A crash course in stick blending

[rainycityjen]

I thought I knew a good bit about CP before diving into it, but there's one thing I had to discover first-hand ... the art of stick blending.

I made two, 2 lb batches this week, both in the same night.

Batch 1 was my first attempt at a milk soap. I dutifully froze a mixture of sheep's milk yogurt (yum!) and water, chopped and partially-melted it into a slush, added lye, and then got my oils ready including some nice mango butter. After I added the lyewater to the oils and then the (beautiful!) forest rain/fir fragrance, I proceeded to stick blend the crap out of it. BOOM, instant concrete. Seized so hard it separated into individual clumps that wouldn't merge in the mold. I hot process hero'd it and ended up with some primitive-looking Irish Spring. So sad.

I was so disappointed with this effort, so I did some research and found that aggressive stick-blending can cause a seize. I had no idea.

Newly-enlightened me made a second soap the same night. This one was coconut milk for water, and a pretty basic coconut/oo/palm recipe. I noticed that the lye was causing the coconut milk to clump, but thought the heat from the reaction would melt the clumps down. I added the lye-milk to my oils and VERY VERY LIGHTLY stirred with my spatula. I may have pulsed my stick-blender once or twice, but I was terrified of seize. I added FO and poured into the mold. Immediately I noticed the little white clumps were still there. 24 hours later, I cut the soap to find lots of fatty-looking tapiocas. Combined with the ash-grey and rose clay, it really looks like some kind of autopsy. I'm horrified.

So learn from me, any beginners who are reading this. Stick blending is like the holy hand grenade of Antioch. You should not lightly blend, but neither should you puree... you should pulse and stir both to trace, remedy ricing as needed, and let the consistency be your guide, rather than your trigger finger...

 

[ca_soap]

On your first batch, if I read it properly, you added fragrance oils before any blending? If so this throws up a couple red flags. You should blend to a light trace before adding any fragrance oils, essentials oils, colorants or other additives. Second without knowing the fragrance you used, some behave badly in CP and can either accelerate or seize. Also how much of the fragrance oil has an impact on this. Your second batch it sounds like you didn't blend it enough for fear that blending was the cause of your first batch to seize on you.

 

[Dennis]

Perhaps your count was off? Did you count properly? "The count shall be three, no more, no less..." :think:

 

[Lin]

The clumps in your second batch were most likely a result of saponification of the fats in the coconut milk. If you go too slowly with frozen fatty liquids like coconut milk, yogurts the fat in them will start to saponify. Then since you didn't stick blend well enough it wasn't combined with the rest of the oils and lye.

 

[Derpina Bubbles]

I actually slapped my knee laughing and hurt myself when reading that. Don't worry, it's only a flesh wound.

*You started it.

*Ni

 

[Ruthie]

You were braver than I was for my first ever batch. Mine was uncolored and unscented, using water as my liquid. Kept it simple....

 

[Derpina Bubbles]

You were braver than I was for my first ever batch. Mine was uncolored and unscented, using water as my liquid. Kept it simple....

I completely lost sight of these being 1st batches because of the awesome writing style. You're so right. Big time brave 1st soaps. I did a castile for my 1st because I thought I was all clever sticking to 3 ingredients for my 1st soap. Ummmm derp. I made another one soon after when I realised what I'd done to myself.
The best bit- you turned around and made another one the same night after the 1st one went pear shaped. You got straight back on your coconut. You rock.

 

[pamielynn]

On your first batch, if I read it properly, you added fragrance oils before any blending? If so this throws up a couple red flags. You should blend to a light trace before adding any fragrance oils, essentials oils, colorants or other additives.

I always add fragrance to the warmed oils before adding lye, rather than waiting for trace. This has actually caused LESS seizing for me, .

 

[grayceworks]

Here's some notes on stick-blenders that I wish I had known when I started:

(TL,DR: Keep a spare, watch out for warping, high-power ones splatter -- always wear goggles)

Ones with detachable shafts are easier to clean. And easier to set aside if you have to leave the area for a moment.

