andreabadgley
Well-Known Member
Hey y'all,
I finally got a stick blender after reading how great they are on here. It only took me about a year. But since I succeeded at rebatching, I figured what the heck! I've branched out without catastrophe. I'm gonna try a stick blender. I bought one this week, and it's been sitting on my counter staring at me for the past four days. I was restless all morning, wondering, "Do I soap today? Do I dare try this new (to me) technology?" I got tired of being restless, and I knew it wasn't going to go away until I just did it, so I decided to just do it.
Well, I was nervous all morning about it. I tried it in the oils before I added the lye, and I'm so glad I did! I splashed myself and was totally freaked out by how intense the blender was. It was only on for about 5 seconds and the oil was like a roiling whirlpool. I was afraid the stick blender would leave tiny air bubbles in the final bars, so I worried about that for a while while I waited for the oil and lye temps to come down.
When I finally added the lye, completely decked out in safety goggles, rubber apron, and elbow length rubber gloves, I managed to stick blend for about 10 seconds without splashing. When I let it rest, it looked like it had already come to a light trace. I refused to believe it, let it sit for about 30 seconds, then zitzed it again with the stick blender. Yep. It was already at trace. In less than 2 minutes! Is that going to be a problem? I'm totally flabbergasted. This exact same recipe took me 45 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer last time I made it.
Anyway, I added my EO's, stirred them in by hand, and barely got to the mold in time to pour. I hope this turns out, cause I'm totally hooked on the stick blender! I just can't believe it! It's a Hamilton Beach, btw, with Hi and Lo speeds. I used the Lo speed. If I can figure out how to post pics on here, I'll do that after I unmold and cut tomorrow.
I finally got a stick blender after reading how great they are on here. It only took me about a year. But since I succeeded at rebatching, I figured what the heck! I've branched out without catastrophe. I'm gonna try a stick blender. I bought one this week, and it's been sitting on my counter staring at me for the past four days. I was restless all morning, wondering, "Do I soap today? Do I dare try this new (to me) technology?" I got tired of being restless, and I knew it wasn't going to go away until I just did it, so I decided to just do it.
Well, I was nervous all morning about it. I tried it in the oils before I added the lye, and I'm so glad I did! I splashed myself and was totally freaked out by how intense the blender was. It was only on for about 5 seconds and the oil was like a roiling whirlpool. I was afraid the stick blender would leave tiny air bubbles in the final bars, so I worried about that for a while while I waited for the oil and lye temps to come down.
When I finally added the lye, completely decked out in safety goggles, rubber apron, and elbow length rubber gloves, I managed to stick blend for about 10 seconds without splashing. When I let it rest, it looked like it had already come to a light trace. I refused to believe it, let it sit for about 30 seconds, then zitzed it again with the stick blender. Yep. It was already at trace. In less than 2 minutes! Is that going to be a problem? I'm totally flabbergasted. This exact same recipe took me 45 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer last time I made it.
Anyway, I added my EO's, stirred them in by hand, and barely got to the mold in time to pour. I hope this turns out, cause I'm totally hooked on the stick blender! I just can't believe it! It's a Hamilton Beach, btw, with Hi and Lo speeds. I used the Lo speed. If I can figure out how to post pics on here, I'll do that after I unmold and cut tomorrow.
