photo by seattle municipal archives
DEAR SARA: Do you store your flour in the refrigerator? I have been keeping my bread flour in the refrigerator, in the original bag within a plastic bag. I would like to get my refrigerator back, but with a good sale on whole-wheat flour recently, I now have three bags in the refrigerator. Do you have a good way to store flour? I only make bread about once a month, so I don’t use it up quickly. — Rainey D., Ohio

DEAR RAINEY D.: I store my flour in the freezer. It keeps for up to six months, but I use it up faster than that. I keep mine in the original package and then place it inside of a freezer-storage bag. I remove as much air as possible. If I had a larger amount that I wanted to store, I’d separate the amount that I thought I would use up in the short term and wrap in a freezer-storage bag, and I would wrap the rest in plastic and wrap foil around the plastic. With your whole-wheat flour, keep some in your freezer to free up room in your refrigerator. Don’t put it in your pantry because, at the rate you’re using it, it would go rancid.

DEAR SARA: I’m wondering how you store potatoes in your kitchen. While I’m asking, what do you do with your onions? I don’t have a walk-in pantry; otherwise, I would just stick them in there. I thought about one of those cheapish Sterlite plastic-drawer containers, but since potatoes need to have the air circulating around them, that’s out of the question. Right now, the bags are just placed on the floor underneath our kitchen bar, but, as you can guess, they are really in the way. — Chele, Tennessee

DEAR CHELE: I have cabinet space, so I put my potatoes in the cabinet. We go through them quickly, so I’m not concerned about air circulation. If they are in a paper bag, I leave them in it, but if they are in a plastic bag, I remove them and place them in a paper bag. I keep my onions in a wire-mesh container. If you like the plastic Sterlite container and air circulation is the only issue, look into stackable plastic open bins. If you have a lot of potatoes, you could move the stackable bins to your basement if you have one. Ideally, you want a cool, dark place with air circulation.

How do you store your potatoes?

DEAR SARA: I’ve been looking for a peanut-butter no-bake cookie recipe. If you can help, I’d appreciate it very much. — Helen C., Michigan

DEAR HELEN C.: Here’s one for you to try:

Peanut-Butter No-Bake Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats

In a saucepan, mix sugar, margarine and milk. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a full boil over medium heat. Remove from heat immediately when it comes to a boil, and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter melts. Stir in oats. Place into a greased pan, and cut into squares or quickly spoon onto wax paper for individual cookies.

What is your favorite no-bake recipe?

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