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Comment by frankdenbow | Hacker News Reader

Some other recent related examples I've seen of changing the format to differentiate:

Guacamole squeeze bottle: Typically guacamole at supermarkets come in tubs, but one company put it into a squeeze bottle which lets it last longer and use it to squirt on your tacos easier. Normally I would compare prices / taste but the format trumps all of those other factors. https://www.instacart.com/products/21844889-yucatan-guacamol...?

Flour: I typically see flour sold by multiple companies in these small paper bags that you would throw away after you put it into a real container. Wondra put theirs in a shaker bottle, making it easier to use when you want to thicken up a sauce while cooking. Now their brand is shown and maintained when other wise it would just be yet another flour company: https://www.instacart.com/products/16409225-gold-medal-wondr...?

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Interesting that there is demand for this, I couldn't imagine using either one. Maybe it's a small niche, but with very profitable margins.

I remember a few years ago when we started to see sour cream in similar squeeze bottles and what a revelation it felt like. No more watery separation or dried out clumps, and no need for something to scoop it out with. Now a number of brands package it this way, and it’s the kind you see in our refrigerator most often

> after you put it into a real container

What? Who recontainers flour?

I do, because I find the bag to be messy. No matter how careful I am, it's impossible to open, take flour out, and close it without spilling a fine mist of flour around it.

With a container (I recommend Anchor Hocking's aluminium containers that have a rubber seal and a metal latch), I never have any issues. Open, carefully scoop out, close. Easier to wipe down, too. And the latch keeps stuff sealed even if the container falls over or is moved around. Easier to stack in a cupboard, too.

I also use this type of container for rice, grains, spices, pasta, etc.

We do, easy way to avoid bugs getting in there.

Guess it's related to the fact we don't bake that often, a 2kg (4.5 lbs) bag of flour can last us a month.

And do you in practice seen bugs in your flour? How often?

Because i too consume flour at a similar rate to yours, I don’t recontainer my flour and never in my life seen bugs in flour.

Perhaps you might not have been looking close enough. If you are not blasting through flour very quickly and you leave it in a bag, even clipped, you can get weevils and mites. This is not new. Ask elderly home cooks that you know. Putting it in sealed containers or jars, however, it can keep for a good while.

Extra protein?

Yes or more correctly, my wife and I used to until we started putting all such goods (flour, oats, rice) in sealed glass containers.

Yes, not terribly often but enough that the simple act of putting it in an airtight container is worth it.

Huh, I guess the likelihood of this depends on where you live. I have had this happen only once in my entire life, and a 1kg bag of flour can last me several months! (I rarely bake cook with flour)

True. It's apparently one of the most common pests in Norwegian households and in the Scandinavian countries, but not that common elsewhere[1]. Seems it might be related to our climate, with cold winters but warm indoor temperatures.

[1]: https://www.pestium.no/skadedyr-i-naeringsmidler/hvor-kommer...

Interestingly it happened to me a lot in France but never in Sweden. So it cannot be just about temperature

Everyone who has ever had to deal with food moths or weevils so many people I would guess. I also put it through the freezer before.

Air tight container is a game changer when it comes to properly storing dry goods for a long time.

I do, to maintain freshness and to keep the kitchen neat. A single bag of flour can last me over a year.

Also the bags sold in the US are so flimsy that they almost always leak flour everywhere just by sitting still.

I always pour flour from the paper bag into my giant plastic container. I haven't in almost half a year though.

You guys are talking about all purpose (wheat) flour, right?

We have a handful of containers in our house for such purposes. Flour and cat food are the first two that come to mind, and using them is exclusively a better experience than leaving these products in their original container.

That said, they often sit unused because we forget to actually do the transfer!

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