Bucket


 
P

P Matullo

New member
So I have my turkey and brine in my frig sitting in a brand new loews bucket and it just hit me that its probably not a food grade bucket. Its been in the fridge for about 2-3 hours, so now what do i do. Have any of you used a non-food grade bucket before?
 
As long as you properly cleaned it with soap and hot water; you are probably okay. Just make sure you keep the bird submurged with plently of ice.
 
You'll be fine. A great place to get buckets is from a local restaurant, you can get assorted sizes and they usually don't mind giving them away. Just go in when they aren't busy and ask the manager. Helps if he's seen your face in as a customer before.
 
Used a Homer's Bucket from Home Depot for years (still do when I'm doing two birds at the same time) and other than the second nose my son has from when his mother ate a brined bird while she was pregnant with him we've never had an issue. Carry on.

Kidding of course, I've never had a issue.
 
Some of the Lowes buckets are food grade, but those are very clearly marked as such. Like others have said, I'm sure you are fine for non long term storage.

Oh, I almost forgot: if you are worried about food grade, simply line your bucket with a Reynolds oven bag.
 
Last edited:
Yea, i posted earlier that i picked up my 5 gallon food grade bucket at Lowes for $3.50. They were in a different row from all the paint buckets. Just ask the customer service for where the food grade buckets are.
 
LarryR said:
Used a Homer's Bucket from Home Depot for years (still do when I'm doing two birds at the same time) and other than the second nose my son has from when his mother ate a brined bird while she was pregnant with him we've never had an issue. Carry on.

Kidding of course, I've never had a issue.
Click to expand...

I've used a Homer bucket many times. I've got this year's bird brining in a drywall joint compound bucket, which is the same bucket only white. Works like a charm. I like the extra volume versus a big bag, and it's super easy to clean up.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone, however you may chose to celebrate it!
 
An oderless large kitchen trash bag (new obviously) works for me. I put the back in the bucket, drop the bird in and pour in the brine. I've never had issues with it.
 
LarryR said:
Used a Homer's Bucket from Home Depot for years (still do when I'm doing two birds at the same time) and other than the second nose my son has from when his mother ate a brined bird while she was pregnant with him we've never had an issue. Carry on.

Kidding of course, I've never had a issue.
Click to expand...

That was a great morning chuckle!:):)
 
I too have used a USG wall compound bucket for years because it shorter and fits in my fridge better. The inside isn't exactly clean, but I do line the inside with a hefty unscented trash bag and that does the trick.
 
You might be able to do a taste test with plain water. Fill the bucket up with some water, shake it around and let is sit for a bit and then taste the water. I can taste the difference in water from the tap or from the filtered fridge water dispenser. Any flavor you can detect in the water would probably be imparted to the bird. If that flavor is strong enough to affect the bird after brining and cooking is a different question. I used the big zip-lock bags for brining but I never bothered to see if there was any off-flavoring coming from them.
 
Another thing to check is see if its a HDPE stamped plastic. If it is stamped as such its most likely food grade. I have a novelty cooler from Coca-Cola that is shaped like a large coke can. Its HDPE food grade and what I use for brining..
 
Mike Leiter said:
Another thing to check is see if its a HDPE stamped plastic. If it is stamped as such its most likely food grade.
Click to expand...

Some HDPE plastic is food safe, but if you're really concerned about this topic and want to make sure your container is food safe, don't rely on the HDPE stamp alone. Verify from the seller that it's made from FDA-approved food safe plastic.

For example, a Home Depot orange "Homer" bucket is stamped HDPE. On the Home Depot website, it says, "Use for mixing paint, hauling topsoil, storing parts and for other purposes. Ideal for use as a utility pail on work sites." This is not a food safe container.

Elsewhere at Home Depot, you'll find Premium 5 gallon food storage buckets. They say, "Leaktite's 5 Gal. premium storage containers are manufactured to meet FDA standards for safe food storage. The premium design is manufactured from high quality plastic and is tough enough to store nails and screws along with any standard home or food needs." This is a food safe container.

As another member points out, you can always use a non-food safe container as long as you line it with something that is food safe. Unscented trash bags are not food safe unless they say "food safe" on the package. A Reynolds turkey bag or a Ziploc Big Bag would be food safe.

Again, not everyone is as concerned about such things as other people. But if you are concerned, don't assume anything--you must verify.

Regards,
Chris
 
Last time I was in my local sub shop I asked the owner if he had any food-grade pales......he said "man I've got lots" and he said he usally ends up throwing them out/recycling them. He was more than happy to give me one (or several) no charge. He gets his pickels in 5 gallon pales. The pickel supplier from Brampton ON. and the pale maker from Missouri USA.....it's clearly marked HDPE and FDA food grade...

IMHO save yourself the few bucks and remove the guesswork about suitablity of the pale for food use, as others have said, check with your local restaurant or take out joint. In my case I KNOW the pale is safe for food and it was free....and it one less item in the garbage pile.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top