Anyone use Nesco 18-Qt Roasters for HP?

[TheCleanFighter]

I was looking up large capacity slow cookers and came across the Nesco Brand. They have an 18-Qt (4.5 gallons) for only 70-85 bucks depending on where you buy it. (I just saw walmart has it for $52!) I was curious if anyone has experience with these in turning out larger batches of hot-process soap. Seems quite economical in comparison to say soapmelters 3 gallon melter at $795. Sure the Nesco runs on about 1500 watts versus the 300 of soapmelters but at that price difference you can run the nesco an awfully long time before getting near the difference in price by way of power consumption.
http://www.nesco.com/products/Roaster-Ovens/18-Quart-Roaster-Oven/

What other brand large-capacity slow cookers are out there?

 

[shunt2011]

I can't help with using it for soap but I have that roaster and it has a coated metal type finish so not sure if or how long it would stand up to lye. I have also found it runs a bit hotter than it states even on low, so you would need to watch it.

 

[abc]

Hamilton Beach also makes a similar roaster. Both have a nonstick tephlon coating on the roasting pan. I agree with shunt, not sure how it would hold up.

ETA: the Hamilton Beach is enemel on steel. My Nesco is nonstick but maybe they have some that are enemeled steel also.

 

[TheCleanFighter]

The Nesco website and this particular model lists it as having a porcelain cookwell.
http://www.nesco.com/products/Roast...okwell-S-S-Body-and-Lid/session_fc26ff67c007/

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As an aside, your products often stray in to the Cosmetic category - some even in to Drug descriptions - which means you need to be in line with FDA regulations for those two things. It doesn't matter if you say "not intended to cure" and so on, if you describe ingredients as being able to or known for certain properties, they'll still class that as claiming your product has a property.

Not only that, but you are breaking a lot of copyright rules.

 

[cmzaha]

I was looking up large capacity slow cookers and came across the Nesco Brand. They have an 18-Qt (4.5 gallons) for only 70-85 bucks depending on where you buy it. (I just saw walmart has it for $52!) I was curious if anyone has experience with these in turning out larger batches of hot-process soap. Seems quite economical in comparison to say soapmelters 3 gallon melter at $795. Sure the Nesco runs on about 1500 watts versus the 300 of soapmelters but at that price difference you can run the nesco an awfully long time before getting near the difference in price by way of power consumption.
http://www.nesco.com/products/Roaster-Ovens/18-Quart-Roaster-Oven/

What other brand large-capacity slow cookers are out there?

Soap Melters are more for M&P soap blocks. They will keep M&P soap and a constant pour temp. Also use for melting wax. I wanted to try one for masterbatching oils and I tried to talk my daughter out of her small one but she won't give it up... :-( who need two melters. Instead I went to an urn coffee maker that I bought cheap from the goodwill

 

[TheCleanFighter]

Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the topic of this conversation.

As an aside, your products often stray in to the Cosmetic category - some even in to Drug descriptions - which means you need to be in line with FDA regulations for those two things. It doesn't matter if you say "not intended to cure" and so on, if you describe ingredients as being able to or known for certain properties, they'll still class that as claiming your product has a property.

Not only that, but you are breaking a lot of copyright rules.

 

[abc]

Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the topic of this conversation.

You have your website in your signature...he's giving you feedback on it.

 

[TheCleanFighter]

That's what private messaging is for. I didn't ask for feedback on my website. His un-solicited commentary only detracts from the conversation and topic at hand. See? Now we're having conversation completely unrelated to what I asked. If he really cared about my website and what I'm doing he should have private messaged me. But no. He had to put it up here for the world to see. That is grandiose and narcissistic, not to mention poor form. He probably talks in an empty room just to hear himself. Smh.

You have your website in your signature...he's giving you feedback on it.

 

[Dorymae]

That's what private messaging is for. I didn't ask for feedback on my website. His un-solicited commentary only detracts from the conversation and topic at hand. See? Now we're having conversation completely unrelated to what I asked. If he really cared about my website and what I'm doing he should have private messaged me. But no. He had to put it up here for the world to see. That is grandiose and narcissistic, not to mention poor form. He probably talks in an empty room just to hear himself. Smh.

Wow, definitely a fighter. As a group we are a bit more tolerant of people giving advice to us solicited or otherwise. You've said your piece so moving on...

Although the description lists the lid as being stainless steel, the manual lists it as aluminum. That shouldn't be a problem as we usually don't use lids anyway, but I'd throw it out lest I forget some day. Other than that, I believe it would work for you.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

That's what private messaging is for. I didn't ask for feedback on my website. His un-solicited commentary only detracts from the conversation and topic at hand. See? Now we're having conversation completely unrelated to what I asked. If he really cared about my website and what I'm doing he should have private messaged me. But no. He had to put it up here for the world to see. That is grandiose and narcissistic, not to mention poor form. He probably talks in an empty room just to hear himself. Smh.

Well, a forum is for exchange of information - as I often say: if I had just pm'd you then other people would not have access to that information, which then starts to defeat the point of a forum. They might look at your website and think it is all good and do something similar - so I post here so people can see it and avoid making the same mistakes.

Unsolicited advice is not against the forum rules, but personal attacks are - just something to keep in mind for future replies.

But if all you really want is thoughts on the slow cooker, my issue is with the dimensions - it's low and wide which means any time the soap starts to rise up it doesn't have far to go, unless you leave a lot of room between the soap and the top of the slow cooker. A taller one with smaller footprint would be better, but at that size and price it's hard to say no to it for bulk soaping.