crock-pot question

[soapfanbaby]

Could you please share what kind of crock-pot you use for hot process soap making? Should it be stainless steel? Looks like some stainless steel crock-pots are made with removable stoneware pots. Would it be ok to use those? Thanks.

 

[Busyfingers]

Hi, I just use a couple I got at garage sales. The liner is not stainless steel but it doesn't have to be. Despite what some think the liners are pourus (I'm terrible at spelling) so please don't use it again for food. I've been using mine for over 2 years and you can smell the oils in it even after a good cleaning. Have fun soaping!

 

[shunt2011]

I repurposed an old one with a stoneware insert and it works fine for HP. It's a Rival brand I believe. I don't use it a lot but I do make my shaving soap in it and have not had any issues. I just bought a new one for the house.

 

[soapfanbaby]

Thank you! What shape is better for soap making: round or oval?

 

[shunt2011]

It's an oval one. About 10 or more years old

 

[lsg]

My new oval crockpots seem to get hotter than the old round ones. I have one of the very small crockpots for small batches and a large crockpot for M&P bases.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Size is important - if it is too wide, you might not get the depth of soap required to fully submerge your stuck blender when you make your usual batch size! This is an issue I have at the moment

Great for when I am making 2kgs of soap, not so good for 1kg or less.

Worth bearing in mind.

 

[Seawolfe]

My crockpot is really too big for my batches, so I put something under one of its legs to tilt it when I want to stickblend - its enough to submerge it then. But if you are shopping that is something you want to keep in mind.

 

[Chefmom]

I have three crock pots that I use for soap making. I have a giant 8 quart oval that is for the full sized batches, then I have a 4 quart that I can make a 1/3 batch of my full sized. I thought when I first got it that it would do a half batch, but it can only handle a third.

I also have a little baby, but I haven't made soap in it. I use it to warm oils to infuse them with herbs etc.

If you want to make different sized batches its easier to have a couple in different sizes.

All of mine have the removable ceramic crock with a glass lid.

 

[cmzaha]

I am with Chefmom on this. It is better to match batch size with your crock pot. I bought all my pots for under $10, even my large one) at Goodwill. I find heat is better distributed with the oval shaped pots.

 

[KatsKreations]

The one I have and use is one my mom had and she passed away in 1999. I works great. The crock does not remove. I did not like it for food because if i was supposed to store leftovers I went to a whole new bowl to put in fridge. It makes me think of her and feels good to be using it again. It is round and I have no trouble with mixing different sized batches. I am not really sure what size it is. I think 6 or 8 quart.

 

[Susie]

I use an old 1986 crock pot that holds 4 quarts. It is just a perfect size for most of what I do. It does not have a removable crock, but otherwise it does fine. I bought a spare crock pot at the thrift store for a couple of bucks as a spare. It looks to be about the same age.

 

[soapfanbaby]

Thank you so much for your support! I decided to start with 4-quart oval from K-mart. I want to try different soap recipes to use at home.

 

[goji_fries]

Removeable liner, any will do. 8qt for larger batches, round.

*Remember, if it hot do not put in colder water, will crack.... hmmm how do I know that.

 

[dixiedragon]

FYI: The old crockpots (the ones that cooked for 8-10 hours) cook at a temperature that is now considered too low to be safe. So newer crockpots cooking considerably hotter. So if you go from an old crockpot to a new one (or vice versa) you may need to make some adjustments.

 

[IrishLass]

FYI: The old crockpots (the ones that cooked for 8-10 hours) cook at a temperature that is now considered too low to be safe. So newer crockpots cooking considerably hotter. So if you go from an old crockpot to a new one (or vice versa) you may need to make some adjustments.

That is what I have read, too. I was able to find out through an interweb search about 2 years ago that, generally, the temps of the older crockpots are as follows:

Low: 176F/80C
High: 194F/90C

and on the newer models:

Low: 200F/93C
High: 300F/148.8C

I had copied the info down and saved it in my cooking notes. Quite a significant difference!


IrishLass

 

[soapfanbaby]

Hi everyone,

I was making my first soap last Friday. It was 100% coconut soap, no super fat. I wanted to make laundry soap and I am pleased with the results. I used it everywhere in my house over weekend, washing clothes, dishes, bathrooms and it seems to be working very well. It does not dry hands as bad as detergents I usually buy in a store.

I still think I might did something wrong during the process and could use your advice. It took 40/50 minutes to reach applesauce phase. However, it took several hours to reach vaseline phase. I mixed lye and oil at 105F/115F. I cooked it on low (199F). Should it take so long?

Thanks!

 

[shunt2011]

Hi everyone,

I was making my first soap last Friday. It was 100% coconut soap, no super fat. I wanted to make laundry soap and I am pleased with the results. I used it everywhere in my house over weekend, washing clothes, dishes, bathrooms and it seems to be working very well. It does not dry hands as bad as detergents I usually buy in a store.

I still think I might did something wrong during the process and could use your advice. It took 40/50 minutes to reach applesauce phase. However, it took several hours to reach vaseline phase. I mixed lye and oil at 105F/115F. I cooked it on low (199F). Should it take so long?

Thanks!

You won't always see all the phases as described. I generally cook mine for about 40 minutes these days then zap test it. I will then put the cover on and let it sit overnight. Someone here shared this way of doing it and it's worked great. I'm not a LS pro by any means. Also, even when you HP you should probably cure it before useing. It will work much better with a cure. Though I've not used it in my laundry yet. Have some curing so I can shred it.

 

[soapfanbaby]

I put it in a mold overnight, then cut it in the morn.It was very hard. How long it usually takes to cure before use? I did zap test and ph test, it was 7.