Use of SS cannisters for long-term food storage

[flicker25]

Does anyone know if a stainless steel cannister with steel or acrylic snap-lock lid and silicone ring is good (with O2 absorber) for multi-year food storage---as good as, say, a heat seal on a mylar bag? I'm wondering if a pressure seal is as good as a heat seal for keeping out the atmosphere for at least 6-9 years. If so, I am thinking about using the cannisters for storage of smaller amounts of food.
For that matter, would using a basic mason jar (snap or screw lid) with an O2 absorber be good for that long a time period? Would some kind of a coating like wax or silicone sealant around outside area help seal integrity?
I guess I like the idea of reusing the jars v. using heat seals on the mylar bags only once or maybe a few times if I could figure out how to preserve some of the heat-seal area for re-seals after the first opening
Thanks in advance for informed replies.

 

[rhughe13]

An ammo can might serve your storage purpose. Find one with a good rubber seal and they will remain air tight for many years. You might want to keep them in an out of the way place, because the sides tend to pop in or out, when the air pressure changes significantly. At least some of mine do. It can scare you in the middle of the night. Proof of a perfect seal though. A good ammo can runs $2 - $5 bucks depending on size.

Get a pump and seal for mason jars, rings and lids. Any glass jar that has a metal lid with a silicone seal is reusable. Pickle and peanut butter jars.

 

[Mushroom]

We use soda fountain sst cans for storage. We use them for beans, rice, etc. DH figured out if he put the CO2 onto the out (exit side goes all the way to the bottom) side of the can and flushed it to keep it fresh. We have beans in them that are about 8 years old and still good. Is that what you mean?

Mushroom

 

[rhughe13]

We use soda fountain sst cans for storage. We use them for beans, rice, etc. DH figured out if he put the CO2 onto the out side of the can and flushed it to keep it fresh. We have beans in them that are about 8 years old and still good. Is that what you mean?

Mushroom

That's an interesting storage method. I have 8 soda kegs for homebrew, plus 3 CO2 tanks. Do you have or use nitrogen tanks? Doesn't nitrogen work better for air replacement?

 

[Nuthatch]

What is it you are storing? My metal popcorn tins (not SS) store flour and sugar year-round. Holds 25 pounds each and I rotate through, but they last months and months for freshness during regular use.

 

[Mushroom]

That's an interesting storage method. I have 8 soda kegs for homebrew, plus 3 CO2 tanks. Do you have or use nitrogen tanks? Doesn't nitrogen work better for air replacement?

You can use nitrogen and I do have a nitrogen tank, but co2 works as an air displacement as well. You only need to displace enough air to kill the bugs and their eggs. You can use the oxy absorbers if you wish at the same rate as the 5 gallon buckets and you will have only nitrogen left. CO2 is good for rice and beans and anything that doesn't have much natural oil. Anything else should have nitrogen to prevent oxidation. CO2 will not oxidise your foods. You can put the gas into the "out" nozzel then bleed the air out of the other side for a little while to get as much air out as you can. The "out" nozzel has a pipe that goes to the bottom of the tank so it fills from the bottom up and you can expel air more efficiently.

Be sure you have good gaskets. We replace the O ring gaskets whenever we get the tanks as a matter of course. It is just cheaper to do this than to have ruined food. You can get them at your local beer or wine store or order them from Foxx Equipment in Kansas. http://foxxequipment.com/cart/shop.cgi/page=siteindex.html

Mushroom