Thank you for this advice. Do the oils I mentioned (beef tallow, lard, cocoa butter, coconut 76 degree) need to be homogenized, like palm oil does, or is it OK to just scoop some off the top or pour some when they are partially melted?
I don't worry about homogenizing any of them other than palm oil. I have learned that high-stearic fats and butters need to be heated to 150F or above before cooled for soaping. Even if they look fully melted at a lower temp, your soap will have stearic spots if you don't get them up to at least 150F.
Thank you. Just so I understand, does this mean that once the oil is heated to 150F, it is "done" and ready for soaping, and that the stearic acid "beads" that lead to stearic spots won't somehow reform during the cooling process to 90F?
Yes, to a point. If you let it cool too much, it will re-solidify, and you will have to reheat to 150F again to prevent the stearic spots.
I received my oils in HDPE jugs with a narrow spout and screw cap. Can you please go into a little bit more detail about how you microwave the oils to melt them (I have beef tallow, lard, coconut, and cocoa butter to melt). Do you do it in short bursts and remove the cap from the jug? I think one of the jugs placed on its side would barely fit in my microwave so it may be workable.Why try to use an electric blanket to heat up oils for one it will not take them up to temp. If your oils happen to be in HDPE buckets for containers they will melt beautifully in an inexpensive microwave oven. I measured out all my hard oils in 1-2 gallon buckets depending on batch size and melted them in my micro then I would add in my liquid oils. I would prepare several buckets at a time so I would be ready to soap when I needed to. If my oils had resolidified I would pop them in the micro for a few minutes to just start them melting. I tended to soap while my oils were cloudy but that is just me and I did not get stearic spots. I gelled all soaps, which I find leads to less chance of stearic spots, but that is just my opinion. Keep in mind all my oils had previously been heated and mixed then cooled, and the lids popped back on with the recipes taped on top already to soap when I was! hmmm wonder if I have any of those around...
Yes, you can do this. Solid oils in a container are a pain to work with. If you don't want to masterbatch all the oils (I don't either) partially melting and pouring off what you need is an option. I try to avoid purchasing solid fats sold in this type of container, but if I do, I generally will melt the whole container and then pour it into a bucket from which I can more easily scoop out the amount I need. It takes longer initially, but saves time over all. In the summer I set the jug outside to melt (not in the direct sun). In the winter, I use a hot water bath on the stove top (keep an eye on it), pouring it off into a bucket as it melts.
Doncha hate that?! What I do, as soon as they arrive, is fill the sink with the hottest water and put the jug in it until its mostly melted. Then pour into a microwave safe bowl and nuke it a few minutes to finish melting. Then pour into 16 oz (or so) storage containers for future use. TIP: I use re-purposed containers from Hellshire Farms lunchmeats. ( Leave the lids off until the oils cool to room temp.)
I hate it when they send them that way. I get Babassu sent in 1-gallon jugs which will solidify. I float them in a sink of hot water. the HDPE containers I use in the microwave are wide-mouth buckets. I used to buy all my oils except specialty such as babassu in 5 gallons pails - 50lb blocks then master-batch in smaller 1-2 gallon buckets.
