Oils in jugs....

[LaToya]

So what is the best way to melt this oil? For some reason I am nervous about getting it out, I don't want to melt the container. I've never had oil come in this kind of jug. It's solid at room temperature. Help! Advice please.

 

[MadTeddyBear]

If you can't microwave it on low power, you can fill your sink with hot water and let the jug sit until it all melts. Looks like palm oil melts at 95 F which shouldn't be too hot. Depending on how long it takes you might also want to keep a pot of water on the stove in case the water in the sink cools off too much.

 

[shunt2011]

I cut off the top and scoop it out. Now I get it in buckets or cubes.

 

[LaToya]

@shunt2011 If you are not using the whole jug what are you storing the rest in?

@MadTeddyBear manufacturer says not to microwave it but let it soak in hot water. I'm trying to figure out how long its going to take to melt. I feel like I need to know this before I start working on my first batch using Palm Oil.

 

[DWinMadison]

So what is the best way to melt this oil? For some reason I am nervous about getting it out, I don't want to melt the container. I've never had oil come in this kind of jug. It's solid at room temperature. Help! Advice please.


View attachment 36959

OMG! I was just wondering the same thing yesterday! All I could come up with was standing it on a heating pad at the highest setting or standing it in a pot of scalded water. Please let me know what you decide and/or learn.

 

[shunt2011]

@shunt2011 If you are not using the whole jug what are you storing the rest in?

A small bucket or large bowl, ziplock bags. Any kind of storage will work.

 

[MGM]

I take all the racks except the bottom one out of my oven, turn it on the lowest setting (175F or something) and keep turning the oven on and off to maintain a low, melting temperature. It can take a few hours, but you don't have to do much. I have never had the container become remotely soft or scorched (and certainly never had flames like I've had when microwaving oils in plastic). You do need to keep the oven very low, but I think it's a lot less work and easier than keeping hot water going.
Then I repackage into mason jars for long term storage.

 

[LaToya]

@MGM Whoa you've had flames? Thats scarey

 

[penelopejane]

I microwave mine on low setting, very slowly and pour it into a bucket with a lid. You can get them from the hardware store if you haven’t got any left over ones.

One supplier will only ship it in bottles.

 

[jcandleattic]

I got some coconut oil (92°) in a jug like that one time. It was a beast, but I did what Shari (Shunt) did, and cut the top off then dug out as much as I could and stored in zip locks, and used a heat gun on what clung to the sides of the container.
After that I make sure only liquid oils are ordered in jugs like that, and now order the harder oils in cubes or buckets.

 

[Micchi]

When I know I'm soaping on a given day, I pop the jugs in the warmest room in the house when I wake up in the morning. Since I usually soap in the afternoon/evening, that gives the oils time to soften up some. Then I pop them in a sink or bathtub full of hot water while I'm setting up to soap. By the time I'm mixing my lye, they're melted enough to pour. Measure out what I need into the stainless pot I have for oils, pop that on a hot plate to get them clear. Pour that in my mixing bucket, and the soaping begins.

 

[Cellador]

I also fill the sink with hot water & let it sit. It usually only needs 15-20 mins.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

what I have done is to take a utility knife and cut from the top down on both sides and then put it into an ice cream pail

 

[jbedaded]

for this reason, I order my palm oil from Brambleberry. It comes in a microwaveable bag. Perhaps more expensive but it is more convenient

 

[MGM]

@MGM Whoa you've had flames? Thats scarey

It was a long time ago, maybe 30 years but you don't forget it Haven't used plastic in the microwave at all for at least 20 years, but with oils, not since that day.

 

[Misschief]

I put the tub of Palm oil in a pot of simmering hot water on the stove (au bain marie). Once melted, I pour it into silicone cake pans at a depth of about 1". Once solidified, I put it into a plastic bag and drop it on my ceramic tile floor. It shatters into more usable pieces. (I buy mine 500 grams or so at a time as I don't use a lot of it.)

 

[LaToya]

@candleattic I think I have learned my lesson

@jbedaded Yes I have seen just how convenient they are! Noted.

@Misschief Nice suggestions! Thanks