[Lardman]

I've been feeling a little sorry for myself of late so I thought I'd cheer myself up with a carrot cake  This morning I bought all the ingredients - even splashed out on the mascarpone, cream cheese and a lime for frosting  I've just taken the lid of the SR flour to get started and it's crawling with mites 

I don't use a lot of SR and it may have been a little while since I bought the tub( the one Fred advertises) but there must to be a way to keep it (no, not in there my tiny freezer if full of real food). There will be no cake for Lardy   

[wighty]

I've had that happen, the flour was stored in a Tupperware container, so sealed and air tight.  How did they get in?  I've often wondered that. The only answer I've come up with is that they must have been there in the first place. Doesn't bear thinking about really.

[snowdrops]

Yes they are there waiting for the right temperature to emerge  . I store my extra bags of flour in my dedicated double wardrobe in the garage, to stop them arriving. Plus I don't keep as much in reserve anymore as I don't bake as often.
Lardy if you had plain flour you could have added baking powder. Unless of course like me this morning you went to make a Victoria sponge & found you hadn't got enough self raising so added the remainder of plain with the intention of adding baking powder,yeah right,no baking powder. So then had to add bicarbonate of soda & cream of tartar . So who used the last of the bp & didn't put it on the list

[Lardman]

The only answer I've come up with is that they must have been there in the first place. Doesn't bear thinking about really.

  Best not to think about it to much.

Lardy if you had plain flour you could have added baking powder.

I tried that with the muffins I did earlier tonight - they were flater than a flat thing in a flattery, so dense that even light struggled to break their gravitational pull. The baking powder was over a decade old though  They were so bad I gave them to Max  at least he enjoyed them.

[LotuSeed]

Omg i hate when that happens! I recently started putting my flour in the freezer for a couple days before storing it in an airtight kilner jar. Freezing it is supposed to kill weevil eggs and other stuff that I don't want to think about already being there in the first place.  I didn't realize I had so many types of flour! Bread, cake, whole wheat, all purpose, almond Sheesh! (And I still need pasta flour  ). I've done the same thing with my oats too.  Fingers crossed there won't be anything I don't want to see in my food when I actually get around to using it!

[GrannieAnnie]

Bay Leaves!

Honest!  I had some weevils in my flour a couple of years ago, adn they were crawling around the cupboard, so I had a google and putting bay leaves in with the flour was mentioned.

Well, after washing out the cupboards, and tupperware that had the flour in, I now put a bay leaf or 2 in with the flour, a couple in the tupperware, and spread a couple around the cupboard, I haven't had one weevil since!

[LotuSeed]

Bay Leaves!

Honest!  I had some weevils in my flour a couple of years ago, adn they were crawling around the cupboard, so I had a google and putting bay leaves in with the flour was mentioned.

Well, after washing out the cupboards, and tupperware that had the flour in, I now put a bay leaf or 2 in with the flour, a couple in the tupperware, and spread a couple around the cupboard, I haven't had one weevil since!

Does that alter the flavour at all?

[GrannieAnnie]

Bay Leaves!

Honest!  I had some weevils in my flour a couple of years ago, adn they were crawling around the cupboard, so I had a google and putting bay leaves in with the flour was mentioned.

Well, after washing out the cupboards, and tupperware that had the flour in, I now put a bay leaf or 2 in with the flour, a couple in the tupperware, and spread a couple around the cupboard, I haven't had one weevil since!

Does that alter the flavour at all?

Not at all!  The bay leaves are very hard and shiny, and I have flour that has been in the tupperware for months with the leaves in.  Since we've been losing weight, I don't use as much flour as I used to!

[Asherweef]

Yes - mum had some the other month and after she did a lot of googling she told me that they're often already in the flour, waiting to hatch!

[8doubles]

The hen owners amongst us will be familiar with food grade diatomaceous earth which is used to sort the critters out !

Having seen whats at the bottom of grain silos after the rest gone to the mill i have no doubt that a few mites do get to the consumer.

Chances are that if the ditom had done its job and the mites were not moving the flour would have used the cake would have been  eaten and enjoyed.


Ps If you eat proper cheese you eat mites!

[GrannieAnnie]

I think its worse though when we can actually see something moving around! lol  I don't like seeing my food move!

I could never go on I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of here! 

[devonbarmygardener]

Ps If you eat proper cheese you eat mites!

Yeah.
Don't remind me.
Trying to forget that

[Lardman]

I don't like seeing my food move!

Me either ! Too much effort to chase it round the plate 

The plain/bread and pasta flour is used far more often and they probably don't get time to hatch, but SR sits around a while. I'm confused about the bay leaves though, if the eggs are already in the flour and not in the environment the flour is kept in, how do they keep them away?

[Comfreypatch]

Fresh or dried bay leaves? Or doesn't it matter. Sorry you didn't get your cake Lardman.

[Mrs Bee]

I find that the best way to stop this happening is to either buy little and often, check ingredients cupboards regularly, and have use it up sessions.

Keep new flour bags away from opened flours, chick pea flour, semolina, cornmeal etc. and clean out flour containers and cupboards regularly with kitchen cleaner with a little bleach.

I have to be very careful as I have rather a lot of flour bags in the cupboards.

It is icky when this happens.