Dehydrator

[Laurabolyard]

I've read a couple of threads here about dehydrators, with mixed results/feelings. I did my first rebatch today after an overcooked crumbly mess yesterday. i felt that I used minimal liquid. I put one batch in the freezer and kept one batch out, for experimental purposes. I don't like what the freezer did with the amount of water that had to be present in rebatching!! It seemed a wet mess when it started to thaw, whereas the one I kept in the kitchen was soft, but not a mess!!
I do have the Cadillac of dehydrators, with a low setting of 105%. In the spirit of experimentation, I've put the wet one in at that temperature. I am aware that it may warp, but it was a rebatch anyway, for my own use, and more importantly for experimentation!
I would like to hear anyone's experience or thoughts on using the dehydrator.

 

[Kittish]

Initial though is that it may well speed up the water evaporation part, but it's not going to do a durn thing to shorten the time needed to cure since the water evaporating is only a part of it. If all you want to do is dry out the drippy wet soap you had in the freezer, it may work well, otherwise I'd skip it.

 

[Laurabolyard]

Yes! It was a drippy mess! I will know, with a rebatch, not to put it in the freezer! Too much water and too many freezy things going on with that!

 

[cmzaha]

Dehydrators will melt your soap even at the lower temperature. I am not sure which dehydrator you call the cadillac but even 105º F will melt your soap ask me how I know. My Excalibur goes as low as 105º F. You simply cannot shorten cure time since curing is not just water evaporation, much more goes on inside the soap during cure. Here is a wonderful article by our resident chemist DeeAnna https://classicbells.com/soap/cure.html

 

[Laurabolyard]

I am not necessarily trying to cure it at this point. It was really wet and freezer was a bad idea IMO with rebatch!! It was spongy and loose. I'm just experimenting and passing it on. I've put one in the dehydrator and kept one out, as I did with the freezer.

 

[cmzaha]

When soap is frozen and thaws there were always be extra moisture that will dry on it's own with good air flow. You would be better off using a fan directed at the soap instead of a dehydrator

 

[Laurabolyard]

When soap is frozen and thaws there were always be extra moisture that will dry on it's own with good air flow. You would be better off using a fan directed at the soap instead of a dehydrator

Thank you, have you tried a dehydrator? I'm curious, and it's in! I'm comparing a test subject out and in!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

No help here on the dehydrator, Laura... no advice either... just want to wish you luck! I'm looking forward to following your journey of discovery.

 

[Laurabolyard]

Well, so far it's just much less wet, which is what I hoped for. Even though it's winter, south Florida is very humid!! I'm going to continue to leave it in there for comparison.