Nan_in_Tucson Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 ok, I thought dealing with a gallon pail of melted coconut oil was a pain to deal with, but a 10lb slab of cocoa butter is a real pain! I only needed 4oz for 1 recipe and 8oz for another, so I just chipped pieces out without taking the whole thing out of the box or the plastic wrapping it came in. The good news is, I now have the softest hands in Tucson. The bad news is I have a very slippery floor. How do the rest of you deal with this?Nan Quote
Crystala25 Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 I usually just order 1-5 lbs at a time, but this morning I ordered a 10 lb. box along with my oils. Is it a real pain to deal with? Quote
Nan_in_Tucson Posted July 2, 2007 Author Posted July 2, 2007 Well, I thought with temps being well over 100 here in Tucson, and no way I can keep the house cooler then 80 degrees (which is why the coconut oil is melted) that the cocoa butter would be softened. It's not, though! I probably should take the whole thing out and chop it into reasonable pieces and store in smaller pieces of tupperware. Nan Quote
Angel91805 Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Well! The first thing you do is box that up and mail it to your wonderful friend (me!) in El Paso! Hmmm....I'd toss it into the freezer....and when it's good and frozen, drop that bad boy from shoulder height and break it into small pieces. Then store in a closed container. I'm fairly certain you can freeze butters with no funky effects.....Donna Quote
jbren Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 you can break it into smaller pieces and put it through a salad shooter!Thanks, SOAPFREAK for that tip! Quote
Angel91805 Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Man....I need me a salad shooter! I knew I shouldn't have declined my brother's offer of one when I got married 10 yrs ago! Quote
TeriM Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 I break off pieces and use my cheese grater.... of course hubby wasn't happy but hey - a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.... Quote
Pam W Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 I keep my butters and oils in the fridge..they'd never survive the Phoenix heat. Quote
MochaMama Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 I had that same problem with my cocoa butter. This may sound really insane, but I just kept dropping it (ok, slamming it) on my concrete basement floor. Then I just put the chunks in a sealed gladware container. Quote
tychels Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 Salad shooter huh? Thats a great idea! I have wanted one of those for a long time. I'm gonna have to go get my one .. Cocoabutter is a PITA to break up!! Sharon Quote
SOAPFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 you can break it into smaller pieces and put it through a salad shooter!Thanks, SOAPFREAK for that tip!Hey I was just going to post that! LOL! Quote
jbren Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 Hey I was just going to post that! LOL! At least I gave YOU credit! Quote
SOAPFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 At least I gave YOU credit! Oh Jackie, your so sweet! Quote
SOAPFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Posted July 4, 2007 I just wish I could get it to work for beeswax blocks. (Sigh) Quote
doris Posted July 5, 2007 Posted July 5, 2007 My cocoa butter has always come in usable chunks, but I put my 10 lb slabs of beeswax in a large box, get a mallet and a big screwdriver (the type with a slot end) or a chisel, put on my goggles, and chop the whole thing up into smaller pieces. Only takes a few minutes, and then it goes into a plastic container. Quote
Nan_in_Tucson Posted July 5, 2007 Author Posted July 5, 2007 Doris, that is exactly what I am going to do. I was going to just put it on my big cutting board, borrow some of hubby's tools, and hack away at it. Putting it in a big box first sounds like a good idea ... a little less messy. No concrete floor in the house to slam it on, and I don't think it's a good idea to take it out in 108 degrees to slam on the sidewalk. I just envision a big glob of melted cocoa butter setting on my sidewalk. Nan Quote
doris Posted July 5, 2007 Posted July 5, 2007 ... and I don't think it's a good idea to take it out in 108 degrees to slam on the sidewalk. I just envision a big glob of melted cocoa butter setting on my sidewalk. NanAnd just imagine what the neighbours would say! Quote
Crystala25 Posted July 6, 2007 Posted July 6, 2007 My cocoa butter has always come in usable chunks, but I put my 10 lb slabs of beeswax in a large box, get a mallet and a big screwdriver (the type with a slot end) or a chisel, put on my goggles, and chop the whole thing up into smaller pieces. Only takes a few minutes, and then it goes into a plastic container.LOL! Thats how I usually break upmy 5 lb. cocoa butter, with my fiances tools. Quote
SOAPFREAK Posted July 6, 2007 Posted July 6, 2007 The nice thing about putting it through the salad shooter is you don't have to wait for it to melt very long. Quote
BLSoaps Posted July 7, 2007 Posted July 7, 2007 A chisel and hammer work really well on the blocks. I order mine in 25 lbs slabs from Soapers Choice. I keep it in the box to start with, and scoop out the broken off pieces into a big 3.5 gallon bucket. Then when I need it, they're in pretty easy to use chunks. This is a great project to do while watching TV, or a movie you know by heart. TIP: Lay an old sheet under you on the floor. If you're like me, you'll still have tiny (or sometimes larger ones) pieces go flying. The sheet will save your carpet. Quote
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