Teach Soap

I started my wedding favor order today. I was so proud of myself, I calculated (what I thought was) the exact amount of soap batter for this batch which was to be 1 of 2 batches. Somehow I came up short. Do you typically end up with a little less than what you calculate by adding the volume of oils and water?

So, the bride ordered 70 soap favors. I have 3 soap molds of a dozen individual 2 oz bars each, for a total of 36 that I can make at one time.
According to soapcalc the total weight before cp cure or hp cook is 73 oz. I thought it would come out almost perfect, 36 bars x 2 oz each = 72 oz, so 73 oz should be plenty.
However, I was only able to fill 33 of the 36 bars in the molds.

Did I lose the other 6 oz because it thickened?

Now I will have to make the remaining favors in 2 batches because I'll be short ONE bar!

I always make the batch a little bit bigger. How much you end up with also depends how much water you use. The less water you use, the less batter you will have.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

When I use individual molds, I try to make at least one cavity's worth more than I think I'll use, sometimes two or three cavities. I've found that I always underestimate just how much soap will stick to the sides of containers, to the stick blender, to the spatula, etc. I have a ton of small-cavity silicone molds I can use for overflow, so I always overestimate rather than risk underestimating. As a bonus, it means I always have a ton of small, fun-shaped soaps on hand if I want a pick-me-up in the shower or at the sink, or if I want to get a friend to test a recipe for me.

That sounds really frustrating, though, I hope the rest of favor-ing goes more smoothly for you!

Irena, my calculations included the amount of water as well as oils. That's why I thought I'd have just the right amount.

Paspenka, in the future I will definitely make more than I need, I also have a bunch of small molds that I can use if needed. It is a lesson learned, but it won't be a big deal in the long run. The fragrance is Tropical Vacation so it's a good summertime scent, I'll probably just make enough in the 3rd batch to make a loaf to slice up as well.

I guess there is a science to this that I still haven't figured out. I made 2 batches at 2 different times but same exact recipe, same exact mold and the first time it was perfect. Second time, 2 bars short. Weird.

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Haven

Haven, I'm glad it's not just me!