How And When To Use Gamma Seal Lids For Food Storage
Say goodbye to food storage pails that are a pain in the you-know-what to open. Gamma seal lids are easy to close, easy to open, and if you know how to use them correctly, you'll have a lid that stays airtight, water tight, and functional for years to come. The Gamma Seal Lid has two features that make it ideal for storing dry goods both long term and for daily use: the high quality seal and the convenience of a lid that's easy to open and close. 
The Seal
When you open and close a regular snap-on lid, how do you do it? You pry it, right? Now what do you think happens to the little gasket inside that lid when you force it off and on your pail? Over time, the lid becomes warped from the repeated prying, and the gasket no longer fits snugly inside, and the lid is no longer air tight.
As long as you close it properly, this would never happen with a Gamma Seal Lid. The Gamma Seal's gasket is affixed to the outer rim of the lid, and it naturally fits snugly up next to the side of the pail. Because you never need to pry the Gamma Seal Lid, it always keeps its shape and does not become warped, so it will keep its secure air tight seal for many, many years of continual use.
Use The Gamma Seal As A Convenient Lid You Open Regularly
The most obvious time to use the Gamma Seal Lid is when you need a convenient cover for food storage pails you open and close regularly. Keep pails of flour, grains, and beans within easy access of your kitchen, and fit each one with a Gamma Seal Lid so your necessities are easy to get to.
Use The Gamma Seal Lid For Long Term Food Storage
Gamma Seal Lids are especially good to use on your long term food storage pails because of their high quality seal. If you plan to keep your pails of grain or beans for several months or years, your pail needs to be completely air tight, and the Gamma Seal Lid provides this excellent seal. The Gamma lid will keep bugs and moisture out of your food and lock in the freshness of the product you're storing.
Can I Use A Gamma Seal Lid On A Pail With Oxygen Absorbers Inside?
Yes! That's what Gamma Lids were created for. As long as you do not open the lid, your oxygen absorbers will protect the contents of your pail for many years. Forgive me if this is obvious to you, but a lot of people assume they can open and close, open and close their pail, and that the oxygen absorbers inside will continue to keep their grain in a zero oxygen environment.
This is not the case. Oxygen absorbers remove the oxygen from an enclosed environment, such as the inside of a pail, and there is a limit to the amount of oxygen they can absorb. When you open the pail, the oxygen absorber will begin to absorb oxygen from the air around you until it runs out of absorbing power. Then when you close the lid again, there will be oxygen inside that the absorber cannot absorb because it is spent already. If you want the oxygen absorbers to do their job, they must remain in a sealed environment. Once you open the pail, you'll need to begin using the food inside, or else you'll need to add more oxygen absorbers and re-seal the pail.
Consider these things when you use Gamma Lids on your food storage pails:
1. Insects: Most grains inherently contain insect eggs that can hatch when given enough time and the right environment. So although bugs will not be able to enter your stored grains through the lid, they may actually hatch from inside. To prevent bugs from hatching in your precious foods, we recommend incorporating oxygen absorbers inside the pail.
2. Oxygen Absorbers: Oxygen absorbers work inside a sealed environment to remove the oxygen inside. The zero oxygen environment keeps insect eggs from hatching and dramatically lengthens the amount of time the dry food can be stored. Oxygen absorbers work through a chemical reaction. They contain iron powder which reacts with the oxygen in the air causing the iron powder to rust. When all the iron powder has oxidized, the oxygen absorbers are "loaded" and the absorbing action stops. Remove the oxygen from an active absorber and the chemical reaction stops. Put them back in the air and the reaction starts again until the iron is gone.
When using oxygen absorbers in a pail that has a Gamma Seal Lid, you must keep the lid shut as long as you want to store the grain inside. Once you open the pail, oxygen will enter the pail, so your grain will no longer be in the zero oxygen environment that you created in the first place.
3. Don't over tighten the Gamma Seal Lid: The Gamma Seal Lid does not need to be cranked down to form an air tight seal. In fact, over tightening will weaken the seal and do more harm than good. Just spin the lid until it stops and turn it about 1/4 inch beyond its natural stopping point. That is all it needs.
Order Gamma Seal Lids through our current order forms
More About Gamma Seal Lids
