spaghetti long term? I use mason jars for the smaller pasta, but the spaghetti doesn't fit and I don't want to break it up. I have a spaghetti jar with a rubber seal for immediate use. Ideally I'd like to do 3-4 boxes of spaghetti together instead of bulk storage. I need a creative solution. Vacuum bags?

I have a couple hundred jars of different pastas stored in vac sealed mason jars. I didn't want to break the spaghetti either, but there's no other way for long term unless you put like 25 pounds on end in a 2 gal pail with mylar and o2 absorbers. besides it gets broke when cooked or ate.

 

[Clarice]

I have mine stored in 1/2 gal. jars. Can never have too much pasta.

 

[Emerald]

Have you tried the tricolored spaghetti yet? it was on sale a few weeks back and I had coupons so I ended up getting a few boxes for free! If I was going to store it for longer than say a year or so I would just take it out of the box and vac-pack it, or vac-pack it into the 1/2 gallon masons.

 

[NaeKid]

I buy my pasta in the plastic-bags instead of in boxes. I can shape the factory package when stuffing into buckets for storage easily enough. I was at Walmart a couple weeks ago and was able to purchase large packages of pasta for $1 per pack ... walked over to the sauces aisle and they had the sauces (store-brand) for dirt-cheap as well, so I snagged a pile of them too.

My buckets are all gamma-seal lidded for easy access.

 

[lotsoflead]

Have you tried the tricolored spaghetti yet? it was on sale a few weeks back and I had coupons so I ended up getting a few boxes for free! If I was going to store it for longer than say a year or so I would just take it out of the box and vac-pack it, or vac-pack it into the 1/2 gallon masons.

we have some tri colored pasta also, but I read somewhere a few yrs ago that it wouldn't store long term like the regulars pasta. I think it is spinach and tomato flavored

 

[GroovyMike]

I leave it in the original containers and so long as it is kept dry and rodent free (in my basement) it is good to go for several years.

 

[afreeradical]

Have you tried the tricolored spaghetti yet? it was on sale a few weeks back and I had coupons so I ended up getting a few boxes for free! If I was going to store it for longer than say a year or so I would just take it out of the box and vac-pack it, or vac-pack it into the 1/2 gallon masons.

I have not tried the tricolored spaghetti. I will check it out. I love other tricolored pastas.

What would you recommend as far as buying a vacuum sealer? My mother in law has a foodsaver, I'm not sure of the size. What would be a good make, model and size for someone who wanted to use it for small long term storage and mason jar vacuum sealing?

 

[afreeradical]

I leave it in the original containers and so long as it is kept dry and rodent free (in my basement) it is good to go for several years.

I have a dirt cellar that gets a little damp in the spring. I was afraid the musty stink might infiltrate the pasta. What do you use for a container to keep the rodents out?

 

[afreeradical]

I have a couple hundred jars of different pastas stored in vac sealed mason jars. I didn't want to break the spaghetti either, but there's no other way for long term unless you put like 25 pounds on end in a 2 gal pail with mylar and o2 absorbers. besides it gets broke when cooked or ate.

What do you use for a vacuum sealer(make model)?

 

[The_Blob]

I have a dirt cellar that gets a little damp in the spring. I was afraid the musty stink might infiltrate the pasta. What do you use for a container to keep the rodents out?

I use a CAT to keep the rodents at bay, it works pretty good!

 

[The_Blob]

Have you tried the tricolored spaghetti yet? it was on sale a few weeks back and I had coupons so I ended up getting a few boxes for free! If I was going to store it for longer than say a year or so I would just take it out of the box and vac-pack it, or vac-pack it into the 1/2 gallon masons.

doesn't it have a much shorter shelf-life? :dunno:

 

[OldCootHillbilly]

I vac seal mine inta 1 gallon mylar bags. I use a foodsaver V2840.

The vac sealed mylar bags be nearly as good a can. Then they go inta 5 gallon buckets er good totes.

 

[Emerald]

doesn't it have a much shorter shelf-life? :dunno:

Don't know--we will probably eat it all up and just put the plain stuff back for storage.

 

[lotsoflead]

What do you use for a vacuum sealer(make model)?

foodsavor V2420 with the jar adapters

 

[BadgeBunny]

Goodness ... ya'll make me feel so lazy sometimes.

I buy my spagetti and elbow macaroni and noodles and such in bulk. The original packaging gets marked with a sharpie with the expiration date first/the buy date second.

I have a big sterlite container (dark colored) labelled for each type of pasta. In the tub it goes. That container is stored in a room that stays dark, cool and dry ... average temp is a little below 60 but usually closer to 55. There are several rodent traps and roach/bug traps along the perimeter of the room but I can't tell you the last time I caught anything except a spider here and there.

Every once in a while (every quarter actually) I open them up and make sure they are still bug free and that all the noodles are actually rotated around with oldest to the front, newest to the back (because I am bad about just tossing stuff where it goes when it comes to the stuff in those containers).

Also ... though some have told me that it is a waste of shelf space NONE of my containers are on the floor. Just a peeve of mine. Stuff gets on the floor and next thing you know you are stacking stuff up on top of it ... you get the picture.

We are eating noodles that are 3 years past the expiration date that are fine.

 

[goshengirl]

We are eating noodles that are 3 years past the expiration date that are fine.

I could be wrong, but I think pasta expiration dates are usually bogus.

 

[Nadja]

I buy lots and lots of sketti and put it in vacum sealed bags. If you want, go on the net, and look around for the Food Saver V3460 I got mine on sale and with shipping and everything to my door, came to about $70.00. Not many bags, but found them on ebay in bulk , resturant supply for really cheap. Three 50' rolls shipped for around $50.00. After it is vacum packed, I then put it in small tubs which will soon be stored under the house on pallets. No smell, no problem with rats.

 

[BadgeBunny]

I could be wrong, but I think pasta expiration dates are usually bogus.

They are ALL wrong if you ask me ... Can you imagine what kind of money people throw out because they trust the expiration dates??

I can't bring myself to waste a lot of money on repackaging something that will be just fine the way it came home with me for a long, long time.

I don't repackage ANYTHING I intend to use within 3 or 4 years. Anything I want to keep longer than that I (like FD or bulk stuff) I just buy already packaged from long term storage places ... like ee ...

Guess I am just lazy. I tried the repackaging thing for a while but it was just a royal PITA to me. Wait, except for meat ... I repackage whatever is gonna be in the freezer for a while into smaller packages that we can use one at a time. But I tend to buy that canned meat for LTS anything in the freezer is only supposed to last not more than year or so.

 

[The_Blob]

... I tend to buy that canned meat for LTS anything in the freezer is only supposed to last not more than year or so.

uh oh...

I just ate frozen venison stew with meat from... 2005! :sssh: