# Food grade 5 gal buckets



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The local donut shop was selling these for ONE dollar each, with lids! Used to hold icing and donut filling. I finally got around to washing 1, after letting it dry real well I put 2 bags of flour and a bag of cornmeal in it. Since the temp is dropping I'm going to set the bucket in our guest house (unheated) where the little flour buggies can freeze. 

I need to wash another so I can store sugar in it. 

If storing bagged beans in a bucket would you leave them in the bag? Why or why not? I've got some bagged dry beans I would like to put in a bucket and I'm not sure which way to go. Some are bean soup mixes and some are plain beans.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I have two current sources for those frosting buckets... neither charges.

I store multiple kinds of beans in the buckets, so I of course keep them in the bags.


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## Vashti (Dec 22, 2006)

Every time we go to Safeway we stop by there bakery and ask for their empty icing buckets..love those freebies!



> I store multiple kinds of beans in the buckets, so I of course keep them in the bags.


Me too!


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## FrontPorch (Mar 27, 2008)

What exactly do you mean by storing them in the bag? What kind of bag are you referring to? I store my bulk items inside a mylar bag inside a bucket. Inside the mylar I have oxygen absorbers. I don't store it in it's original packaging.

BTW, does anyone know if the 5 gallon buckets from Lowes are food grade?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

yes still store everything in the donut icing buckets in a food grade bag i get the largest size from the menonite bulk store they are just right they hold about 25 of flour not in a bucket , for what ever reason the platic holds the smell of donut icing for a long time , but they are good buckets with the gasket in the lid 
i use them for flour, sugar, oatmeal and other things they tend to hold right about 25 pounds give or take for sugar and about 20 for flour

they are not how ever 5 gallon usually , but 4 gallon at least the ones i get.

i would also store beans in a bag in the bucket

if you put it in a bag inside the bucket the lowes buckets should be fine.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

You're lucky to have a source of free/cheap buckets, Danaus and Texican. I've asked at bakeries, Walmarts and grocery stores everywhere I go and either someone already claims them, or they aren't "allowed" to give or sell them to me. So I use Lowe's buckets and lids, which aren't airtight. I'm thinking of ordering some gasketed lids next time I place an order with be-prepared since they sell them.


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## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

I love the frosting buckets. I get the 5 gallon and the 2 1/2 gallon ones. The smaller ones are good for storing different things that I may want to keep separate but don't store enough to fill a large bucket. I get mine from the Walmart bakery for a donation to the Children's Miracle Network. I only get to Walmart every few months but when I do they always have some. I leave my beans in the package I buy them in. I have another source that sometimes gives me square margarine buckets with lids from a ;arge cafeteria. They are very handy too.


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## MN Gardener (Jan 23, 2008)

Dairy Queen is another good source of food safe buckets, we use them in the spring when we make maple syrup.


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## Sweetsurrender (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you for mentioning Dairy Queen, somehow it made me think of my friend who manages three McDonald's. It never occured to me to ask him.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

FrontPorch said:


> BTW, does anyone know if the 5 gallon buckets from Lowes are food grade?


Yes they are food grade. I had to resort to buying some from there and I did my research first. They are made by Encore Plastics Corp. You can go to their website and they will tell you that ALL of their buckets are made from food grade plastic. 

Hope that helps.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

We get both square and round 5-gallon buckets from a local pastry factory.

They are food grade.

We use them for lots of things.


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## dally (Apr 10, 2009)

We get some nice square ones that have lids with gaskets in them, free from a local nursing home. They get potatoes shipped to them in these, that are all peeled and ready to cook. So if you know anyone that works in a food kitchen which serves lots of potatoes......


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## FrontPorch (Mar 27, 2008)

barnyardfun said:


> Yes they are food grade. I had to resort to buying some from there and I did my research first. They are made by Encore Plastics Corp. You can go to their website and they will tell you that ALL of their buckets are made from food grade plastic.
> 
> Hope that helps.


Thanks!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Mom of Four, have you checked with your local schools? Our has loads of square 5 gallon buckets but the cooks usually end up with them. I got some once from one of the cooks. They don't hold up for outdoor storage though.

FrontPorch, bulk beans are nearly impossible to find locally (but if someone in the Columbus, Ohio area knows of anywhere that sells bulk beans I sure would appreciate the info) so I buy them in the 2 or 5 pound bags. Those are the bags I was referring to. If they were bulk I would store them in canning jars. 

I started putting store bought pasta in the buckets too, in the original packaging. Every time we get mice here they go straight for the Muller's noodles.


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## Sweetsurrender (Jan 14, 2009)

I`ve got mice in my garage right now. The buggers ate away a good 6 inch piece of the rubber at the bottom of my garage door to get in so now they have an open door and I have a very cold garage.


