How long do you freeze to prevent gelling?

[gardengeek]

How long do you freeze to prevent gelling? I'm trying it out on a 1lb test loaf this morning. I did the refrigerator method (24 hours) on a full loaf the other day but I ended up with partial gel. I was trying to achieve a nice white. The ends turned out beautiful but every other bar not-so-much. Not sure if I waited too long to put it in the fridge because I spent a lot of extra time trying to imitate @Obsidian 's simple soap swirl.

 

[Obsidian]

It depends on the recipe, if it has heating ingredients like milk or honey, you might leave it overnight in the freezer then in the fridge for a day so it can thaw slowly.

If you absolutely don't want partial gel, don't use additives, refrigerated immediately and soap as cool as possible. You can even freeze your loaf mold before hand to help keep things cool.

 

[gardengeek]

It depends on the recipe, if it has heating ingredients like milk or honey, you might leave it overnight in the freezer then in the fridge for a day so it can thaw slowly.

If you absolutely don't want partial gel, don't use additives, refrigerated immediately and soap as cool as possible. You can even freeze your loaf mold before hand to help keep things cool.

Interesting. I'm sure that's what happened to the first loaf. It was changing while I was playing with the swirls. Today, it's just a small loaf and I didn't play around with it; got it right into the freezer. That was at 0630 this morning and it looks to be frozen solid now.

 

[cmzaha]

Do not depend on freezing to prevent gelling. I actually had a log go into gell after it had been frozen for over 24 hours and taken out of the mold overnight. The next day it decided to go into a gel. Fortunately I had it sitting on a crate lid so it contained the mess. I remember it was Lilly of The Valley Fragrance from Natures Garden, so do not trust any fragrance that tends to heat up.

 

[Obsidian]

I've not had a ton of luck with freezing either. I tend to just use the fridge but even then I've gotten partial gel and cracked tops.
If I use TD, I usually can't see the partial gel.

I'm not bothered by partial gel at all though and don't understand the obsession of overcoming it. When I refrigerate, its just to prevent over heating and cracking.

 

[gardengeek]

@cmzaha OMG soaping is like going down the rabbit hole! There are always exceptions to everything!

This FO that I'm using is pretty well behaved (Rain & Angelica from The Flaming Candle). The recipe I'm trying is @shunt2011's 50 Lard, 20 CO, 25 OO, 10 Shea, and 5 Castor with some sorbitol, SC, colloidal oatmeal, and coconut milk powder. Liquid portion is aloe juice. That's good to know though. I'll be sure to place it on something when I remove it from the freezer.

I'm trying to achieve an even toned bar for the November String challenge.

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm always puzzled about the common advice to put a mold full of soap in the freezer or fridge. Still air cools much more slowly than moving air. Just think about being outdoors on a hot day with no breeze versus a hot but windy day.

I cool a molded soap by sitting it up on several soup cans or a cookie cooling rack and then turning on a fan to blow air all around the mold. It's worked pretty good for me the time or two I've wanted to cool a batch down.

 

[cmzaha]

I do as DeeAnna mentions above. I elevate my mold and put a fan on it to cool down. I have a Coconut FO that is so vicious I put the mold in the freezer prior to soaping, soap really cool, my oils are still cloudy pour quick and get in elevated on a rack with fans. If I do not soap it this way the darn batter will go into a liquid gel walking to the freezer and the freezer will not stop the process anyway, otherwise, this fragrance has to be HP'ed which I hate.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with just elevating it. I gel all my soaps. I never understood not doing so. Though I know many do. Plus there’s the fact I don’t have room to put it in the fridge or freezer.

 

[gardengeek]

All the baking I do and I never thought of elevating it...ugh! And yes @DeeAnna, a hot, HUMID, windless day - nothing worse! Well maybe that with some hot flashes is pretty miserable.

Thank you all for the advice. That's why I love you guys

 

[GemstonePony]

I do as DeeAnna mentions above. I elevate my mold and put a fan on it to cool down. I have a Coconut FO that is so vicious I put the mold in the freezer prior to soaping, soap really cool, my oils are still cloudy pour quick and get in elevated on a rack with fans. If I do not soap it this way the darn batter will go into a liquid gel walking to the freezer and the freezer will not stop the process anyway, otherwise, this fragrance has to be HP'ed which I hate.

Would you mind sharing the source of this coconut FO?

 

[cmzaha]

soapsupplies.net it is a fantastic Coconut FO just tricky to use