Teach Soap

My grass-fed beef tallow and lard-based soaps reach partial gel (oval in the middle using Brambleberry's 2-pound birch mold) every time. Soaping at 110 degrees, scented or unscented. Every. Single. Time. I'm trying to bypass gel phase so I pop the mold in the freezer for 24-36 hours and then the fridge, but when I go to cut them, I have the dreaded oval.
Any advice or explanation would be welcome.

It can be tough to prevent partial gel using wood molds because they insulate so well. Maybe try freezing the mold before you pour, then pop it back in the freezer after. If all else fails, you can switch to silicone molds, or give up on calling them "dreaded ovals", and adopt the "power circle" term.

I make lard soaps as well, and have no problem preventing gel in my large wood log moulds.
If I do not want a particular soap to gel, I just soap very cool, then place the mould, uncovered of course, on top of little spacers so it gets air flow underneath.

If you are soaping at 110, I'd go a good bit cooler - like 90 or so, or even room temp. If you start them off at 110 before mixing (they heat up in the lye reaction) it is going to be hard for even the frig or freezer to back that temperature off to a non-gelling one.

Thanks so much for your help! I realized too late that wooden molds retain heat well so I'm working with my mold rather than against and doing gelled soaps. They look great! I'll save my ungelled experiments for 9 by 9 inch pyrex pan which turns out beautiful, hard, smooth soaps that are perfectly opaque but don't cut evenly.
Learning more about CP with every batch. Onward and upward!

yep, gelling will take care of this concern. I have found that some of my power circles do lighten by the end of the cure. Other times not... Many times if they do not the good thing is they are usually very centered and perfect ovals or circles in my bar. To use this effect I have a collection of soap stamps and will stamp inside of this power circle. Makes it look like I wanted the bar to do this effect! We learn to work within our own limits.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!