In order to save time and money, I like to buy foods in bulk. One of the items I like to buy in bulk is rice. I usually get it from Sams in either a 25 or 50 pound bag. Before I go any further, let me state that I have not done the proper research to know exactly which rice is the healthiest and best for my family. For now, this is just a budget-friendly option that I choose.
As you can imagine, this large of a bag takes my family a few months to go through (we use a lot of rice!). I usually bag it into gallon size bags and freeze it until I'm ready to use it. This time I decided to use my air-tight sealer and some half-gallon jars I had on hand. I kept one jar open for use and sealed another 7 jars. I dated the top and will store these in my pantry.
Again, I haven't done a ton of research on this option. I have seen that you can just simply seal them without any oxygen absorbers. This should keep the bugs and pests out and also help it remain fresh. However, for super long-term storage (like 10+ years), I think I'd prefer to add the oxygen absorbers for that extra bit of preservation.
Here are the supplies I used (other than the rice):
Vacuum Sealer - this is just a generic link. My sealer is so old it is no longer available. It is a Black & Decker brand. Just be sure the sealer you use has an way to hook up an external hose for jar sealing.
Oxygen Absorbers (optional)
There really isn't much to it. Just fill the jars with a little bit of head space. Attach the hose to the sealer, put the lid onto the jar, place the sealer firmly on top, and hit the seal button. Once the seal is completed, I have found it best to disconnect the hose first, then remove the top (what fits over the lid) off of the jar. Otherwise, the top seems to want to undo the seal and take the lid with it. This doesn't happen every time, but when I remove the hose first, it almost never happens.
Then, just remember to store the jars in a cool, dark place.
This post is where I got my information for getting started. It states to either air-tight seal or use the oxygen absorbers. It also gives tips on proper storage.
Happy Storing!
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