Tell me how you make more then one batch at a time

[mysticmoon]

Hello,
Due to limited soap making opportunities, I would like to try to make a couple different batches at each "session" (for lack of a better word). I have several molds but my problem is is that I don't have several stick blenders, bowls, pots, etc and I would have to clean all those between each batch, especially if I make different recipes and/or scents. Is all the washing of equipment just what has to be done or is there a better, quicker way? Any suggestions or tips would be helpful. I am willing to invest in more equipment too, if that's what it takes but thought I would get some ideas from you guys and gals first.
Thanks!

 

[simplymcghie]

Someone may say I'm totally wrong on this but this is what I do.

1. Line/ get ready all the molds I need.
2. Measure out all the lye/water I need into separate containers for my specific recipes.
3. While the lye/water is cooling I measure out all my oils and other ingredients keeping them grouped according to what batch is being made (this includes heating my oils/melting butters etc).
4. Make the first batch. Put all utensils/bowls used aside.
5. Wash off my stick blender with a lot of cold water and wiping off with paper towels.
6. Make my second batch.
7. Collect up all my used bowls and utensils and put them in a safe place in the garage until the next day when I wash everything.

So far I've only made two batches at a time because that is all I have time for. Hope that helps.

 

[Midnight Rowan]

An alternative would be to plan your sessions according to fragrance.

Do one fragrance that gives you plenty of time to work, and one that moves very fast.

Use your stick blender on the well-behaved one, and a whisk on the fast mover.

Then all you have to worry about is having enough bowls/cups for colorant mixing, etc. ^^

Measure out lye solution in separate containers, measure out oils in separate containers, pre-measure EO blends or FO/blends, and set up colorant bowls/cups before you begin, and you're good to go

 

[Fragola]

When doing succesive batches, I don't wash the tools much. What I do is fill my pot with water, and stick the blender in for 30 seconds, maybe give it a quick spongerub.

Any contamination from oils, fragrances is minimal. For the lye, just make a master-batch in advance, for all your soaps. Sure, you should be aware of certain ingrediends which must to be mixed separately, for example colors.

Another thing I do more often is splitting batches. I do a "master batch", with around zero superfat, then split it in 2-3 equal amounts, pouring it into different bowls. To that, I add superfat oils, fragrances, colors, etc.

To make my work easier, I prepare the other ingredients in advance, using a lot of little cups and glasses and an army of spoons for mixing.

Most ingredients don't require a blender to mix in. Often a whisk or even a spoon will do. And even if I need a blender, as mentioned above, I self-clean it for 30 seconds.

 

[secondspring]

I do things a little differently... I actually just did this the other night! (I use smaller molds, like cupcake molds and silicone loaf pans, so that might come into consideration, too)

What I do is I first figure out what I want to do. The other night, I planned on 2 loafs (one lavender, one oatmeal), and I wanted 2 special molds (one red/orange unscented leaves and one lavender hearts), so I figured up how much soap would fill ALL those molds and made one large batch. I ended up with a 6 pound batch, which was my biggest feat to date! I made the soap batter in a large bucket, then separated it out into smaller plastic "food containers" (The cheap ones from the dollar store have worked well for me) and added fragrance or dye or oatmeal, then poured them into their molds.

In the end, I only ended up using one lye container, one mixing bucket, 1 wisk (I consider it an arm toner! Ha!) and about 4 "food" containers. It took a pretty good deal of planning, though, and I used up almost all of the oils I had on hand, but it was a real time saver!

 

[carebear]

the reason I don't do that, second, is that my base formula traces too quickly. but I wish...

 

[ToniD]

I have two pots for soap and two lye mixing pots. I weight the oils/lye for one batch, let cool.

while cooling I weigh and prepare colors, scents etc for that first batch. I also weigh the oils and lye for the second batch. Mix lye and heat oils for 2nd batch.

By the time all that is done, my first batch is cool enough to mix. I make the first batch. I find I have time to wash stickblender and misc containers for colors, scents etc as well as prepare colors etc for the second batch while the second batch is cooling.

I can keep this process going by leapfrogging my two mixing containers for the oil and lye.

 

[secondspring]

the reason I don't do that, second, is that my base formula traces too quickly. but I wish...

I think that one of the reasons that I was successful at it was that I hand-whisk my soap batter, so it traces a lot slower, giving me more time to juggle. That, and the batch I recently made was 50% OO, so that slowed it down even more!

 

[BakingNana]

the reason I don't do that, second, is that my base formula traces too quickly. but I wish...

Me, too. I use dedicated equipment in each batch.

If you're going to clean equipment and go right to the next batch, I would recommend wiping everything as clean as possible with paper towels before washing the equipment. Avoid having raw soap go down your drain, at all costs!!

 

[mysticmoon]

Thank you!
I got some good ideas to try now. I appreciate the comments.