Any tips for Melting Hard Oils Without Microwave

[AliOop]

I never use a microwave because oils can explode or start on fire. Use a double boiler for safety and to control your temperature better. Good luck!

I've microwaved my oils for years and never had anything close to exploding or catching on fire. But I did start a kitchen fire once when oil spatters from deep-frying hit the stove burner.

So the issue is less about which heat source you use, and more about paying attention and taking appropriate safety precautions.

 

[Zing]

I also just put a pan of butters/oils directly on the burner. And I love the new tip from @AliOop -- it'll come in handy for my rock hard jars of coconut oil now that it's winter in Minnesota. Saturday's "high" is supposed to be minus 5 degrees F....

 

[AliOop]

I also just put a pan of butters/oils directly on the burner. And I love the new tip from @AliOop -- it'll come in handy for my rock hard jars of coconut oil now that it's winter in Minnesota. Saturday's "high" is supposed to be minus 5 degrees F....

@Zing that's pretty durn cold! ❄

Oh, and heating pads work well for melting, too - assuming they aren't otherwise occupied with gelling your soaps.

 

[KiwiMoose]

In a stainless steel pot, in my kitchen, on the lowest setting on the gas stove top ( previous house was electric stove, and just used the lowest setting on that too). It's all I've ever done.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Melting the oils using only the heat from the sun?

☀
Been there. Cocoa butter, coconut oil, babaçu (on a summer afternoon, on a southwest-facing metal window sill). Probably not the best for oils that have a high melting end point (palm, tallow, soy wax), at least in temperate climates.

 

[SoapLover1]

Hi! I was taught that you only heat hard oils in a boiler of water in a separate container so not to scorch or overheat the oil on a stove top. A Microwave changes the chemistry of whatever you put in there. If you use quality oils, then I wouldn’t use the Microwave. Blessings!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Hi! I was taught that the microwave does not change the chemistry of whatever you put in there (and even if it did, isn't the whole point of soapmaking to change the chemistry of the oils anyway?).

The only resort from this stalemate is to ask Nature itself, i. e. conduct well-controlled experiments. As long as there isn't any evidence in favour or against one or the other wisdom, the case stays undecided. Blessings!

 

[SavonP]

I don’t have a microwave and don’t intend to get one. Whenever I need to heat up anything, I use double boiler method. Will be doing that with oils when I start soaping. I don’t want to get them too hot. And yes, I’ve mistakenly done that when cooking.