50 Pounds of No-Stir Palm Oil

[cerelife]

I buy my sustainable no-stir palm oil in 50 lb blocks and put about 5 pounds in a small container and refill as needed from the block. The block itself I keep in the original plastic bag (tightly closed) in a closet in our house to avoid it being exposed to light and extreme temperature fluctuations. This has always worked well for me and I've never had any issues with rancidity.
I bought my current 50 lb block just before Covid reared it's ugly head 2 years ago and I've used precious little of it in the past 2 years due to the fact that as a healthcare professional I've had very little time for anything but work. My soapmaking business had to take a backseat as I (as well as many others) focused our time and energy on more important things.
I recently removed the block of palm from its original bag and placed it in an air tight container and it seems normal. But the fact remains that it IS 2 years old.
Is there any way to check to see if it's still good other than soaping with it / wait and see if develops DOS?
Thanks for any help.

 

[cmzaha]

Palm has a very long shelf life. If it smells fine I am guessing it is fine. I have kept the 50 lb blocks a couple of years when I ended up with surplus from a destash.

 

[kaygrrl]

I buy my sustainable no-stir palm oil in 50 lb blocks and put about 5 pounds in a small container and refill as needed from the block. The block itself I keep in the original plastic bag (tightly closed) in a closet in our house to avoid it being exposed to light and extreme temperature fluctuations. This has always worked well for me and I've never had any issues with rancidity.
I bought my current 50 lb block just before Covid reared it's ugly head 2 years ago and I've used precious little of it in the past 2 years due to the fact that as a healthcare professional I've had very little time for anything but work. My soapmaking business had to take a backseat as I (as well as many others) focused our time and energy on more important things.
I recently removed the block of palm from its original bag and placed it in an air tight container and it seems normal. But the fact remains that it IS 2 years old.
Is there any way to check to see if it's still good other than soaping with it / wait and see if develops DOS?
Thanks for any help.

Sustainable palm oil is a myth. Once ecosystems are disrupted with palm production there’s no going back. It’s cheaper though because the collective cost is not considered.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I agree with @cmzaha I once received a 7 lb bucket of regular palm from MMS that was delivered during the summer. When it arrived it was "curdled". (I now know that it's not a good idea to order palm during the summer when it can be exposed to high heat during transit.) I contacted the Sage and they assured me it was okay to soap. Which I did. It was fine.

To use your stock up quickly, you might want to give this recipe a try. It's a best seller for all types of skin. It's high in palm oil (62%), has good lather and an elegant feel. It was my dearly departed hubby's favorite bar to use in the shower.

ZANY'S PALM OLIVE

 

[lsg]

I order palm in 7 lb buckets when it's on sale. I freeze my extra palm and it works great in soap.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Is there any way to check to see if it's still good other than soaping with it / wait and see if develops DOS?

Hopefully @DeeAnna will see this and can help. In the meantime, you may want to have a look around DeeAnna's Soapy Stuff for an answer.

I'm happy you are back to soaping again. Making soap keeps me sane and it's less expensive than therapy!

HAPPY SOAPING!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I order palm in 7 lb buckets when it's on sale. I freeze my extra palm and it works great in soap.

I do that too, Linda. As soon as it arrives, I melt it down to fully incorporate the stearic acid that has settled to the bottom and pour into 1 lb containers for later use. I mark the date on the container and store some in the fridge for easy access and the rest of the containers in the basement which stays cool year round.

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm with the others. I don't use palm, but I do keep a fair bit of lard and high oleic sunflower oil on hand. I store them in a dark cool place (in the fridge if I have room) and I take a good sniff when I get them out to use. If the fat smells fine (whatever the typical smell is for that particular fat), IMO it's good to go. I have fats that are several years old and they're fine.

 

[cerelife]

Thank you all so much!