I was at Sams club today and noticed their basmati rice was cheaper in bulk than what I normally buy in 2 lb packages, so I bought a 20 lb bag. It is Royal brand and comes in a 20 lb burlap sack with a zipper.
Inside the sack is a plastic bag holding the rice. Do I need to store the rice in any special way, or will opening the plastic bag and zipping the zipper be sufficient to ensure it doesn’t spoil or get infected?
I predict a 20 lb bag will last me 2-6 months if that is relevant.
I use a tupperware container to put my rice in, still in the bag, just to prevent against bugs getting into the rice. But I buy smaller bags of rice without a zipper, so maybe you’d be okay with just the bag itself?
I imagine that you will get a great variety of responses on this, so I will just add my data point. I regularly have around 10-15 pounds of rice at any one time that I keep in closed, but not airtight, containers and I have no problems with bugs or spoilage. The rice is split between long-grain white, Jasmine, and brown. I probably go through it all about every couple of months.
I have that exact bag of rice. It’s been sitting in my basement for over a year and a half now. It is fine.
You could split it into airtight containers. I’d probably just buy one of those giant Ziploc bags that are designed to hold sweaters and things and drop the whole bag into it. Then you’d have an extra layer of zipper.
That being said, I keep my rice in a grocery store type bag that’s just twisted closed at the top. I’ve never had anything infest my rice and never had any mold, even after many months.
Asian and Middle-Eastern people I know typically have large bags of rice in the original packaging sitting on the floor or a shelf in a pantry. I buy smaller quantities of rice at a time and if I don’t decant it into a mason jar, it stays in the original bag, sometimes for weeks or months and seems just fine.
Unless you live in a locale that tends to get infested with bugs, I don’t think extra precautions are necessary.
I was told that you can drop a whole bay leaf into a container of grain products and it will prevent weevils from hatching. I don’t know if it would repel other bugs, but it won’t hurt the rice either.
Mormons have this down to a science. For grains I think they purge the filled container with CO2 (possibly using dry ice?) before sealing it. This kills any weevils or other critters, and also reduces oxidation which is part of what makes things go stale.
I Vacuum seal into half gallon mason jars. I do this with Lentils and Couscous as well. There is an attachment you can get thats about 10 bucks and with that and the standard mason jar lids you can seal to your hearts content.
Use freezer type bags - they keep it dry and the bugs out.
I just cooked a pound of this, not very good compared to other brands of jasmine or basmati. 19 pounds left. dammit.
Did you actually read any of the responses people left in response to your OP?
I just bought it yesterday and opened the inner bag a minute before taking some out to cook it.
I use these. Try rinsing the rice before you cook it, that may help.
With that large of a bag, I’d just get a five gallon plastic bucket with a lid and dump it in there.
Cool bag.
If you really want to get fancy, you can purchase and use a rice dispenser.
That said, I grew up eating rice just about every day and we constantly kept two huge bags of rice stored in a 20-gallon aluminum can with a lid. The can sat in the garage just outside the door to the kitchen. We never had problems with rodents or bugs.
But when I moved out on my own, I started storing my bags of rice in the kitchen on a cabinet shelf and I decided it would be easier for me to do so by putting it in a dispenser. Mine is like what the link above is listing as an “Asvel” rice dispenser, which I like because it lets me very clearly see how much I have so I can get more before I run out. It also happens to take up a constant amount of space and not flop around or leak stray grains into the cabinet, all of which are slight nuisances when just keeping it in the original bag.
Then again, your second post seems to suggest you’d rather run out anyway. My condolences!
–G!
I"ve heard other people say Royal brand basmati rice has a peanut flavor, but to me it tastes more like dirt flavor. Maybe it is an acquired taste. I prefer basmati rice because the GI is lower than jasmine (although both jasmine and basmati rice are both excellent and far superior to regular white rice regarding taste). But I may just plow through this bag and if I don’t grow to like it I will donate the rest and go back to the 2 lb bags of walmart brand basmati. I’ve pissed $20 away on dumber stuff before.
As long as it stays dry, I think the major problems would be bugs or animals getting into it. Burlap and plastic bags won’t deter a determined rodent, feline, or canine. I’d suggest putting it in a glass, heavier plastic, or metal container.
Heavy plastic won’t deter a rodent either. i used to keep my rice and pasta in tose heavy plastic jugs that Basmati rice sometimes comes in until I wnet to cook some an picked up the container saw it was empty and it had a big hole chewed in it back corner, same with the pasta.
I would use glass as it wouldn’t impart any taste to the contents.