Most soapers complain that their oven won't go any lower than 170F, mine included. The result, overheated soap, or a nightmare observation schedule. Ah, the old heating pad trick; it works but it can be messy and unreliable. So, what's the answer? Actually, there are two. 1. PRESTO brand 16" x 10" deep dish, electric skillet with glass cover, and infinite temperature dial. I put a piece of thin cardboard in the metal surface so that my silicone molds don't make direct contact. I set the temp control between the W-A (warm) and I get a steady 125F for as long as I want. Just a slight adjustment, and I'm up to 140F for as long as I want. It will hold
9-12 individual molds, large muti-cavity molds, or two 10" or 12" loaf molds. Average cost Amazon/WalMart about $39.00
The other option is the 16" x 10" PRESTO griddle. Same heating element, and infinite temperature control dial. In this case, I cut down a cardboard box to 14"x 10"x 4,"and placed it, upside down on the griddle. Again, I put a cardboard buffer between the metal surface and the bottom of my molds. Just to be sure I also put a large, double folded towel over the whole thing. I used roughly the same settings (in the "warm" area) of the temp dial. It will hold your selected temp within a few degrees, as long as you want. (and don't peek)
I checked the temps of the meal surface, the cardboard surface, mold surfaces, and soap surface, with my infrared/laser temp gum. Very impressed with both setups, clean, reliable, and easy. I've only used the "warm"
area of the temp dial, and found it offered a range from about 90-170. Average cost about $20.00.
NO MORE OVEN FOR ME!
9-12 individual molds, large muti-cavity molds, or two 10" or 12" loaf molds. Average cost Amazon/WalMart about $39.00
The other option is the 16" x 10" PRESTO griddle. Same heating element, and infinite temperature control dial. In this case, I cut down a cardboard box to 14"x 10"x 4,"and placed it, upside down on the griddle. Again, I put a cardboard buffer between the metal surface and the bottom of my molds. Just to be sure I also put a large, double folded towel over the whole thing. I used roughly the same settings (in the "warm" area) of the temp dial. It will hold your selected temp within a few degrees, as long as you want. (and don't peek)
I checked the temps of the meal surface, the cardboard surface, mold surfaces, and soap surface, with my infrared/laser temp gum. Very impressed with both setups, clean, reliable, and easy. I've only used the "warm"
area of the temp dial, and found it offered a range from about 90-170. Average cost about $20.00.
NO MORE OVEN FOR ME!
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