helpful hints

Quite a few people have written to me to ask about double boilers. The reason for using one? It’s easier to control the temperature when we have our jug immersed in water as opposed to having all the ingredients in a pot on top of an element. There won’t be any sharp changes in temperature...

Cordy asked in this post on heating and holding: When heating and holding, do you take the temperature of each phase at intervals, or do you leave a thermometer in each container, or some other option?  And Leman wrote in that same post: I always wonder whether I should be taking the temperature by not touching...

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...

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...

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...