Anybody make 4 or 5 lb recipes?

[lenarenee]

What container do you use to mix your batter in? I've searched all over
for a large, tall container that can hold all that batter and still be tall enough to catch some of the splatter. I've found very wide but short bowls, pitchers that are too narrow (make more splatter) and hardware bucket (too difficult to control the pour)

I'd love to hear what works for you!

 

[shunt2011]

I use 1 gallon paint buckets or the little cheap 1.00 mixing bowls from the dollar tree. I prefer the bucket as it allows for sloppiness then separate into my pitchers to color and pour.

 

[kumudini]

I agree with Shari. Also, sometimes I use my SS mixing bowl, don't know where my husband bought it but it's a single piece, not part of a set. Its narrow at the bottom so my batter comes up high enough to completely submerge the bell of my immersion blender.

 

[skayc1]

I have two of the cheap mixing bowls from the dollar tree, it could hold well over a gallon, although the most I have soaped at used 45 oz of oils, & plenty of room was leftover. my molds are not big enough for more than that just yet.

 

[Yooper]

I have some stainless pots that are perfect. Tall, but not too tall, and not wide.

 

[lenarenee]

Our dollar store has very short bowls... and very wide and unstable for picking up to pour. The one gallon bucket I bought is too small for 4 lbs of batter. I may need to look into (expensive) stainless steel. :-(

 

[galaxyMLP]

When I make my ~5 lb recipes, I use tupperware from the dollar tree that holds up to 96 oz. Those recipes have 60 oz of oil and total a little over 85 oz so it leaves me with about 10 oz wiggle room. They don't have a handle or pour spout though. I like them because they are really wide so they fit in my microwave to melt my oils and they are actually pretty sturdy!

I have these plastic pitchers that I got from kitchen collection for my 3 lb batches but they hold up to 72 oz and would work well for a 4 lb batch (total batch weight).

 

[snappyllama]

I use a bucket from the painting section of a hardware store and split the batter into smaller containers for coloring and pouring.

 

[songwind]

I have this set. The large mixing bowl worked for the one 5lb batch I did, though it was very full. 5 or 5.5qt would probably be better.

All in all, though, I'm quite pleased with them. The only thing I'd like to change is a more pronounced spout.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

That much is not the best in my slowcooker, but for CP I can use a bucket or a large saucepan for that amount, no worries at all.

 

[navigator9]

Our dollar store has very short bowls... and very wide and unstable for picking up to pour. The one gallon bucket I bought is too small for 4 lbs of batter. I may need to look into (expensive) stainless steel. :-(

Don't know if you have something like Ocean State Job Lot where you are, they carry many different sizes, some fairly small, of stainless stock pots, and they're not expensive. Or check Goodwill or Salvation Army or any thrift store, they usually have some great finds in the kitchen department.

 

[dixiedragon]

Cheap stainless steel stockpot. I sometimes see them at Fred's Discount pharmacy. The bottom is so thin it's terrible for cooking - everything burns on the bottom. but it's great for soap and for boiling water for pasta.

 

[Retropixie]

I make 4lb recipes. I use 1 gallon bucket (from my coconut oil) or my stainless pot I use for melting oil.

 

[commoncenz]

I have re-purposed the containers that the coconut oil I bought from soapers choice came in. I also have several paint buckets. Both allow me to mix up a large amount of batter and then split into smaller containers for colors. I used to use a plastic pitcher that I bought from Wally World and that worked well also.

 

[Seawolfe]

Yeah I like my buckets from the hardware store - cheap and they stack! I use the smaller ones without metal handles for melting oils in the microwave, smaller ones than those for mixing the lye water, and a big one with a handle for blending everything together. Then smaller ones again for colors.

 

[Susie]

Also, if you live near a restaurant supply store, they have some 8 qt and 12 qt plastic containers that have a 5 in the triangle on the bottom I have been eyeing if I decide to start selling. I like the shape and everything.

 

[vmakkers]

I use a 5qt stainless steel pot I got from Ikea. They were being discontinued for the new design and the pot was only $15. I like it because it has measurement lines on the inside of the pot so it's easier for you to split batter evenly. You may still be able to find them if you live close to an Ikea. They were marked as a last chance item in stores and didn't show online. The other cool thing about the pot is that it's like incapable of sitting on it's side. I wanted to lay the pot on it's side so my fan could air dry it, and no matter what I did, the pot kept sitting upright.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKKDJ08/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I think Arianne from La Fil Del Mar soaps uses this one:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50256748/

That is the newer version of the pot but it still has the gradations lines. They have smaller versions also.

 

[cmzaha]

I use 1-2 gallon buckets and sometimes these bowls for testing and the large one for my 5 lb batches. They do not show micro safe but I do melt my oils in them. But I do not use them for every batch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SHXRWY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. I despise those cheap dollar store mixing bowls. They are extremely flimsy

 

[hmlove1218]

I picked up a stainless Mainstays bowl from Walmart for about $10. It's narrow enough at the bottom that I can use it for as little as 36 ounces of oil (and probably less than that), but my 60 ounces of oil batches still only fill it about half way. Plus, since it's SS, I can use it ad my double boiler and melt my oils directly in it so I don't have to transfer containers. I love it!

 

[paillo]

These are my two indispensable soaping bowls, both found in thrift stores. I don't know what I'm going to do when they crack or break from much more wear, can't find anything similar online. Love the handles and spouts and that they easily fit in my microwave.

I can't see the image I uploaded. Anyway, they are sturdy plastic bowls capable of easily holding 4.5 lb batches with lots of whisking and blending. They have great handles and spouts, both made by Chef Mate. Alas, I can find nothing like them online

They are exactly like this, only larger. http://deals.dollartree.com/assets/product_images/styles/large/858618_v1.jpg