Using an immersion blender, for making homemade soap, speeds up the saponification process and saves lots of time. On top of cutting down on trace time, it can reduce separation problems within your soap. CAUTION! When you're making goats milk soap, you may have frozen chunks of milk to blend. Do not force your immersion blender down on any frozen chunks. You could break off the blade and damage your blender, permanently.
The best blenders are not always the most expensive ones. You don't need lots of fancy gadgets for making homemade soap. You just need something practical, powerful, durable, easy to clean and store. Find the one that fits your needs, comforts and desires the most. You can find the best blender for all of your soap making recipes! Having the proper soap making equipment can save you time, energy and money in the long run! There are hundreds of stick blenders available on the market. How do you know which is the best hand mixer for you? Let's look at some characteristics to find the best blender for you.
WEIGHT:
How heavy is the blender? If you're in the soap making business, you will want a lightweight blender. for mixing large batches of goats milk soap throughout the year. Working with a heavy blender, would be possible, but it could get tiresome if you use it frequently.
POWER:
Some stick blenders have an average of approximately.25 horsepower (hp) using 200 watts of power. Basic blenders have an approximate range of hp from.40 to.80 using 300 to 600 watts of power. The most powerful blenders have up to approximately 2.0 hp using 1500 watts of power.
Soap develops a thicker texture when mixing. You'll need an immersion blender with a powerful motor, but it doesn't need to be the most powerful on the market. You have to know how to operate the blender, for making homemade soap. Use it sporadically. If you leave it on continuously mixing soap, you will more than likely burn the motor out! If this happens, you will be back to hand stirring with a spoon, for many hours, indeed.
Battery operated blenders do not seem to stay charged for a very long time. They can be used but you'll need to remember to keep them charged in order to have the power needed to mix your soap.
BLADE:
Take a look at the blade on the blender. Is it made of stainless steel or is it plastic? Some say, the stainless steel blade holds up much better that the plastic. The hard plastic blades can crack, break, crumble or even melt while using them. Is the blade removable? Is it easy to clean? Can it be replaced easily?
BLENDING:
Does the blender have a smooth blend or is it hard to manage? Some say the suction power on blenders is too high, causing them to lose control and manageability. Never submerge the motor, (hand held portion), of the immersion blender in water or any type of liquid! This part of the blender should never get wet. Only submerge it, no farther than, the length of the wand.
POWER CORD:
How long is the power cord? Is it retractable? Having a long power cord gives you flexibility to move around your kitchen, or wherever you are blending. Having a retractable cord makes it nice a tidy for clean up and storage. You don't need to have a long or retractable power cord for making homemade soap. They're just convenient.
SIZE & COMFORT:
Does the blender fit well in your hand? Is it too big or too small to wrap your hand around? Is it too slippery to hold? Is the placement of the controls easy to reach? Most stick blenders fit the hand proportionately, but since you will be the one using it, size and comfort matters.
SPEEDS:
Some blenders have just one speed and others have variable speeds. As long as you mix your soap for the right amount of time, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly blended, having the variation of speeds doesn't really matter that much. Having faster speeds may decrease some mixing time. Having variable speeds is just convenient.
CLEAN-UP:
How easy is it to clean your immersion blender? Are the blade and/or shaft removable for easy access to clean? Are the blade and/or shaft dishwasher safe? Another easy way to clean your blender is to, first, TURN IT OFF or unplug it, then wipe off all of the excess glob of soap, submerge it into hot soapy water, turn it back on, then start mixing as usual. This helps to clean out the blade, shaft and underneath the guard. Also, you can always turn the blender off and just run warm or hot tap water over the blade and shaft, cleaning it in the sink. Be careful to keep water out of electronic controls and the motor. Never put an immersion blender into a dishwasher, but only the dishwasher safe, removable, parts!
COLORS:
Stick blenders come in lots of colors, white, red, black, blue, brushed chrome, etc... The black and brushed chrome do not show stains like the lighter colors do. It's all your preference.
SHAFT:
Is the shaft plastic or chrome? Some say the chrome shaft cleans up much nicer than the plastic ones, due to stains.
NOISE:
Is it quiet to operate? For some people, loud noisy blenders can be irritating, especially, if used frequently.
STORAGE:
Some blenders come with a wall storage bracket. You can mount the immersion blender on the wall for close, easy, access or hide it away in a pantry or storage closet, along with its other accessories.
EXTRAS:
Some blenders have extra accessories: whisk, beaker, chopping blade and more
SAFETY:
Always keep your hands away from the blade(s) when in use. Turn off or unplug your blender when it's not in use.
READ REVIEWS:
Before deciding on the best blender for you, read some customer reviews. At Amazon.com you can read lots of customer reviews for stick, (immersion), blenders with high or low starred ratings. There are many places on-line to read customer reviews.
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