Food grade buckets

[Grumpy Old Man]

I need some help with my memory. While at Home depot the other day in the paint section I noticed that they had white buckets for sale. Now, when I examined them there was a number 2 in the triangle above the HDPE letters on the bottom. Doesn't the 2 signify food grade? TIA, Grumpy

[Sniper-T]

HDPE, or "High Density PolyEthylene" is not necessarily food grade, but it can be. The '2' in the triangle is the recycling symbol, not necessarily refering to whether it is food grade.

Some good info here: http://www.ehow.com/way_5819448_do-tell-food-grade-plastic_.html

If it doesn't say food grade, then you can still use them, but will want the mylar bags.

[Illini Warrior]

HDPE, or "High Density PolyEthylene" is not necessarily food grade, but it can be. The '2' in the triangle is the recycling symbol, not necessarily refering to whether it is food grade.

Some good info here: http://www.ehow.com/way_5819448_do-tell-food-grade-plastic_.html

If it doesn't say food grade, then you can still use them, but will want the mylar bags.



you are correct about the re-cycle triangled #2 not meaning "food grade" ....

but ..... you always need a food grade bucket .... the mylar bag IS NOT a liner and it doesn't eliminate contamination of harmful chems ..... there is much more at work than just simply a physical contact between food and the bucket ....

[ladyhk13]

Hey Grumps, go to WalMart deli and see if they will give you their buckets that their pre made food comes in. I think they just throw them away and a lot of them will give them to you for free.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Yup, I agree with Lady, I get my buckets (and lids) for FREE from Sams Club. Sure, half the time they are still sticky on the inside (frosting buckets, usually, from the bakery), but they wash out easily, and happen to be my favorite price.

I also always use mylar, with o2 absorbers, inside the bucket. On top of the sealed mylar bag I leave a recipe card with exactly what is in that bucket, usually its a cut in half card, half inside the bucket, half taped to the outside of the bucket. It's a tricky, high-tech system ;).

[rentprop1]

if you have a Firehouse subs near you they sell 5 gal pickle buckets with lids for $ 2 and the money goes to help volunteer firefighters

[Grumpy Old Man]

I'll have to check more closely next time I'm there. I'll also have to talk to the folks at the Wal Mart next time I'm there. But, this is a very small town in ranching country, so they may already be spoken for.

I found out how small Saturday when I took my first paycheck to open an account and the only bank lobby open was BoA, with whom I won't do business. I went to 5 different banks and 1 credit union and all were closed except for drive thru. I laughed about that for 5 minutes. I love his small town livng.

[ladyhk13]

Then I guess you'll love the fact that your post office probably takes 1 1/2 hour lunch break and closes every day too! Ours does.

[Gunfixr]

If you go to chinamart, and go to the paint/hardware section, get the white paint buckets.
They are food grade.
Someone over at survivalblog wrote down the phone# for the company that is molded into the bottom, and called them to ask.
Their response was that the white ones, as well as the natural colored ones, were food grade, while the other colors were not.
They're about $2 each, and are brand new.
They have lids as well, but they're aren't rubber gaskets in them. Haven't found a source for those yet.

[ak474u]

I've seen all manner of buckets at Ace Mart restaurant supply in the past. Most of mine are freebies from the kroger bakery, a little old lady we know works there and saves me some when I need them. I really hate cleaning them, but theyre free.

[rentprop1]

I really hate cleaning them, but theyre free.

if they were filled with Icing, like the buckets you get from Sam's, you can take a splash of purple power cleaner and about 1/3 full of water, shake, let sit, shake let sit and it will wash out much easier, I believe that PP is biodegradable too

[Katrina]

I have used Dawn to clean out the icing buckets I got at Sam's awhile ago. Cuts the grease from the icing really good.Went back to get more, Our Sam's won't give them out (or sell them either) any more.. I think they crush them when they throw them out as well. Drats ;(

[AlphaTea]

