Food you store in Superpails is optimally packed to control air, light, humidity and pests. In general, low oxygen, dark, dry and pest-free conditions are what you’re shooting for when putting away food for future use. Add cool (ideal is 40° – 50°F) to the mix for the best longevity.

Superpails are food grade opaque plastic buckets that come in a variety of sizes and colors: 1 gallon up to 6 gallons. In the example below, we’ll use a 5 gallon bucket. Food grade buckets are available from many retailers, like US Plastics.You can store approximately 40lbs of wheat or rice in a five gallon pail, or 30lbs of beans. So this is a great way to pack your bulk food purchases.

“I reuse my superpails and the mylar linings wipe down easily. All of the packaging is reusable – it doesn’t even go to a recylcing center. So if I combine the reusability of my materials with the savings on packaging when I buy bulk, I figure it reduces my family’s ecological footprint from Sasquatch to about a women’s size 9M.”
– Irma Geddon

Superpail Steps

  1. First, wash out your pail with a small amount of regular dish soap and warm water. Don’t use a strong cleanser or too much soap, otherwise the plastic will absorb the odor of the cleanser. Let the bucket air dry. When it is dry and odor free, you’re ready to pack it.
  2. Place a large mylar bag in your pail. Mylar bags are reusable and come with different tops: reclosable (ziploc) style and heat sealable. Both types of bags are available through numerous food storage vendors, like AAOOB foods. We recommend storing food this way as it gives your stock another moisture barrier and superior air tightness.
  3. Pour about half of your rice, beans, wheat, or whatever food item you wish to store in the mylar bag. Shake the pail up a bit, so the contents can settle. Then, do the same with the remaining half. Leave as little empty space as you can from the top of the pail, but be sure to have enough room to accomodate the lid and the top of the mylar bag.
  4. Sealing the mylar bag depends on the style of top you’re working with. But in either case (ziploc or heat sealed), you’ll want to vacuum pack your food before closing it entirely, so be sure to leave the last inch or two of the bag unsealed. With a ziploc bag, simply engage the seal strips and run your fingers across the top of the bag. With a heat sealed bag, use a hot iron to melt the two sides of the bag together against an ironing board. The mylar melts easily and quickly so be sure not to apply the iron too long. A quick pass along the top of the bag is usually sufficient.
  5. To vacuum pack, use your home vacuum cleaner to draw air out of the bag by putting the end of the hose (or a vacuum hose attachment) through the unsealed space you left in your mylar bag. Be sure to clean the part of the vacuum hose you insert into the bag prior to using it. Turn the vacuum on. You’ll see the mylar bag draw in and flatten as the air is sucked out of the space. Withdraw the vacuum hose and quickly seal the small opening.
  6. Put the air tight lid on your Superpail. If you want to add oxygen absorbers, go ahead and toss a couple in, before closing the lid.
  7. Label your Superpail. Include the date the pail was packed, the expected expiration date, the name of the contents, its weight (bathroom scales work well if the pail is over 20#) and if you put in oxygen absorbers be sure to note this on the label.
  8. Your Superpail is almost ready for your shelf. But first freeze it for 72hrs to kill off any weevils or insect eggs that might be present. You’ll need to repeat the 72 hour freeze again in 3 weeks, to kill any lingering eggs. Indicate on label the dates that the contents were frozen.
  9. Now your Superpail is ready for its home in a cool storage area.