Culinary Conundrum Series: Pantry Pests Bugging You

Has your our ever turned into a breeding ground for little bugs Maybe baking took a backburner for a few months and when you revisited your our bag out popped a little bug Have you seen them and wondered what to do Do you sift through the powdery mess, discarding the bugs and save the our or immediately throw everything away 

We heard some rumors, mostly from around the time of the Great Depression, when folks still used infested our.  Could this be why the our sifter was invented 

This pesky pest issue was one we were curious about so we posed the question to the experts: would any of them cook or bake with buggy our  It was added to our culinary conundrum series, and today we share what the experts would do. The answers may surprise you or maybe not! (Likely not!)

Nope when our gets buggy, we’re always sure to throw it away. Editors at Food52

My mother always did, so I dont. Melissa Clark, food columnist for The New York Times and cookbook author

Never ever!  Throw it out! Joan Weir, chef, restaurateur and cookbook author

No, I would not.  Even though I hate to waste food, this is one condition that would bother me, although in many countries insects are a food source. Sharon Palmer, The Plant-Powered Dietitian

No. Buggy our gets tossed. That gives me the heeby jeebies. If you live in a buggy area, store your our in a sealed airtight container.Michelle Dudash, Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist and Chef Consultant

Need advice on storing grains and ours  We recommend this helpful storage chart from our Whole Grains Council.