# Storing Croutons



## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Was given massive amount of bread. Will make lots of croutons. What's the best way to store? Would prefer not to freeze. Would canning jar with absorbers work?


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I would vacuum seal them in jars with my Food Saver (the sharp edges might tear a bag). I store crackers and things by that method (store bought and homemade), and it works great. But if you don't have a sealer, the oxygen absorbers might work too. Just make sure the croutons are really good and dry and crispy, otherwise they might get soggy or grow mold. Only put as many in a jar as you'll use in one sitting, or be prepared to put in a new oxygen absorber every time you open it to take some out. 

Maybe someone else will chime in who's actually done them, but that's my best advice. I've been doing food storage for about 40 years now.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

calliemoonbeam said:


> I would vacuum seal them in jars with my Food Saver (the sharp edges might tear a bag). I store crackers and things by that method (store bought and homemade), and it works great. But if you don't have a sealer, the oxygen absorbers might work too. Just make sure the croutons are really good and dry and crispy, otherwise they might get soggy or grow mold. Only put as many in a jar as you'll use in one sitting, or be prepared to put in a new oxygen absorber every time you open it to take some out.
> 
> Maybe someone else will chime in who's actually done them, but that's my best advice. I've been doing food storage for about 40 years now.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

The little barrel looking absorbers; can they be reused?


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Hmm, I honestly don't know anything about the barrel things, only ever seen them in medicine bottles. I'm not sure they're actually even oxygen absorbers, they might be silica gel. Regardless, no, oxygen absorbers cannot be reused. In fact, once you open the package they came in, you only have about 15 minutes before they all lose any effectiveness. 

You need to get all your jars, bags, etc., packed full of food and ready to seal and then open the bag of oxygen absorbers. Set aside only as many as you need and immediately put the rest into a canning jar. If there's a lot of void space, fill it with rice, and then seal that lid quick, lol. This will keep them active for the next time you need some. Then put the absorbers in your food jars or bags and seal them up as quickly as possible. Some people heat their jars in the oven first to make sure the lids seal better, but I can't give you details on that since I've never done it. You can find all kinds of info if you Google it. 

Because the absorbers are so easily deactivated, buy as few as you can to get the amount you need. A 100-cc absorber is about the right size for a canning jar. Most places only sell in packs of 50 or 100, but this place has bags of 25 for $6.49 with free shipping. http://packfreshusa.com/shop/oxygen-absorbers/100cc/ That's not a bad price, in my experience, and it saves you hoping the extra 25 or 50 don't go bad before you can use them. 

If you open a jar to use some of the croutons, don't use them all and want to reseal the jar, you'll need to use a fresh oxygen absorber, so try to plan your jars accordingly. Here's a sort of beginner's tutorial on using oxygen absorbers: http://www.happypreppers.com/oxygen-absorbers.html Hope this helps and good luck!


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