Rigid outer protection for bulk dry staples. A bucket is armor, not a seal. It stops rodents, blocks light, and survives stacking, while the mylar liner inside does the actual airtight work.
- Look for HDPE resin code 2 with a stated food-grade rating. A bucket that says food safe without the resin code is a gamble, and non-food-grade plastic can leach into what you store.
- Five and six gallon are the standard sizes. A filled five gallon bucket of wheat runs 35 to 40 pounds, so size down if you need to move them alone.
- Check for a gasket in the lid. A lid without a rubber gasket will not hold a seal no matter how hard you hammer it.
- Free buckets from bakeries and delis are often food-grade, but confirm what was in them first. A pickle bucket makes pickle-flavored rice forever.
- Opaque beats translucent. Light passes through thin white plastic more than most people expect.
