Small iron packets that pull residual oxygen out of a sealed container, stopping oxidation and mold and killing the insect eggs that arrive inside bulk grain. They are what make a mylar seal worth making.
- Size to the container, not the food. Roughly 300cc per gallon is the working rule, and going over is harmless while going under quietly fails.
- Buy factory-sealed packs in a quantity you will use in one session. Once the pack is open the clock starts, and absorbers spend themselves on room air within about an hour.
- Have a sealed mason jar ready before you open the pack. Losing a whole pack of absorbers to the open air is the most common waste in food storage.
- Look for leak indicators or oxygen-detecting tablets included in the pack, so you know the absorbers arrived alive.
- Skip them entirely for salt, sugar, and baking soda. Those do not need them and will clump into a solid brick.
