# freeze quanities & package



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

Hi soap pros...

What do you freeze your soap milk in? 
What quantities do you find most useful to do "a batch" - of course I realize this will vary hugely, but I'll get an idea of "single", "double" etc I hoping.


----------



## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

My milk size for each batch is right at 32 oz. I freeze my milk in Dannon qt yogurt containers. They stack neatly in my chest freezer and are easy to set out on the counter for a bit and then I can dump it into the bucket on the scale.


----------



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

hmmm... I thought soapers want the frozen milk in smaller pieces?

yes, we can all laugh at my questions later when I have time to actually TRY soaping, that's why I have to freeze now... NO time...


----------



## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

I freeze my milk in ice cube trays, empty them when frozen into a 2 gallon bag. Weigh out cubes for each batch if you want to.


----------



## SimplyE (Jan 15, 2010)

nightskyfarm said:


> I freeze my milk in ice cube trays, empty them when frozen into a 2 gallon bag. Weigh out cubes for each batch if you want to.


Same thing here.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I only freeze for winter soaping milk, so it's in 1/2 gallon new milk jugs, just like I sell milk in. Since it's soap milk it gets defrosted in the soap room sink rather than in the fridge like house milk. I don't add lye to milk anymore. I use half of the half gallon for each pour. So go through at least 3 gallons of milk on regular soaping days, more when I have marathon days like will be starting after Fathers Day getting ready for Christmas. It's why you will want to learn lots of different techniques and ideas for your soap, you will have no idea what direction it will take you. 

When I did start soaping adding lye to milk, I simply froze my milk in ziplock flat, so they were easy to break up and add lye to, and gallon freezer bags easily held the 1/2 gallon of milk I needed for each batch. Vicki


----------



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> ...I don't add lye to milk anymore.


so what do you do instead now?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I mix my lye with equal parts water, then add this to my butters and oils, stick blend until emulsion, which just means the oils start going opaque, then add my room temp milk. I also batch my lye and water all at once so the whole 50 pound bag is waiting in gallon bleach jugs for me to soap. It's impossible to take the time anymore to melt icemilk with lye. Vicki


----------



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

certainly if anyone's going to do it more efficiently, it will be you Vicki! 

what tradeoff or difference is there in the two? If none, then why doesn't everyone do it the faster way?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

So there soap can be labled 100% goats milk, or and you can still read it on my website, that they don't use water in their soap.

When starting out or soaping for yourself and gifts, or perhaps some farmers market sales, you can do the extra step of melting your lye into your frozen milk. But it's time consuming and for me it added one more uncontrolable effect, not being able to duplicate color or ever have white soap to show off swirls or chunks. Lye added to protiens from sugar, simply makes it harder, why adding it after the lye has merried with the butters and oils, there is no undissolved lye or uncoated lye to burn your sugars and change the color. But the difference to a batch of soap from 16 ounces of milk to 32 ounces of milk, I think is pretty nill. I know side by side here when I tested nobody could tell which soap had water, coconut milk, goat milk or aloe vera juice as 100% of the liquid. Vicki


----------



## Jenny M (Nov 21, 2009)

I'm kind of doing it both ways now. I have to make 200 bars a week for one account & it's an aloe/GM mix. The milk goes in at emulsion. But due to work space constraints I'm still doing the old frozen block method too. I freeze 32 oz in plastic containers, pop them out when frozen & pack in plastic bags in the milk freezer. 

I know, I know, the other way is faster & better but I don't have anywhere to make or store the lye solution. So I weigh out the oils, scent, lye. Stir the oils in the rigged double boiler system, splash a couple of oz water on to the milk & stir in a little lye to get it going. Line the molds. Stir. Wrap a few bars, do inventory, clean. In 30 or 40 minutes I have a batch of soap made, some wrapped, some cleaning done. Whatever. it all gets done. After you get a routine going it's not so bad.


----------

