QUESTION: No-stir palm oil / AKA palm shortening & melting it down

[Savage Daughter]

I had a question for anyone who has worked with this specific substance before. It may be blindingly obvious to some, but.....

I purchased a honking brick of this stuff, around 40 LBS, and spent yesterday evening cutting it into blocks & odd shaped chunks, stuffing it into a clean 5 gallon bucket to make easier to use. Not a particularly fun time, and not something I wish to re-experience, but at least my hands are soft today

Problem is, there are air gaps between those chunks, despite the fact that I pressed down on this stuff as hard as possible, which means I was not able to fit the entire amount into the bucket. I've still got about an 1/8th or slightly more of the original block to go & really don't want to have to use another bucket if at all possible. My workshop isn't very big.

I purchased this no-stir palm to avoid melting it down & stirring it, ironically, but now I'm considering wrapping my electric blanket around the bucket to soften it up / melt it so that I can fit more of the goop into my bucket. This is hydrogenated palm oil.....I don't even use Crisco or any type of shortening in my kitchen, so am incredibly clueless in regards to this topic.

MY QUESTION IS (finally got there): if I melt this goop down, and it again solidifies, will it affect the soaps / my soap recipes at all when I go to use it? This is the first time I have used this type of palm & have zero experience with it. My logic says 'it should be fine', seeing as I melt other butters & oils for my soaps & this does not affect the quality of my product, but those aren't hydrogenated, and neither is regular palm oil which can be melted & remelted for the purpose of stirring. I really don't want to go & make a 40 LB mistake I will greatly regret!

I would greatly appreciate anyone's knowledgeable input on this topic. Thank you so much

 

[AliOop]

Yes, you can soften it or even melt it down fully, then let it reharden without any problems. Use the least amount of heat possible so any effect on shelf life is minimal. But I will say, I've kept small containers hydrogenated palm shortening in a cool dark cabinet for a couple of years. Each time I used it, it was the same as the day I bought it - no smell, no weird behavior, and no change to taste.

 

[Savage Daughter]

Thank you so much! Haven't had time to respond until today but since I saw your answer, I have been sitting my bucket near but not too close to my wood stove, rotating it occasionally, and watching the level of palm shortening go down, little by little. In a few more days I should be able to squeeze the rest of that honker of a brick in! Decided this was a better option as the electric blanket was not something I wished to wash afterwards.

Next time I will be requesting a bucket, even if I have to pay a few more $$, just to save me some time & frustration.

Thank you again

 

[Mobjack Bay]

When I order big blocks of fat, I fill up whatever small storage buckets I have available and leave the rest in the bag in the shipping box until I need it. I store the box in a cold/cool dry place.

 

[Savage Daughter]

When I order big blocks of fat, I fill up whatever small storage buckets I have available and leave the rest in the bag in the shipping box until I need it. I store the box in a cold/cool dry place.

Good idea, and I wish that was an option for me at the moment, but my house is small & my workshop is in my even smaller spare bedroom, which is full with shelves to the ceiling of herbs, oil infusions, tinctures, raw materials, packaging etc for the herbal products I was already making, as well as preservation / dehydrating equipment, not leaving me much room for storing additional boxes of supplies. As soon as I receive raw materials, I normally get them into jars, bins or buckets ASAP in an attempt to keep things as organized as possible.

Hoping to hire someone to help me build an insulated outdoor storage shed this year so that I can securely store excess raw materials outside without the wild animals curiously rooting around in them, which is a big issue out here, as are some of the crazy weather conditions being this far out in the bush & this close to the ocean.

Thank you to you both for sharing your knowledge & suggestions, much appreciated

 

[melinda48]

When I order big blocks of fat, I fill up whatever small storage buckets I have available and leave the rest in the bag in the shipping box until I need it. I store the box in a cold/cool dry place.

I do the same.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

50 POUNDS OF NO-STIR PALM