BB Palm Oil - problematic?

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I've made a few vegetable recipes for my vegetarian friends recently and all of them have seized and riced on me pretty bad. The fragrances are not known problem scents and one of them did it before I added the scent. Most I have been able to whip into submission but they still aren't very pretty.

I'm beginning to think it might be the Palm Oil I got from Brambleberry. Has anyone ever had an issue with theirs? I usually just get the spectrum brand at the store but thought I was being frugal this way.
 
I don't use palm a lot, but I've been working my way through a big bag of palm oil from BB, and no problems noted at all.
Since I've read that palm does not distribute the stearic homogeneously when it hardens, I melted up the whole bag, mixed well and split it into smaller tubs that I also melt and mix before using.
 
I don't use palm a lot, but I've been working my way through a big bag of palm oil from BB, and no problems noted at all.
Since I've read that palm does not distribute the stearic homogeneously when it hardens, I melted up the whole bag, mixed well and split it into smaller tubs that I also melt and mix before using.

I did do that today, I was thinking that might have been the problem. I had only heated enough to pour out the first couple batches so I had an aha moment today that I hadn't blended it enough. Today's batch behaved worst than the previous two though so maybe it was the fragrance today.

Hopefully it comes in threes and I have worn out the gremlins now.
 
I have problems with palm regardless of where it comes from. It accelerate trace, makes steric streaks and have slightly riced a couple times. I'll never use it again.
 
Thank you for that. I'm sort of feeling the same way right now. I rarely use Palm now unless my lovely veggie friends want something. Its really more hassle than its worth.

Another reason I hail the Lard flag!
 
If I had veggie friends, I make them lard soaps and not tell them :D

Kidding. Mostly............

I use a mix of palm and canola oil that seems to work with very few issues. Quicker than lard, certainly, but other than that it is okay. If the spectrum brand usually works and you don't always need palm (just for the veggie folks) maybe stick with that more expensive option?
 
I use palm in almost all my soaps, including my lard/tallow soaps @ a rate of 20-30%. It will move faster but if balanced with liquid oils I do not find it causes seizing or ricing. One of my favorite vegan recipes is 26% OO, 22% Palm, 18% canola, 18% coconut, 10% palm shortening, 6% castor. I used this for a recent swap that had a lot of colors and it stayed workable with a 30% lye concentration. I have used B&B's in the past with no problems other than price :-D I will admit I do get smallish stearic specks at times because I do not melt down my entire 5 gallons of palm at once. Mine will melt and re-harden with temp. I just make sure it is fully melted before mixing in my other oils.
 
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Good suggestions. Thank you.

I have been playing with my recipes a bit so maybe it's the whole formulation. Less water, more coconut... I do have some tried and true recipes with palm that haven't given me issues in the past so I think I will go back to those for using up the rest of this palm.

If I continue to have issues maybe I'll just go back to the more expensive palm for those veggie batches. They are only on occasion anyway.
 
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