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## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

I leave my dried peas and beans in their original bags when putting them in the buckets.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I hadn't thought of the schools but I'm there every week so I'll ask.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

Danaus29 said:


> Mom of Four, have you checked with your local schools? Our has loads of square 5 gallon buckets but the cooks usually end up with them. I got some once from one of the cooks. They don't hold up for outdoor storage though.
> 
> FrontPorch, bulk beans are nearly impossible to find locally (but if someone in the Columbus, Ohio area knows of anywhere that sells bulk beans I sure would appreciate the info) so I buy them in the 2 or 5 pound bags. Those are the bags I was referring to. If they were bulk I would store them in canning jars.
> 
> I started putting store bought pasta in the buckets too, in the original packaging. Every time we get mice here they go straight for the Muller's noodles.


Check ethnic markets. Especially hispanic if you can find one.


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## IndyGardenGal (Apr 5, 2009)

FrontPorch--where in Indy are you? The bakery at one of the Marsh stores told me that they just pitch their icing buckets, but would be happy to save them for me. It's worth a shot, and much cheaper than paying for Lowes buckets.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I didn't think about DQ either, and one of my friends at work's hubby manages a couple of them! Guess I'll be asking if he can save buckets for me.

I've found that most food smells in buckets can be removed with a good washing and then placing them in sunshine for a few days. Of course, that can be hard to come by in WA in the winter most of the time.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Danaus29 said:


> FrontPorch, bulk beans are nearly impossible to find locally (but if someone in the Columbus, Ohio area knows of anywhere that sells bulk beans I sure would appreciate the info) so I buy them in the 2 or 5 pound bags. Those are the bags I was referring to. If they were bulk I would store them in canning jars.


Have you looked at Something Better Natural Foods? http://somethingbetternaturalfoods.com/index.html They are a "bulk food company" out of MI that delivers into Ohio (and other surrounding states). You place your order and meet their truck on day x at the given time and location to pick up your order. Pg 5 of their catalog starts the bean section. I just learned of them 2 nights ago and just ordered a catalog, so I haven't used them personally (yet)....but I know many that have and are happy with them.


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## FrontPorch (Mar 27, 2008)

IndyGardenGal said:


> FrontPorch--where in Indy are you? The bakery at one of the Marsh stores told me that they just pitch their icing buckets, but would be happy to save them for me. It's worth a shot, and much cheaper than paying for Lowes buckets.


Hmmm...there's only a Kroger out here but it's worth a shot, I'll ask next time I'm in town.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

FrontPorch said:


> What exactly do you mean by storing them in the bag? What kind of bag are you referring to? I store my bulk items inside a mylar bag inside a bucket. Inside the mylar I have oxygen absorbers. I don't store it in it's original packaging.
> 
> BTW, does anyone know if the 5 gallon buckets from Lowes are food grade?


I've yet to find a local source (I hate paying more for shipping alone, than the item costs locally) for bulk beans. I can get 25lb bags of pintos, but 4lbs is the largest bag size I've found for black beans. My last bucket held around 22lbs of beans... blacks, white navy, red, garbanzo, and kidney benas. I like variety. I think it'd be nice to have a sealed bucket with one type of beans only... but right now, I can open a bucket and pull out a pound bag and start using it. If I opened a bucket, cut the mylar seal, I'd be in the same boat I'm in without using the mylar.

I haven't found any degradation of beans several years old. They take a while to cook... but I pretty much either pressure cook them, or put them on top of the stove and cook em all day long anyways.

I'm off to town for feed... will make the regular 'bucket route' to see what's available.

Man, that's a bugger, all you folks that don't have access to free buckets. Guess I'm blessed.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

The walmart in our town says they aren't allowed to sell or give the buckets from the bakery away. 

BUT...the person I talked to mentioned one that they knew of that DID.....only picked up 6 this time, 3 of the bigger 5-gal size and 3 of the smaller (2.5 gal?). With the gasketed lids too. They charged $1 each.

With being pretty new to this....can you put sugar into one of these buckets if its not in the bag? The smaller sized one looks like its about the same size volume-wise as a 25 lb bag of sugar. But, I dont think the sugar bag will fit into the bucket so good.

And, when you put in bags of stuff such as beans or rice.....do you put anything else in there with them? Oxygen absorbers, or maybe bay leaves?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

For sugar, you will need to use a 5 gal one for 25 pounds. I put 20 pounds of sugar in a 5 gal bucket and it filled it more than half way. I just washed the bucket and dried it real well then dumped the sugar out of the bag. 

I'm going to put my beans and flour into cold storage, an unheated building, for the winter. Nothing but beans and their bags.


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

Uline has food grade buckets and priced according to how many you buy......also Azura is a bulk food (organic) source for lots of foods including beans and such.they have delivery stops all over the states.....Uline also has oxigen obsorbers


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