Food Soap Show & Tell 1

We have been getting the MAKE magazine at our house since the first issue. I have a stack of all 17 issues at home and the new 18th issue is here at work sitting on my desk. This magazine is a great magazine for all variations of techie geeks and each project is likely to make a geek somewhere drool. Why am I telling you about a magazine that is for geeks? In the 18th issue, which will be released to newsstands on May 19th, there is a soap recipe on page 139! If you get a chance, pick up this issue and read it. This recipe uses bacon fat. This isn’t the best soap recipe out there and there are several issues with this recipe. Issues: 1) This recipe uses volume measurements! Ack! Volume can vary in weight and each person scoops ingredients differently. For example, a cup of flour that has been packed into the measuring cup has a different weight than a cup of sifted flour. Check it out and see for yourself! 2) The author, Tim King, doesn’t discuss the safety measures of making soap. The most he mentions is a brief warning about wearing gloves when handling the lye. He doesn’t mention eye protection at all! 3) He cools his both his oils and lye mixture to 100° Fahrenheit! “The temperature of a hot shower,” he says. Is he inviting people to stick their bare hands into the lye solution? We have found that making soap at that low of a temperature can lead to the soap not being able to produce enough heat to saponify the fat correctly. 4) He handstirred this soap, while this isn’t a bad thing, I’m just not willing to dedicate 2 or so hours to hand stirring the soap just to reach trace. I told some of the gals in the office that I love my immersion blender now and they just laughed at me. 5) He didn’t mention needing to coat the mold/glass baking pan with something that will allow the soap to come out easily. I’ve told many of you before, that in order to have your soap come out of the mold smoothly, use a non-saponifiable oil such as Mineral Oil, Vaseline, or Silicone Spray. This is critical when the mold is inflexible.

Bacon Soap Figure G.

6) The last small picture of the soap being cut, Figure G, has a BIG problem. The soap either is lye heavy, or it didn’t saponify correctly. Both of these problems could have been solved easily. If the soap is lye heavy, using a scale and the Lye Calculator could prevent this easily. Just select Lard and that will be your bacon fat. If the soap didn’t saponify correctly, then raise your temperatures of the lye solution and the oils.

Now that I’ve picked this article apart, I have a challenge for all of the blog readers. It doesn’t matter what kind of soap you make, Hot Process, Cold Process, or Melt and Pour, I want to see your versions of a “bacon soap.” I don’t care what oils you use, or what fragrances. You can make any type of soap, but I want to see pictures of your soap that is better than this soap. Even if you are just a writing soap wannabe, you can participate in our Bacon Soap even. How? Re-write the directions making safety the primary issue.

This challenge ends on June 19th, just in time for you to give your father the bacon soap you have made. I’m giving away a limited number of $25 gift certificate prizes to our participants, so get your entries in now to be a lucky winner!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th. Each guest writer will receive a $50 gift certificate. I currently have received one entry from jaspersgarden, so there are only 4 more open slots for gift certificates! This is the last weekend to submit your work!