We had a repairman look at it. It needs a whole new motor and something else, can't remember what. It would cost hundreds to fix it. Might as well just buy a new one. There always comes a point when something just dies. Tech doesn't last forever.
dishwasher for soaping tools
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Yup, and unfortunately, newer stuff is not built to last. I know someone who worked in the QC dept of a major appliance manufacturer. He said they had huge rooms with all of their appliances running, so they could purposely engineer everything to die right after the warranty expired.
There used to be a time when people took pride in the quality of their product. We do. But these big corporations, I honestly think they make them to expire.Yup, and unfortunately, newer stuff is not built to last. I know someone who worked in the QC dept of a major appliance manufacturer. He said they had huge rooms with all of their appliances running, so they could purposely engineer everything to die right after the warranty expired.
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
They used to use metal cogs in Washing Machines but now they use plastic.
Same here.
We have not found that to be the case for any of our appliances. We have never had to replace an appliance due to “failure to operate properly.” We recently replaced our kitchen appliances because we remodeled and were in a position to purchase new ones (thank you soapmaking!). I will say our Samsung fridge was not a good appliance but it never quit working (the corners of all of the shelves cracked however).
We have
That must have been frustrating because, generally, expenses, like purchasing new appliances, are far more palatable when we are able to plan for them! Sorry you had that experience.
xuledywo
Well-Known Member
I often hear that we shouldn’t use our soap-making materials, like pots, immersion blenders, or glass cups for sodium hydroxide solutions, for food purposes. However, this seems baseless to me. The only potentially dangerous substance is sodium hydroxide, but by the time it’s in food (like in pretzels), it’s neutralized. The small amount that could remain on utensils or equipment after soap-making seems negligible. If I use kitchen items made of plastic, silicon, or glass for soap making, and then rinse them thoroughly with water, why would it be a problem to reuse them for food? I don’t fully understand, so please correct me if I’m wrong. Is there some chemical reaction I’m missing? I’d rather not buy a separate immersion blender for soap making, as those cost over $15, which seems unnecessary for making soap just for myself.
I mostly agree with you. After all, we use SOAP to cleanse our food dishes, right? And sodium hydroxide solutions are not only used to make pretzels and olives, they are also used in some kitchen cleaning solutions, and even to adjust pH in skin lotions, shampoos, and the like, albeit at very low concentrations.
For 5-6 years, I made soap using only my regular kitchen tools (stickblender, crockpot, baking dishes lined with freezer paper). Today I do have dedicated soaping utensils, but more for convenience than anything, because my soap room is pretty far from my kitchen.
That being said, FOs, EOs, colorants, and preservatives can be dangerous to ingest. Some can leave a very bad taste in any silicone spatulas, candy molds, etc. So to the extent you use anything plastic, or any silicone spatulas or molds to make soap, I wouldn't use them to make food after that. But things like a stickblender (as long as it has a closed shaft), or a crockpot, or a stainless pot or spoon - those are not porous surfaces, and they are easily cleaned up and used for both soapmaking and food making.
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Not to mention lutefisk doncha know now ya.
Over Thanksgiving, my kids and wife were blown away when I mentioned lye and lutefisk, bagels, and pretzels. They immediately googled it and freaked out.
Sodium hydroxide degrades glass, and can thus be the cause of nasty accidents. As plastic vessels are cheaper, that's easy to avoid.
Fragrance will often cling heavily to silicone or other soap tools & can make a load of dishes taste of the scent. Silicone is porous and can be almost impossible to clean from some fragrances.
Commingling lab tools & vessels with those used for food is asking for contamination of food.
People generally make soap in order to make nice things for themselves and others; be nice to yourself and use separate equipment for soap, from food.
Before I became a member here, I was using my family crockpot to make hot process soap. After a few batches (no idea how long) I noticed that there was a rough patch all around the edge of the crockpot about where the top of the liquid would be once I poured the lye into the oils. It was not soap that cooked hard into the pot as I tried scraping it with a knife and it was definitely a change on the surface of the pot. Sort of like the shiny surface had been eaten away.
After joining this group, the crockpot was the first item I replaced. I have no idea why there was a rough patch but there was no way I was going to cook food in it any longer. When I finally got the space I needed to store my soaps without being on the kitchen counter I went to cold process soaps. I was worried enough about what was happening to the crockpot that I trashed it...I couldn't be sure that it might contaminate food.
I slowly replaced all of my pans, utensils, etc just for convenience sort of like @AliOop...some with silicone and some of those have retained FO's and EO's. I would not use those for my cooking for sure. I would estimate that I used kitchen things for about a year before I found this place...no one got sick or died, so hooray for us. But some things need their own purpose. Knowing what I do now I would have started with all new soaping tools if I had a "do-over". But I know when I first started making soap I wasn't even sure I would continue, so didn't want the extra expense if it was a one or two time thing.
