Bugs in my Sweet rice flour

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    • #49752
      thegooby1
      Member

      Hi!

      I was just about to make some yummy food when I looked down and saw no less than three types of bugs in my flour. So I know that rice and grain products are normally prone to this. I have also rinsed out my rice to take bugs out. I’m not the squeamish one but I didn’t know what to do and I threw it out. I feel bad for throwing out a whole package of sweet rice flour but the bugs had pretty much taken control. I really want to make some yummy stuff but there are only two asian markets where I live and I’m sure their shelved flour is in the same conditions. :( Any suggestions? Would it make a difference if I order online?

    • #54177
      CharityS
      Participant

      One tip after getting several infestations over the years from various grain products… Always put your grains into a tupperware of some sort. Even the boxed items that include flour, etc.. You can place those boxes in a sealed ziplock bag before placing on the shelf. (and re-use the ziplock of course). This is so in case there is some sort of infestation in grain products you bring home, it won’t spread to the rest of your cupboard. If there is an infestation you will know and can throw away the item contained in the ziplock into the garbage and keep the infestation away. Also, rotate your stock so something isn’t sitting around for long. Another thing you can do is to put the rice flour into the freezer when you bring it home and keep it frozen. This will kill off any eggs that might be in your flour and keep it from becoming infested as well.

      I have brought home bugs in rice, flour and other grain type products from very clean grocery stores. It is just the way it is.. But following the tips I just gave will save you a lot of headaches and from other foods getting infested as well.

    • #54178
      unchienne
      Participant

      I hate when this happens. I’ve gotten rice weevils before, and I attribute it solely to the fact that I purchased from our small, local market who probably had it sitting around a while. Since that one occasion, I’ve always purchased rice from a larger store with higher turnover, or I wait until they restock their products and buy on the day of.

      Online might be better, but any product is susceptible if it hangs around long enough. If it’s a little-used product, I doubt buying online would bring more success. However, sweet rice flour is fairly well-used in both Korean and Japanese cuisine, so yeah…I’d probably go online or go to a larger Asian market that restocks this item frequently. I’ve used both Koamart and H mart online, and both were very good. A word of wisdom for H mart though. In small print at the bottom of your order when you’re confirming everything, there’s an option to allow substitutions if your item is not in stock. It’s set to “allow” as the default. You’ll need to change this if you want what you ordered. They say they’ll send out a comparible item, but I’m choosey about things like my gochu powder and doeang jang.

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