If you buy two identical ones, you can either: have a separate one for each color when doing multi-color batches. OR have two motors to switch back and forth attaching to the same shaft when you're working with a reallllly slow tracing recipe, so you don't overheat your blender.

Plus, if your significant other wants to come help you play mad scientist, you can each do one color at the same time instead of having to trade off.

Plus, you always have a backup blender. Because your favorite blender will die on you when you need it most.

-- When your blender dies, and you start using your backup blender, don't wait to get a replacement. Because your backup blender KNOWS it's the only one left. And it is evil and will quit working in the middle of a batch, and you will have to finish stirring the batch by hand.


Some things to watch out for (and quick fixes for some issues):

The ones where the shaft is held into the plastic housing with 3 little screws and a hard plastic ring and a nylon seal --- that plastic ring will warp and crack into your soap. The blender will still work fine. But replace that plastic ring with a ring made from some PP 5 plastic, like from the deli take-out containers, otherwise you'll be happily blending away and hear a "cachunk!" and then be fishing shards of plastic out of your soap batter.

Any of the ones with the white plastic housing can warp if you use them for HP or for really warm soap batter. Which makes no sense to me, since you're supposed to be able to puree hot soup with them (soup, not soap) but... they warp. So be careful they haven't warped so much that the blades can rub against the sides. I try and quick make them round again before they cool down.

The ones where the shaft is "sealed" into the housing with a plastic disc glued into place -- and that plastic disc can come unglued and leak (especially if the housing has warped). Then raw soap batter gets inside, and/or when you wash it, the water and the black oily stuff that lets the metal shaft spin nicely inside the housing will leak through that spot and later come out and get in your soap. eww. If this happens, seal it up with some silicon sealant and remember to dry your blender shaft upside-down so the water all drains out instead of making sludge inside there.

(I think I will end up investing in one with a SS housing at some point)

Some blenders have a LOT more power than others. I prefer the lower-powered ones with 2 speeds. I can still speed it up a bit if needed, but it doesn't splash my soap batter all over the place or try to jump out of my hands when I hit the button! You don't want to know how I discovered this. I'm just glad I was wearing my goggles. The scene could easily have been nominated to go in the thread about soaping messes. lol

Some blenders have a flat edge on the shaft housing, and some have a wavy edge. Some people don't like the wavy edge. I don't like the flat edge, as it seems to keep trying to suction down to the bottom of the soap pot. I don't like fighting with it, so I like the wavy edge ones. I don't like them too deeply wavy though, as they seem to splatter more if I have a small batch in my pot.

Well, that's my (very long-winded) contribution to the "Stick-blending 101 Crash Course" -- hope it can be of help to others getting started with this addiction!

Oh, and I have found that if I KNOW a FO is going to seize, I stop blending at emulsification, add my colors, and then gently stir the FO and immediately pour. Doesn't always work, sometimes it still overheats, but it works most of the time.... Or I HP and then I can just add it afterwards and not worry about it. If it's a NEW FO that I don't know about, I try and check reviews and see if anyone else had issues, but otherwise, I make sure I try it on a small batch, and don't plan anything fancy like swirls until I know for sure.

 

[Dennis]

Used to think I just had a stick blender and used it until it died and pulled out it's twin that's also cringing behind the crock pot on the too high to bother with using for anything but the "yes I think I have one somewhere" cabinet over the refrigerator. They're old. At least 20 years, Braun flat edge, the switch is avocado green, and the only screws are on the switch plate (1) and the bottom (1). Or is that the top? Something tells me these things have been engineered to death and now are designed to die at the most inopportune times unless you buy the BIGGER BETTER more BELLS AND WHISTLES.

1990
Me: Need a stick blender.
Clerk: Here ya go. That'll be 9 bucks.
Me: How much?!
Clerk: 9 bucks. Shoulda been here this weekend. They were on sale for $6.49.
Me: (Grumbling all the way) Ok, just my luck. Hey, these are avocado!
Clerk: Nostalgic, aren't they? Takes you back to the wonderful 70s.
Me: Braun? They make electric razors too, don't they.
Clerk: Yep. They're really good with small electrics.
Me: Hey, what are you doing with that thing?
Clerk: It's a scanner. Newest thing. Enters the price, does lots of stuff so I don't have to.
Me: I don't like it. How do I know it's not entering something else, like my picture?
Clerk: Nah. That'll never happen.