After joining this group, the crockpot was the first item I replaced. I have no idea why there was a rough patch but there was no way I was going to cook food in it any longer. When I finally got the space I needed to store my soaps without being on the kitchen counter I went to cold process soaps. I was worried enough about what was happening to the crockpot that I trashed it...I couldn't be sure that it might contaminate food.
I slowly replaced all of my pans, utensils, etc just for convenience sort of like @AliOop...some with silicone and some of those have retained FO's and EO's. I would not use those for my cooking for sure. I would estimate that I used kitchen things for about a year before I found this place...no one got sick or died, so hooray for us. But some things need their own purpose. Knowing what I do now I would have started with all new soaping tools if I had a "do-over". But I know when I first started making soap I wasn't even sure I would continue, so didn't want the extra expense if it was a one or two time thing.
Now that you mention that, it reminded me that my slow cooker's ceramic liner did start to show signs of soapmaking wear, in the form of abrasions on the bottom from the stickblender. By that time, I had already started moving away from the crockpot and using a stainless pot directly on the stove. Because it weighs so much less, it was so much easier to lift for pouring soap into the mold, and cleaning up afterwards. That ended up being my go-to soapmaking container until I switched to CP, as well.
With that in mind, I will revise my previous answer to say that for me, anything that is good quality stainless (pots, pitchers, stickblenders) is fine to use for both food and soapmaking. Except to mix EOs and FOs, I don't use glass or any easily-breakable materials to make soap.
That's a great point! It isn't even necessary to buy or have a crockpot to try HP. Just set the stove burner on low, and use a nice stainless pot that has room for expansion of whatever batch size is being made.
I have dedicated containers for concentrated FOs and EOs and dedicated spatulas for stirring. They're reserved for soap and lotion making to prevent contaminating food with any fragrance residues that do linger in these plastic items.
I happen to have a big bowl I use only for soap making, but that's less about contamination and more about the bowl being exactly the right size and shape for soap making, but not a bowl I want for regular kitchen use.
As far as stick blenders go, I think it's wise to have one that's dedicated for soap making.
Most inexpensive stick blenders do not have a seal that positively prevents stuff from getting into the shaft between the motor and bell. The leakage is probably minimal, but I don't fancy the idea of getting even a tiny amount of soap residue in my food.
Some, maybe all, of the more expensive stick blenders do have a seal, but the seal is not rated for exposure to concentrated alkali -- these items are made for food use, not soap making. Having learned that the hard way, I have two SBs -- an expensive one for food (extravagant gift from spouse!) and a cheapie for soap and lotion (Walmart special.)
Commodity soap is almost always less expensive than hand made soap, so if saving money is the main goal, it's more cost effective to buy soap than make it. In my mind, a second $30 stick blender just for soap making is a small expense to support my hobby.
I happen to have a big bowl I use only for soap making, but that's less about contamination and more about the bowl being exactly the right size and shape for soap making, but not a bowl I want for regular kitchen use.
As far as stick blenders go, I think it's wise to have one that's dedicated for soap making.
Most inexpensive stick blenders do not have a seal that positively prevents stuff from getting into the shaft between the motor and bell. The leakage is probably minimal, but I don't fancy the idea of getting even a tiny amount of soap residue in my food.
Some, maybe all, of the more expensive stick blenders do have a seal, but the seal is not rated for exposure to concentrated alkali -- these items are made for food use, not soap making. Having learned that the hard way, I have two SBs -- an expensive one for food (extravagant gift from spouse!) and a cheapie for soap and lotion (Walmart special.)
Commodity soap is almost always less expensive than hand made soap, so if saving money is the main goal, it's more cost effective to buy soap than make it. In my mind, a second $30 stick blender just for soap making is a small expense to support my hobby.
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akseattle
Well-Known Member
@xuledywo, I have bought 3 immersion blenders at the thrift store. My first was for $3.99. It was missing the blade. As it turns out, it was a Bamix. I paid $25.00 for a blade on Amazon. I've never owned an immersion blender and I had never heard of a Bamix. When I realized a Bamix is pretty high quality, I put it in my kitchen! Now, I use it for all sorts of things that are a huge hassle for regular blenders.
The next two I bought for $7.99 each (I'm pretty sure). One is a Cuisinart and the other a Hamilton Beach (I'm pretty sure). I know I only need one for soaping. But, I have watched Video's by SoapQueen. She has an immersion blender that permits her to swap out the blending shaft between colors. I liked the idea of not having to wipe/ wash the blender shaft between colors. So, having two made sense.
Equally important, being the lazy butt and careless dishwasher that I am, I've bought other dishes and utensils at the thrift store for soapmaking cuz I'm pretty sure I'd eventually leave something on the dishes/ utensils that will either ruin a perfectly good meal or give someone a stomach ache.
So, if we've scared you enough , consider browsing a thrift store to see if you find something inexpensive that might meet your needs while not adding too much to accumulation of "stuff."
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