I still have a fair amount of lye, but it will take a while to accumulate enough tallow from stock-making for soap. Soapmaking was a rewarding, quick project for me, so I might find a different recipe and try again. Do you have a soap recipe to recommend?
I really want to learn how to do this! Do you have a recipe to share? Perhaps a bog tutorial? (or maybe I missed it)
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Glad it was such a success.
ReplyDeleteAlica, I don't have much experience, but I can try to answer questions. If you click on the link in the first sentence of the post, it will take you to the original soap post I wrote. There are more details there, but again, I don't know much!
ReplyDeleteIf you're on Pinterest, I have a board there called "Soap" with more links, ideas, and recipes.
Sorry, no soap recipes to recommend but I did notice your recessed stainless steel sink and countertop. We are going to remodel our kitchen and am wondering what kind of countertop do you have?
ReplyDeleteAnon, we have a granite countertop. I thought it was an unecessary splurge when we remodeled our kitchen, but my husband talked me into it. Now I adore it - great for rolling out dough, plopping down hot things. I don't give it special care, but it does break dishes more quickly than manmade materials, FYI. I also love my undermount sink! Much easier to clean the counters by just swiping things into the sink. Plus, undermount makes the sink deeper and gives less of a place for dirt to collect around the edge. Good luck with your remodel!
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm impressed! I went and read how you made it and you are right, it doesn't seem like a hard recipe. It is just starting it that takes the courage. Plus, if you are already making beef stock, you might as well use all of that tallow. Very cool!
ReplyDelete-Jamie
http://chatterblossom.blogspot.com/
Nice....
ReplyDeleteLove your soap dish too.. So cute.. Just perfect for your new soap..
Don't have a soap recipe..I have never made soap.sorry
This sounds great! I made lye soap once but it came out very hard/dry...I just hopped over to your other post and wrote down your recipe to try - the oils must make the soap creamy/softer. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMargo, I am definitely inspired by your endeavors. I've got to get researching so I can make my own "luscious soap" :)
ReplyDeletep.s. I love your name. Is that weird to say? haha. My husband and I are expecting our first baby in a couple of weeks and the #1 contender is Margot!
No recipe because I am afraid of things like lye because I am such a klutz.
ReplyDeleteBut I think your hippo soap dish is the cutest soap dish I've ever seen. S/he looks very happy to be holding your lovely soap :)
The other night while watching an Andy Griffith re-run Barney referred to someone being "as ugly as homemade soap." We laughed so hard at that line.
ReplyDeleteThough your homemade soap does not look ugly at all. Looks like soap. Yay for success.
Sarah, I love that line and my soap is actually rather ugly. I didn't trouble to make it into neat bar shapes, so it's rather more like lumps.
ReplyDeleteDoes your soap smell like beef? I had to ask, I get so much fat that settles out from both my beef and chicken stock, I never thought to save it for this. Did you do anything to it to clean it up? I do still have a 20 pound bag of fat from the half a pig I got this fall that I need to render into lard, I suppose I could use that too. ;)
ReplyDeleteShinny, it's a good question. No, it doesn't smell like beef (or coconut or olive). I didn't add scent and it has barely any scent at all and nothing that stays on our hands. Just smells like homemade soap, I guess.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with all your fat! You could have lots of soap in your future.