Question: Heating and holding butters and graininess? (updated)

A few questions have arisen about graininess in our butters and how they might relate to heating and holding. I’ve answered this question before, but let’s get into it again! In this post on heating and holding, Leman asks: When I make balms (non water) with shea butter it forms grainy bits after few days. Some...

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Creating products: Heating and holding (updated)

Let’s start by defining what it means to “heat and hold”… Heating and holding means heating the heated oil phase and heated water phase separately in two heat-resistant containers in indirect heat (like a double boiler) for 20 minutes at 70˚C or 158˚F. The 20 minutes starts when the ingredients reach the required temperature.  What...

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Question: What if you go over 70˚C when heating & holding? (updated)

In this post on heating and holding, Nedeia asks: What could go wrong if you heat your ingredients at more than 70 degrees, say 80? I do not have a crock pot , and the best way I have found to get the 2 phases at the right temp at the same time, is to place...

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Creating products – a moment or two on finding recipes (updated)

I realized when I wrote the post about choosing a recipe, I didn’t really go into as much detail as I would have liked. So let’s take a moment to analyze recipes! (I realize I’m illustrating this post with a picture of a lotion bar, but it’s one of those pictures I really like!)  ...

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Question: How do I modify the recipe when I add or subtract an ingredient? (updated)

This question comes up a lot, and although I thought I’d covered it before, I figured this question deserved its own post! How do I modify a recipe when I add or subtract an ingredient? For the most part, we take the same percentage from the water in the heated water phase. A few examples…...

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