Finally something I know about. Extensively.
I have more than a couple.
First of all forget about the pickle bucket. It is impossible to get the pickle smell out of it. No matter what anybody tells you, it cannot be done.
I have a pickle bucket that is 35 years old (yes really) and it still smells like pickles. Whatever magic method you just learned about, or new fangled chemical cleaner you are selling, I promise you the smell will come back. You are going to have to trust me on this.
Next, stay away from Homer Buckets. Yes, the orange color WILL leach out. Lowes buckets aren't much better.
Most all of my buckets were purchased brand new. HDPE 90mil 5 gallon food grade white.
90mil because sometimes 70mil cant be stacked over 3 high.
5 gallon because i wanted to standardize. Got a couple of 6 gallon and the odd balls just dont fit in with the rest.
Food grade is self explanatory. Used to be that you could only get food grade in white. Not sure if that changed.
To be food grade it must not contain any recycled materials.
Yes, buckets are just containers, but I treat them like they are cooking utensils
I take my food preps very seriously. Wifey says I might be a bit anal about it. I just figure that I am spending all this money putting stuff away for a SHTF event and if I am getting down into the hard core we-gonna-die-if-we-cant-eat-this-stuff, it sure as hell better be edible. I will not store any food inside a bucket unless it is BRAND NEW. Yea, prove to me that somebody did not vomit, piss, crap, spit or bleed in to it. Was it used as a mop bucket in the rest room? Any raw meat in it? Who knows what was in it. All I can tell you is I dont have to worry about that
Absolutely nothing gets sealed in a bucket without being sealed in another container or a mylar liner. Most all get an O2 absorber inside the mylar or sealed container.
You will be sorry if you put an O2 absorber in a bucket without being in another container. I collapsed a few before I figured out what was happening.
So in conclusion, use anything but new at your own risk, a bucket should be the final barrier but not the only one to protect your food

[AlphaTea]

I think I might need to expand on my last post.
Im sorry if I sounded like a jerk. No, nobody complained, but after reading over it, I wasn't happy about it.
A lot of us are just barely getting by and not everyone can afford new buckets.
You gotta do what you gotta do with what you have. This is a basic essential skill ALL preppers should have and try to improve on.
I was just trying to inform about the limitations and possible problems with used buckets
Buckets are a valuable tool and are very convenient. However, they are not a requirement.
I have a buddy who uses mostly 2 liter soda bottles, and he thinks I waste too much money on buckets.
His logic is good too. He knows where the bottles have been and what was in them. Ten 2 liter bottle will hold the same amount as a 5 gallon bucket.
He tried to convince me that they were free, but I reminded him that there is a 5 cent deposit that he paid when he got the bottle.
Yea, yea I know 50c < $5.00. Still, whatever you put in the bottle has to be small enough to fit in the hole. All of his pasta, beans, rice and grain is in 2 liter bottles laid on their sides and stacked high on wooden racks he made. He has been doing this for about 10 tears and I bet he has a thousand or more. His basement looks like a wine cellar. He does use O2 absorbers, DE and desiccant where necessary. He is not a member here, thinks the internet is evil and does not have a cell phone.

So, back to the buckets. Its just a box to put your other sealed foods into. If you would not drink out of it when you first got it, dont use it.

[Gunfixr]

I agree on the pickle buckets. I also have one that I've had close to 30yrs, and nothing has removed it. Ever.
While I might buy used buckets, I'm not keen on the idea. I'm just not sure I can get all of whatever was in it out.
At the same time, I don't want to pay $10 per bucket for them.
I got the ones from Walmart simply because an internet search found the survivalblog post asking the same question about other sources for food grade buckets. They had called the number on the bucket. Only the white ones, and the natural ones (some off-white color, Walmart doesn't have them, only white and blue). They make a whole bunch of colors, but the rest aren't food grade. They are a little over $2 each, new. I don't mind spending the $2 for new buckets, over free ones I have to clean.

[rentprop1]

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong, nut I have 4 pickle buckets from FireHouse Subs and none of them smell, I do wash, rinse, lather repeat, and then fill about 1/3 of the way with a bleach water mix and seal them with the lid and shake everyday for a bout 3 days, one year I even dunked them in my pool..... # scratches-head

maybe you didn't get the juice out of the rubber seal in the lid ???