Vacuum storage containers.
 

Anyone know if there are large plastic bins available that can be vacuum sealed? What I am thinking of something that can hold dry goods and you hook up a shop vac to it to suck out all the air. Close the vacuum port and your good to go. (Does that description make any sense??)

Re: Vacuum storage containers.
 

The only large containers I've heard of for use with a vacuum cleaner are "space saver" bags. These are meant to store bulky clothing. You put your clothes (i.e., down filled coats) inside the bag, seal it, suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner nozzle, and it shrinks the package by a factor of three or so.

If by "dry goods", you mean stuff like beans, grain, pasta, flour, then your vacuum cleaner will not generate anywhere near enough vacuum to remove oxygen from the container. It would also need to be a VERY strong container (maybe a Pelican type briefcase) to withstand vacuum pressure. Most plastic containers (HDPE / PP / LDPE) are also permeable to oxygen, so you'd be screwed there also.

How about mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, sealed up in 5-6 gallon plastic pails?

Re: Vacuum storage containers.
 

We call them mylar bags, but they actually have a layer of aluminum between two layers of mylar. They will hold a vacuum. Then you store the bags in a container of your choice. You might like the cases at Home Depot. They have a fold-lock top and are stackable, and they are very much more useful after you have eaten the food. The last time I checked they were $8 each, only a little more than plastic buckets.

Re: Vacuum storage containers.
 

Well, yes, they are a mylar/aluminum/mylar "sandwich", and they also have an inner lining of LDPE or some other meltable polymer (to stick things together when you heat seal it). That's the dull looking layer on the inner surface. Easier for me to say "mylar bags":wink:

Do you think the stackable cases would be rugged enough to not collapse under the weight of a full case put on top of another plastic case? I haven't seen them, and wonder. We use similar cases to hold Christmas decorations in our shed, but I'd wonder how rugged they would be when fully loaded.

The Home Despot orange plastic buckets are pretty cheap. They're on sale now for about $3 for the bucket, and about $1 for the lid. Not sure if they're food grade or not, but if you use mylar bags (or whatever we call them), that should be a barrier to any non-food grade release agents used in the manufacture of the pails.