Note to housewives! How to properly store sugar supplies

Sugar is the main ingredient not only in preserves, desserts and baked goods. Just one pinch highlights sour and salty tastes and adds richness to dishes. In recent years, many studies have been conducted that have proven that this product is harmful to the body, and the “image” of sugar has suffered slightly. But despite this, it remains indispensable and in demand among many housewives.

Buying for future use is a matter of saving for many. But there is a nuance – you need to store large stocks of any products correctly. Otherwise, the savings will be very doubtful. As for sugar, this is an excellent product to buy for future use, because its shelf life is practically unlimited. But the quality of sugar can suffer significantly if stored improperly. Let’s figure out how to store supplies if you have them.

To begin with, it is worth saying that it is important to protect sugar from:

• humidity;
• intense odors;
• pests.

Moisture is the main enemy. Sugar crystals are able to absorb water, causing them to stick together and turn into large sugar lumps that are not so easy to break.

In addition, sugar is able to absorb foreign odors. That is why many confectioners put a vanilla stick in a jar of sugar to get aromatic vanilla sugar without leaving home. But here’s the problem – sugar can absorb a wide variety of odors – from intense spices to musty dampness.

Insects, especially ants, can be attracted to sweet granulated sugar. And where there is one ant, there are dozens, hundreds of others. Getting rid of a column of insects can be quite difficult.

Once you know what to protect your sweet stash from, it becomes easier to understand how and where to store sugar. It is best to keep supplies in a glass container with a lid. It should be washed thoroughly in advance and dried very well (you can additionally sterilize it over steam or in the oven). Jars of 1, 2, 3 and even 10 liters are perfect for storage. If you are planning long-term storage, the jars can be sealed to ensure that the sugar does not get wet.

An alternative can be plastic containers. Small supplies can be stored in containers of a couple of liters. But if you have a lot of sugar, use food grade buckets or barrels that have airtight lids. It is important here that the plastic is of high quality and food grade, since sugar can absorb the unpleasant odor from containers. The container preparation stage must also be thorough – the containers must be clean and completely dry.

Separately, I would like to say that storing sugar in plastic bags or factory bags is not the best idea. The integrity of such packages can be easily damaged, which means that moisture, odors and pests can reach the sugar with lightning speed. Also, do not pour sugar into metal containers, as sugar can corrode the metal.

Note: small supplies of white or brown sugar, as well as powdered sugar, can be stored in ziploc bags. This is convenient and saves space in kitchen cabinets.

So, once you’ve sorted out your storage containers, all that’s left to do is find a suitable location. This could be a pantry or any other place where it will be convenient for you to place all your supplies. It should be:

• cool (but not too cold!);
• dark;
• dry

And remember that with careful preparation of the container and place, you can store sugar for years or even decades, if necessary.