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Where to heat your ingredients
I was asked by Melanie, where I “bought the white and green little melter” from the picture in my post Glyceryl stearate – home made emulsifier.
It is the pot on the photo and I use it for heating/melting my ingredients.
I bought it from Aroma zone.
However, although the design seems unique, it is just a simple “electric chocolate melting pot“, or “chocolate melter“.
In the shops for confectioners you can also find “chocolate tempering machines“, but these are much more expensive and also bigger. Can be of interest if you produce larger batches.
More options come if you search for “paraffin wax heater” (or parrafin pot warmer).
Indeed, there are other options for melting or heating your ingredients. A simple water bath works pretty well. However, one problem is you have to supervise it and fill the evaporating water. It is also more dangerous, at every moment you risk pour the boiling water over you, or get burned by hot vapors.
A melting pot is indeed a good investment. However, after a while of using it, I would not buy this particular one again. Here are the reasons why:
- The pot is from aluminium. This means it is non-resistant to stronger alkali and as I found later, neither to some essential oils. It also gets scratched fast. In addition, I found I cannot use it for mixing the emulsion, as the aluminium gets incorporated into it easily (the emulsion becomes greyish)
- It has only one pot. If it was my choice again, I would definitely buy a double melter
with two pots in one. When making creams, you have to heat both phases and
I see it as a disadvantage to have only one pot (I have to heat over a
water bath the other phase). - It does not have a lid. This is a minor point, as I found one that fits it at home. At 70°C the water starts to evaporate and it is important to have it covered, otherwise you loose too much of your precisely measured amount for the recipe.
If I am about to give out an advice on how to choose a good melter, then buy one that:
- has a pot in inox
- has maximal temperature, which should come up to 70°C (158°F) – the majority of waxes melts at temperatures lower thatn this one and it is also the desired temperature for emulsion making
- has pots with handles so that you can easily manipulate them when pouring one phase to another
It is good if it has a lid and even better if it is double.
Where do you heat your ingredients? What is your favorite tool for that?
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#2 written by evik 6 years ago
Hi Kim, indeed, microwaving is an option, I am just not used to do it and it needs practice to get the temperature right, but you are the proof that it is possible. It is very interesting that you do not have the grainy butter problem with microwave. I have to try it, as I have this problem mainly with shea when making body massage candles and it drives me crazy! I was already thinking of the oven, one of things I don’t like in this option is handling. If I put there my pots with handles, they will be too hot. Also not all the ovens have really good thermoregulators, for example in mine, it is difficult to set up temperatures below 100°C. In the melting pot, you don’t need to supervise every 5 minutes either, as it keeps the temperature stable and it is easier to check on it (no need to open the oven each time). But it is an additional investment.
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#3 written by Kim 6 years ago
Ovens often have ‘bad behavior’ when it comes to temperature. You can need 200°c for baking, you install that temperature but inside the oven it has a different temperature. You can solve this (like many bakers do) by putting a thermometer in your oven and adjust were needed. Or you can use those meat thermometers, the kind with a pin and a long wire thats attached to the device. That way you put the pin (don’t believe that’s the right word) in your jar with product and keep the thermometer out of the oven, that way you don’t have to open either.
I believe the main thing to prevent grainy butter with the microwave is that you stir the butter. Microwave 30sec and stir for a while, you’d be surprised how much will be already melted. That way you kinda add ‘cold’ butter to the warm, a bit like how you melt chocolate. If I don’t stir and go for 1.30 min for 500gr butter I will have grains. Strongly believe that stirring is the most important part! -
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To be honest, I like the microwave, I’ve heard many people are against it.
But in my opinion, it’s very handy! And it’s not like I put 100gr in the microwave for 5mins full on… Depending on the amount and the type of butter I let it go for 1min first and then stir it for 30-60sec. In many cases, just like with chocolate, if you stir your butter after microwaving it will melt completely. Don’t look at your half molten butters and put it for the same time back in, that way you overheat them. When they are molten and need a higher temperature I put them back in for 10-20sec till I have the desired temperature. I’ve never had a grainy butter while doing this, not something I can say from a double boiler. When you melt butters, using a double boiler, for an anhydrous product or to repackage, I always worry about any of the vapors ending up in the butters…
If I want to keep them at 70°c for 20mins, I put them in the oven. This keeps the temperature stable and I don’t have to check on it ever 5mins.
But ofc, this is just what I prefer to do…
Kim