Hi, I couldn't find it in a search, so I made a post. Sorry if it was right in front of me.
Is a 2 quart slow cooker big enough to fill (or be too small) for one of the silicon "loaf" molda? I wanted to HP some lye and lard soap or lye and olive oil. I could get a 4qt. from Walmart, and tbh, the ones at GoodWill were the same price (I don't know what happened to them.)
I have made soap once before, long time ago. I do not remember how much I had, if it would have fit in 2qts or 4 or something else. I also read you need the room for when the soap expands, but don't know how much.
EDIT: I was able to pour 6 cups, 48oz up to the top (almost). There's 16 more in 2qts, so maybe that is enough...
Welcome to the forum,
@slippery. Please clarify something for me so that I can understand.
What is it that holds 48 ounces all the way to the top? Your silicone loaf mold or your crockpot? I do not understand which item you are referencing in this statement:
EDIT: I was able to pour 6 cups, 48oz up to the top (almost). There's 16 more in 2qts, so maybe that is enough...
Incidentally loaf molds come in a variety of sizes (I have several different sizes), so we really need to know how much your specific loaf mold holds. Then you can determine the size of crockpot needed based on the
total batch weight, which will be somewhat less than the
weight of water that your mold holds.
So
first, please clarify how much your mold holds.
When I do HP in my crockpot I prefer to fill it no more than half full with all of my oils (liquid + solid fats), preferably a bit less, like 1/3rd full with oils/fats. Then once I add the lye solution, I prefer it to be no more than 5/8th to 2/3rds full. But because you are new to this, what I recommend is that the
total batch weight of the soap batter (what will fill or almost fill your mold) should not fill your crockpot more than a little over half-full, until you become a more experienced hot process soap maker. The reason for this is your own safety and peace of mind.
Some precautions from my own experience making messes when I was new to soapmaking, particularly with HP:
*Cover you work surface with a vinyl table cloth or other covering that makes clean up fast & easy.
*Never leave the room while soap is heating in the crock pot, (HP soap can heat up suddenly and spill out over the sides, which creates a big mess. But at least is soap, so that's a built-in cleaning solution, but still messy.)
*Be patient with yourself & don't make soap when you are very tired.
Bonus suggestion:
*Get used to weighing all of your ingredients rather than using the 'fluid ounces' for accuracy. (If you use grams instead of ounces, it's easier to get into that habit, I think.)
Point of interest:
A quart of cooking oil weighs approximately 100 grams less than a quart of water, so water weight does not equal oil weight. Another reason why weight versus volume matters when making soap.
I hope that helps.
