OXO POP: A little order in the flour cupboard

An open flour bag has a talent for looking closed right up until you move it. Then comes the little white trail across the shelf.

The OXO POP gives flour a more orderly address: A clear container with a lid that opens and closes at the press of a button. The white-lid 4.2 L Big Square Medium pictured here is one member of a much larger family. You can start with the ingredient that causes the most cupboard trouble and leave the matching-pantry project for another weekend.

Pick your size

POP comes in several sizes and shapes. The shopping link below opens with 4.2 L selected, and the listing has a size selector for the rest of the family. Choose around what you actually keep, rather than buying the biggest container and hoping to develop a serious rice habit.

Sizes listed in liters:

• 0.2 L
• 0.4 L
• 0.5 L
• 0.6 L
• 1 L
• 1.1 L
• 1.6 L
• 2.1 L
• 2.6 L
• 4.2 L—the size pictured here.
• 5.7 L

Other options named on the same listing:

• 0.4 qt—Rectangle / Baking Soda.
• 1.7 qt—Rectangle / Coffee.
• 1.9 qt—Rectangle / Granola.
• 2.7 qt—Rice.
• 3.7 qt—Rectangle / Cereal, offered through other buying options.

Those are Amazon’s size labels. The listing also showed 0.8 L and a 0.5 L two-pack, both unavailable when checked. Sizes, sellers and offers can change, so check your selection before ordering.

One small upgrade, rather than a pantry makeover

Think about the packet you wrestle with most. Flour when you bake? Rice at dinner? The oats that somehow end up behind everything else?

A clear container makes it easier to see what is left, and the broad opening gives you room to reach in. That is a useful little improvement if you use the ingredient often. If your usual bag and clip get along beautifully, there is no pressing need to break them up.

Press, lift, get on with breakfast

Press the button down to seal the lid. Press it again to release it, then lift the lid using the raised button. Carry a filled container by its body—the button is for the lid, rather than the morning weightlifting.

The curved corners are handy for pouring. A separate measuring cup may be more useful when you are making a cake and would prefer the flour to land in the bowl.

This offer is for one container. Scoops and other compatible POP accessories are sold separately, so check the contents before expecting a whole cupboard kit.

Your cupboard gets a vote

Before committing to a row of containers, make sure one fits comfortably on the shelf. Leave room to lift the lid, or to bring the container out before opening it. A cupboard door that refuses to close is quite a firm review.

The other small catch is that a nearly empty container takes up the same space as a full one. Choose a size that suits your usual shop and how quickly you get through the contents. A little breathing room is useful; a shelf full of mostly air is less so.

A tidier shelf still comes with washing up

The body is plastic, and OXO specifies top-rack dishwasher care for this model. Follow the instructions supplied with your container when cleaning the lid, then let everything dry fully before refilling it.

Keep the ingredient’s best-before date and any cooking directions you need from the original packet. A lovely row of containers loses some of its charm if you have to guess what dinner requires.

If decanting and drying sound like two chores too many, keep the bag. If the torn packet is already annoying you several times a week, this is the sort of small change that has a clear job to do.

Who would give it a good home?

The 4.2 L option makes sense for a frequently used dry staple and a shelf with enough room. Smaller quantities may be happier in a smaller POP, while anyone set on glass should choose around that preference. This is pantry storage, rather than a container for taking soup to work.

If baking is the reason flour never stays put at your place, our KitchenAid Artisan guide asks a similar question about bowls and mixing tools: Which extras would you actually use?

Start with the troublesome packet

Check the size and lid finish you have selected, along with the current seller and return terms. The 4.2 L offer checked for this guide was sold by Amazon UK through Amazon Global Store, so review the import terms too.

Give your busiest ingredient one useful container. If it makes the cupboard easier to live with, you can introduce it to the rest of the family later.

Explore OXO POP sizes on Amazon

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