Today was to be the posting of the first recipe from the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book, Lean White Bread. Unfortunately, my start has been delayed by a series of events. First, my order for high protein gluten free flours has been delayed. Second, my stock of gluten free flours was hit by a pillager worthy enough to belong to any Viking horde.
You got it...mus musculus or the common house mouse.
Since my primary protein flours haven't arrived, I decided to use my fall back plan. I played with the flours & protein quantities and headed into the pantry to pull out the needed flours when I made a most unpleasant discovery. When I pulled out my flour storage basket, I noticed there were Tootsie roll wrappers lying across the back of the pantry shelf. There was white flour laying across the wrappers and up the wall.
With that "ick" feeling coming on, I started examining the storage basket that had all the flours. The sealed bags had been ransacked. Holes through the bottoms and sides of all the bags. White flour covered everything. Then I noticed that the sweet rice flour bag was wide open with a big bowl shape carved out of the middle. My husband and I were utterly amazed - a mouse wallowing in sweet rice flour. I've got to nip this in the bud, before every mouse in the neighborhood hears that sweet rice flour works better than dirt to keep a rodent pest free.
Hopefully it's not getting around to the all the local Viking varmits that I store chocolate and flour at our house. Last time we were hit December, the mouse tried to eat it's own body weight in Callebaut chocolate. Thank goodness this the mouse only found the Tootsie Rolls and not the gluten free Lake Champlain chocolate bunnies I ordered for Easter.
And now for the new plan:
The start of Baking & Pastry will begin on the 7th of April with Lean White Bread. Now I'm off to order more gluten free flours and to contemplate how to best protect my flours and chocolate. What do you think...is a safe over kill?
9 comments:
Oh my goodness - you made me laugh. I have had mice, too. They really get into things. I store all my flours in glass canisters with air-tight lids now. Good luck! I'll stay tuned to hear about the bread.
too funny...in an oh no, I've been there kinda way. I had some darn insect hatch in gf oatmeal flour, and had to toss EVERYTHING in that cabinet...I mean, everything. Good luck regaining your turf!
Groan! Oh, I feel for you! I have been doing battle with mice too! I also have seen those little weavil moths flying around my house ... finally found a plastic bag of cocoa mix buried in my tea basket, and the worms had drilled out the bag and right into the wood, leaving multiple deep holes in the wooden basket material. And I think the chipmunks are living in my attic, skittering over my head regularly right after they pack their cheeks with all my birdseed!
A while ago I moved all my gluten free flours to the freezer after I started seeing signs of mice around. Too expensive to waste! So... you can get one of those portable fire safes for under $100...
I store all my gluten free flours in the refrigerator, but if you are storing them in the pantry, I would use 2-5 gallon size jars with metal screw on lids, or sealer lids.
http://www.nextag.com/5-gallon-glass-jars/stores-html
I would use these for everything, pasta, chocolate, sugar etc. I might start saving my large pickle jars from Costco and use them for this purpose too.
Oh you poor thing! How devastating to find that those pesky mice have been in your precious stash :( But yes at least they didn't find the good stuff!
Oh No! How awful. As you say, at least they didn't get your Easter chocolates.
Thanks so much for the heartfelt sympathy. It seems like we all know rodent visitations are a real pain.
To Rachel: Thanks for the link to Fantes.com (a kitchen supply store in Philly). I haven't visited their website in a long time and had forgotten about them. I ordered some French food storage jars, a stollen pan and a fabulous olive wood spoon that has a tasting end. I might need to order another one since I like it so much.
Natalie
How terrible! We once had chipmunks take over our drygoods when I was little...we kids were pretty excited, but I remember my mother was not happy!
Mason jars work for me. We have a useless cat and mice. :)
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