Small stainless cups - how I think I can use them, am I in the right direction?

[NsMar42111]

I came across a pack of these https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/320158-stainless-steel-6-pack-dipping-cups-lids.html

cheaply at a discount store. My soap brain went :think: .... so, here's what I am thinking.

I'm being asked to do some more colorful soaps - "swirls and pretty stuff". I do HP so its a tad trickier. I'm thinking I could use these tiny cups to seperate out some batter, color it, and use it to plop into the loaf. I'm thinking of heating up a spare crockpot with about 2 inches of water in it (so it won't crack the liner), put a plate on the bottom, set these cups on it so they are sitting in a hot water bath. My thinking is that will give me more time with the batter staying fluid enough to swirl in. Currently I use plastic measuring cups but I find the batter gets cold/hard too fast for more than a small run.

Anyone ever do anything similar?

 

[Kittish]

I just recently got similar little cups, but mine don't have lids. I'm using them currently for mixing pigments for soap and some are going to go into my perfume gear, too. These little cups only hold two to three tablespoons. If that's all you need at a go for your swirls and stuff, they should work great! Might be just a bit warm from sitting in a warm water bath, but not scalding. You'll only want to use about an inch of water for the bath, the cups are just over 1.5 inches tall.

If you need more batter at a go, you might look at these on amazon: Anchor Hocking Stainless Steel Nesting Pinch Bowls with Lids, 4 Ounce, 6-Piece Set. I plan on using one of these to measure my lye into.

 

[NsMar42111]

I should've mentioned I am not planning on utilizing the lids LOL.

Good point about the height, I was thinking since they'll be on the plate theyll be high enough out of the water to not tip-but duh, the plate will displace water.

Another good point about the heat-I have heat tolerant fingers but a set of gloves will be needed. If this idea works, the bowls you linked might be next! For now I'm only going to be testing 1 lb batches so the size is fine LOL.

 

[mx5inpenn]

Have you tried fluid hp? I only cp unless I have to rebatch, but I've seen videos of hp that have lots of working time.

 

[earlene]

I have loads of those cups (without lids) because I saved a bunch after we closed the restaurant (they were used mostly for salad dressing, but other sauces as needed). They are perfect for measuring FO's, and other things for small batches of soap. I use them frequently for softening micas or oxides in a Tablespoon or two of some batch oil before mixing into soap batter for swirls. The ones I have hold about 2.5 ounces of liquid when completely full, so I have to keep that in mind, as if I need to measure more I use larger containers. (They do come in other sizes, so I am not sure how much yours actually hold.)

They do tip over kind of easily because of their shape, so I wouldn't put them into a water bath at all. I do sometimes use one to dissolve sugar in boiling water before adding it to my soaping oils, and yes it gets hot. But I usually let it sit long enough to cool sufficiently to handle without burning my fingers.

Getting everything out of the Cleaning them out after mixing the colorants can be a little annoying but with practice it becomes easier.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think those are a bit small for that. I got some 8 oz deli containers from a discount store. Good size b/c I can fit my stick blender in them!

 

[Cindy2428]

Sam's club sells some in 4 oz volume but they don't have those nice lids.