Stick Blender

[Jan]

WOW !! I finally bought one after reading about the difference they make in making cp. I can not believe how much difference it made, I only stirred a couple of minutes and soap was ready for mold. This is wonderfully amazing Sure should have bought one a long time ago. One question though, about placement in product. During use if I place the blender at the bottom of my pot it form a suction, seemed to still blend well, but I need to know if this is how I should use it or keep moving it around?
Jan

 

[beachgurl]

Jen .. I hold it in about the middle as far as depth .. then you get these kind of ripples that really mix the soap well (well with my SB anyway). Just make sure that before you start blending, you kind of tilt the SB to the side to let out the air that gets underneath the shield thing.

 

[Jan]

Hmm? Don't think I did that, did mostly keep it in the middle though, just mostly in upright postion. What is the purpose of tilting it, what I mean is how does this affect the soap if this is not done?

 

[moktah]

I don't think it makes any difference, I move mine around and I get great results. Just make sure you keep the blades submerged to prevent splashing and ALWAYS hold it all the way down in the solution before turning it on.

 

[ilovedoxies]

I alternate the stick blender and spoon stirring. I'll use the stick blender for about 15 - 20 seconds and stir for about a minute in between.

Stick blenders are LOVELY!!!!

 

[carebear]

I often have my SB all the way to the bottom of the pot, but more typically I kinda stir with it.

It is important to tilt it as far as you can while putting it into your oils to kinda burp the air out of the bell. Otherwise you will end up with tiny bubbles which are lovely in champagne but not so hot in soap.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

I used to use a SB, still have my Braun and a Kitchen Aid. I switched to using my stand Kitchen Aid mixer for my CP and am finding I like a stand mixer better than my stick blender. Carebear is right though, tilting it to one side while making sure it remains under the top of your batter is the best method. I used to SB for a while then use it to stir the batter,then start blending again.

Paul :wink:

 

[mandolyn]

I just put it into the pot & move it in a circular motion. I make sure to get all the way to the bottom & at the outside edge on occassion, but mostly it's kind of at an angle & moving.

 

[IrishLass]

I don't know what I'd do without my trusty stickblender. It's a soaper's best friend, I always say.

Besides the fact that it makes things go more quickly, it also does a fantastic job of smoothly and completely dispersing my powdered UM and Oxide colorants into my raw soap batter so that I don't have unsightly colored spots in my finished soap.

I start off by making sure the stickblender is touching the bottom of my pot before turning it on. Once it's on, I move that sucker all over the bottom. Then I stop it to release the suction, tilt it, turn it back on, and then lift it up off the bottom towards the surface, making sure to keep the bell submerged just enough so as not to cause splattering, and move it all around the outside edges of my pot. Then I stop and stir for a bit, only turning the stickblender on in short spurts as needed thereafter.

IrishLass

 

[Jan]

Thanks everyone for your responses
Jan