Smelly flour!!

booter

I buy "value" range flour - both plain and SR. However, I've noticed lately that my SR flour has a smell It's hard to describe, but a little like melted plastic? It's quite strong, and I can still smell it when whatever I've baked has been cooked I've tried buying from a different supermarket (so far I've tried Mr T's, Morries and Asda) and I've tried storing in different containers (I decant into Tupperware or similar immediately after buying) but it's still obvious. The plain flour is fine. Has anyone else noticed this? Has anyone any solutions?! I'm fed up with putting it in the bin and more fed up that I can't find a cheap SR flour that doesn't whiff!

lobbyludd

I haven't - but do you notice the smell before you decant into tupperware? I store flour in the paper packet inside a tin or glass container, I only use plastic for very short term storage (sandwich for lunch etc), so I wonder if the baking powder agent in the SR flour is taking on a plastic smell from the container?

booter

Thanks lobbyludd - yes, I have noticed a slight smell in the bag too but I wonder if I'm making it worse by storing in a plastic container? Does flour (or maybe the baking powder) "sweat" I wonder?? I can't use glass containers - well, I can, but being a butter fingers, would be replacing it every week after dropping it on my tiled floor - so maybe I should go with tin?

booter

Well, I've baked a cake today (too warm for baking really, but there's a birthday tomorrow:cool:) and just couldn't bear to use the SR, so decided to use plain with added baking powder. After another niff, I've decided that the SR flour smells a little like plastic, but also quite nutty iyswim?! However, the cake's turned out OK, so I might just give up on SR altogether. BTW, the baking powder doesn't whiff (although on sniffing, it does make the nostrils tingle!) so I don't think it's that that's affecting the smell of the SR.

VfM4meplse

A non-odorous foodstuff suddenly smelling can only be a bad thing. Go with your instincts, and for the sake of your health over a few pence just ditch the bag of flour.

Btw I quite often eat food that has gone well past its BBE date.

mrsdwhite

Baking powder absorbs smells, so if the SR has been around something smelly the baking powder in it may have picked up the smell from it.
But as you have discovered, plain flour and baking powder work just as well.

booter

VfM4meplse wrote: »

A non-odorous foodstuff suddenly smelling can only be a bad thing. Go with your instincts, and for the sake of your health over a few pence just ditch the bag of flour.

Btw I quite often eat food that has gone well past its BBE date.

Thanks, I think you may be right. I regularly eat stuff past its bbe date but with this, potential health risks aside, I just can't stand the smell!

mrsdwhite wrote: »

Baking powder absorbs smells, so if the SR has been around something smelly the baking powder in it may have picked up the smell from it.
But as you have discovered, plain flour and baking powder work just as well.

I just found it odd that value SR flour from 3 different supermarkets should be "tainted" in the same way. And for the life of me, I can't fathom out what the smell is or what it's been caused by - I always decant immediately, so any smells can only have been picked up whilst in supermarket/manufacturer storage - but for 3 separate ones??!! (Unless they're the same manufacturer - chances are they'd have been different batches though). It's a head scratcher. But yes, it looks like I'm sticking to plain flour and baking powder from now on Oh, and my cake was yum

Debran

This post made me go to my pantry and check out my flour:

Self-raising flour - in date.

Plain flour - out of date.

I should add that I have a very keen sense of smell but could detect no odour in either pack. Both packs of flour are Aldi.

booter

Thanks Debran. I may give Aldi's a go then

thriftwizard

Wondering - could it be that the SR flour is picking up the odour of whatever it was stored in before it was packaged up? I'd bet that it goes into giant plastic containers for shipping if it comes from overseas...