 

[Obsidian]

You didn't do anything wrong with batch #1, it was then scent that caused the seizure. Thats why its so important to get your fragrance from a reputable dealer who does testing so you'll know if its prone to seizing. It just one of those things that happens though. My last batch seized and I had to HP it into submission. Now I have hideous flesh colored ick posing as soap.

Batch #2 needed more blending. At this point, there is a good chance you will need to chop it up and rebatch. The lumps will probably be lye heavy.

I suggest doing a couple single color batches without additives so you can get the feel of things.

 

[cmzaha]

When using a new fo, especially a floral, or spice type it is very advised to do a test batch to see if it will seize and use full 38% water. If it does, they work best with water for your liquid or subtract some water out of your lye mixture using milk for the balance. I add my additional liquids into my oil mix before adding my lye solution and stick blend well. Also anding your fo into your oils and stickblending well sometimes helps. Some fragrance oils will seize no matter what you do to prevent it and have to be hp'ed. I also use no color when using a new fo in case I have to crockpot it. My alternative to hp'ing such seizures is to put the lid on my bucket of siezed soap and let it gel then beat it back into submission before it starts setting up. Usually I find, siezed soap will gel fairly fast. It will usually still look like hp'ed. Some fo's can do really naughty things like ricing, when the oils seperate out and look like little grains of rice. Ricing can usually be sb'ed in submission but not always. Also use a wire wish or just stir, but do not sb a naughty fragrance or spice eo

*Side note* to Stick Blenders, do buy them with medal blades. The lye can eventually weaken the plastic ones and the blade pieces can break off in your soap going un-noticed until you wash your sb. Lost a 5lb batch of expensive 75% shea butter soap due to that happening. I just could not be sure where the plastic was in the soap. Dumped the whole batch and have never used a cheapie plastic sb since. That was about a year into making soap.

 

[rainycityjen]

I completely lost sight of these being 1st batches because of the awesome writing style. You're so right. Big time brave 1st soaps. I did a castile for my 1st because I thought I was all clever sticking to 3 ingredients for my 1st soap. Ummmm derp. I made another one soon after when I realised what I'd done to myself.
The best bit- you turned around and made another one the same night after the 1st one went pear shaped. You got straight back on your coconut. You rock.

Well thanks. These were actually my 5th and 6th batches, the first ones being simple recipes or bastile. I do have a bad habit of introducing lots of new elements at once, and then when it goes south, not knowing which one of them was the culprit.

Regarding the fragrance in the 1st batch: Entirely possible it was the cause or contributed to the seize. I got the majority of the blend from a local soapmaking supply place, and they didn't have any info about how it would behave in CP. I'd heard florals and spices can act up, but I guess you never really know unless it's been tested first.

Interesting point about the SB trying to suction down to the bottom of the soap pot. Mine does all the time! I have a feeling it is too powerful too. Even on the low setting it sounds fierce.

Thinking about chopping up the lumpy, "autopsy" looking one into little cubic sprinkles for embeds. If I can do that-? It's too **** ugly and smelly for anything else. (BB's Cedar and Saffron is awesome but dang, it will make your whole house smell like Tommy Hilfiger's armpit for 24 hours...)

 

[jaychis]

I have had great luck with FO that tend to seize batches. I use my stick blender until I get a light trace. I slow add the FO and stir with a spoon until I get to trace. Knock on wood, I have not had a batch seize on me yet since doing this method. I purchased a vanilla FO that had a warning about seized batches. This method worked like a charm multiple times. You have more time and control using a spoon after adding FO.
I also agree with the comment made about the stick blender. Don't buy the cheapest one you can find. They don't last as long and are not well made. I purchased a very good one for less than $25 or $30 (I can't remember). It has a larger motor that has been reliable, the shaft and blade are stainless steel and the drive shaft is sealed. Detach the shaft, throw it in the dishwasher and you are done.