I’ve already filled you in on the importance of keeping things like flour and sugar stocked in your pantry, however to make sure you’re really getting your money’s worth, it’s important to store them properly. We recently found out the hard way what happens when you use flour that’s gone bad. The result was sad chocolate chip cookies. Don’t let sad chocolate chip cookies happen to you. Here’s what you can do to prevent that.

Adorable sad cookie made by shelikescute on Etsy.

Air Tight Canisters: one way to make sure your flour doesn’t go stale and your sugar doesn’t get damp is to transfer it out of the bag it comes in and into air tight canisters. This is the most expensive option, but could also be the most decorative. Who doesn’t love a pretty canister?

And you could even get ones that are nicely labeled like this.

Ziploc Bags: a cheaper option is to keep your flour and sugar in their original packages and just keeping them in gallon Ziploc bags (making sure all the air is out of course).

Of course they don’t have to be name brand…you can get whatever brand you like best, as long as they’ll actually keep the air out.

Whichever method you choose, the important thing is to keep your pantry staples away from the elements. This is especially vital if you live in a humid area, as the moisture in the air can wreck havoc on your dry goods and greatly reduce their shelf-life. Keeping them in sealed containers will also help keep out any unwanted creatures that may find their way into your pantry.  It’s also a good idea to keep note of the sell by date and when you open the package.  Nothing immediately goes bad the day after the sell by date passes, especially something shelf stable like flour and sugar, but if it’s too far past there is a chance that it isn’t good anymore and could affect your recipe.

Bonus tip: if you want to keep wee beasties out of your rice and other grains (like steel cut oats) you can store them in Ziploc bags in the freezer.