Slow down a wee bit, folks.
OP: "...The first is that she says that soap does not need to be mixed until one gets trace. Apparently, with handheld mixers [aka stick blenders], this isn't required, because the lye and oils get thoroughly blended together well before that point. (She goes on to say that with hand mixing, you do indeed need to go until trace is reached.) I'd not heard of that before, but it seems believable...."
Response: "...She's full of hooey. When stick blending you still have to reach at least emulsion or the fats and lye/water will separate in the mold. ..."
Um, Anne's point is precisely that a stable emulsion can occur before actual signs of trace when one uses a highly efficient mixing device like a stick blender. How is that "full of hooey"?
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OP: "...The second, which I find stranger, considering how important it seems to many soapers, is that there is basically no such thing as a 'gel stage'. To quote her, "Temperature during the setting period has little or nothing to do with soap setting." The only thing that warmth apparently does is prevents the formation of a "thin rind... that you can trim off"...."
Response: "...The no gel is definitely hooey, soap does have a very defined gel stage when it hits certain temps. Soap does not need to gel to set up though...."
As far as this issue, I gather you are assuming gel stage is the same as saponification, but I'll let Anne speak for herself:
"...Myth #7: Soap must be incubated.
Another fallacy is that soap must be kept warm after it’s poured into the mold. All sorts of little nests and incubators have been prescribed for this purpose. Some soap books give dire warnings that the soap won’t set if you even peek at it while it’s getting there.
According to this myth, soap has to go through a “gel stage.” Now, it’s true that soap becomes a kind of gel if you hold in the heat. Then, as it cools, it becomes solid and opaque—*just like soap that hasn’t gone through a “gel stage.”
Temperature during the setting period has little or nothing to do with soap setting. I’ve tried to make soap fail by pouring it into molds that don’t conserve heat and then putting them in a cold place. No matter what I did, the soap came out fine. In fact, when I asked other soapmakers about this, I learned that most milk soap mixtures are actually cooled. If a soap mixture doesn’t set, the reason is usually excess water in the recipe—*not temperature.
In some cases, though, warming may have other advantages. Some recipes produce soap with a sort of thin rind if the mixture isn’t kept warm. This rind doesn’t hurt anything, and you can trim it off—*but warming may prevent it entirely.
Also, some soapmakers report that warming creates a better texture in soap from the recipes they use. Others say warming makes the texture worse! In my own testing, I’ve noticed no difference at all. In any case, you will certainly get soap, whether you warm it or not...."
So, for those of you who put your soap in the fridge or freezer to prevent gel, do you find your soap does not saponify? It doesn't go through gel stage, right?
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OP -- I really think you are not interpreting Anne's information correctly. It also bothers me that you are selectively quoting her words out of context. I will concede she may not be saying what she means in words that make sense to you, but that doesn't mean she's wrong. It's hard as an author to refine and adapt one's written words to ensure the reader always understands, unlike what a teacher can do with a student in the classroom. Anne is one of the most objective, factual authors writing introductory soap making books that I can think of. I might not always agree with her point of view, but I do not think she's full of hooey.
