Re: Whipped shea butter...

[Guest guest]

I think that's a great question... the only reason I

can see to heat it up is to filter it for any

impurities if you are working with the raw or natural

shea.. .but when you heat it you have to temper it

usually to keep it from going grainy - which is a pain

I think... and just whipping it actually works pretty

well and some people swear by that method. I don't

make just a straight whipped shea tho so it's prolly

best to get someone else's opinion! ;o)

Willow

--- Mara Grigsby <maragrigsby@...> wrote:

> Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils

> and then whip, and

> some just whip everything together without heating

> anything up? Which

> works better? I would think it would be better to

> not heat something

> up if you don't have to because you could get it too

> hot. Am I correct

> in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot it

> gets grainy when

> it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of

> whipped butter but I

> am unsure of the method I should use. Any

> suggestions?

>

> Mara

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mara!

Are you using refined shea butter or unrefined shea butter? Also, are

you using other butters and/or oils in addition to the shea butter? I

have read so many opinions on how to keep shea butter (refined and

unrefined) from going grainy that my head started spinning. ;-)

When in doubt, your best bet is to experiment for yourself. I have

tried mixing the room temp shea with my other oils. I have heated all

oils together and cooled slowly. I have heated all oils together and

cooled quickly. My results were all pretty much the same. As long as

the butters did not get warm enough to become liquid after their

initial set-up, they were fine (did not become grainy when they

resolidified). I also do not whip a bunch of air into my butters...I

did that once, but had to do a major fix after our AC went out, and

everything totally melted (including me...I live in AZ).

I'm sure others on this list can weigh in with their experiences.

Just remember to have fun and keep your trials small. ;-)

Pami

(

>

> Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils and then whip, and

> some just whip everything together without heating anything up? Which

> works better? I would think it would be better to not heat something

> up if you don't have to because you could get it too hot. Am I correct

> in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot it gets grainy when

> it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of whipped butter but I

> am unsure of the method I should use. Any suggestions?

>

> Mara

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mara,

I'm experimenting with that idea as well and I'd love to hear others

experiences!

Heating incorporates the ingredients and prevents separation... what i'm seeing

is if it is not whipped long enough, the oils do separate.

The shea butter I've gotten that was grainy... I was thinking salt, perhaps was

added to it while it was in Africa to help preserve it, but I don't know. I've

been using a double boiler and have not gotten my shea to hot. I'd have to

really boil some to see if that's what causes the grainyness-sp? Was it grainy

when you got it or grainy after you boiled it?

I'm working on shea, avocado butter and evening primrose oil. It's very smooth,

I love it, but I think w/o heating it to a certain temperature, maybe while

whipping it... that the primrose oil may separate. Either that or I'm not

whipping it long enough.

Suggestions anyone?

What are you adding to your shea Mara?

thanks,

ceece

Whipped shea butter...

Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils and then whip, and

some just whip everything together without heating anything up? Which

works better? I would think it would be better to not heat something

up if you don't have to because you could get it too hot. Am I correct

in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot it gets grainy when

it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of whipped butter but I

am unsure of the method I should use. Any suggestions?

Mara

[Guest guest]

So am I to understand that if unrefined shea is melted, then it becomes grainy?

or refined shea?

If so, then this means if it is grainy when we get it from a supplier that they

could be adding something to it.... right?

thanks,

ceece

Re: Whipped shea butter...

Hi Mara!

Are you using refined shea butter or unrefined shea butter? Also, are

you using other butters and/or oils in addition to the shea butter? I

have read so many opinions on how to keep shea butter (refined and

unrefined) from going grainy that my head started spinning. ;-)

When in doubt, your best bet is to experiment for yourself. I have

tried mixing the room temp shea with my other oils. I have heated all

oils together and cooled slowly. I have heated all oils together and

cooled quickly. My results were all pretty much the same. As long as

the butters did not get warm enough to become liquid after their

initial set-up, they were fine (did not become grainy when they

resolidified). I also do not whip a bunch of air into my butters...I

did that once, but had to do a major fix after our AC went out, and

everything totally melted (including me...I live in AZ).

I'm sure others on this list can weigh in with their experiences.

Just remember to have fun and keep your trials small. ;-)

Pami

[Guest guest]

I only make whipped butters for our personal use, so I experiment a

lot. LOL... I just got in some unrefined organic shea the other day

and was just dying to make a foot butter. I melted the shea (60% by

weight) just to the point of melting, then added unrefined hemp oil

at 40%, and a few drops of ROE (it makes such a pretty green

butter). Instead of doing the freezing, whipping, freezing thing, I

just put my oils in a pyrex cup and put it in an ice water bath

(works MUCH faster). About halfway thru the whipping, I put in my EOs

(in this case peppermint, spearmint & eucalyptus). After I whipped it

almost where I wanted it, I added about a 1/2 tbsp of Natrasorb to

cut down the greasiness just a tad.

Here's where the light bulb went off and I started to experiment...

It goes thru your mind of how quick it will melt, hold it's " whip " ,

etc. Then it dawned on me to put a little cream of tartar in it (I

probably put a teaspoon or less in it - didn't really measure). I

thought it works for meringue, why not this? It made some nice

stiff, fluffy peaks like you wouldn't believe. I tried some and it

didn't affect the application or anything, so that was good.

Time will tell how it behaves in heat! Anyone else ever added cream

of tartar?

Donna S.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ceece,

I have gone through pounds of shea and none of it has

been grainy to start, so I'm wondering why yours is...

maybe it got heated where it was stored or when being

shipped? I wish I had more time to play with your

ingredients to see if it works cold - if I get time

soon I will post it.

[i've never heard that salt was being added to shea

butter - you could check with your supplier.]

HTH

Willow

--- ceece <ccrejoice2@...> wrote:

> Hi Mara,

> I'm experimenting with that idea as well and I'd

> love to hear others experiences!

> Heating incorporates the ingredients and prevents

> separation... what i'm seeing is if it is not

> whipped long enough, the oils do separate.

> The shea butter I've gotten that was grainy... I was

> thinking salt, perhaps was added to it while it was

> in Africa to help preserve it, but I don't know.

> I've been using a double boiler and have not gotten

> my shea to hot. I'd have to really boil some to see

> if that's what causes the grainyness-sp? Was it

> grainy when you got it or grainy after you boiled

> it?

> I'm working on shea, avocado butter and evening

> primrose oil. It's very smooth, I love it, but I

> think w/o heating it to a certain temperature, maybe

> while whipping it... that the primrose oil may

> separate. Either that or I'm not whipping it long

> enough.

> Suggestions anyone?

> What are you adding to your shea Mara?

> thanks,

> ceece

> Whipped shea butter...

>

>

> Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils

> and then whip, and

> some just whip everything together without heating

> anything up? Which

> works better? I would think it would be better to

> not heat something

> up if you don't have to because you could get it

> too hot. Am I correct

> in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot

> it gets grainy when

> it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of

> whipped butter but I

> am unsure of the method I should use. Any

> suggestions?

>

> Mara

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am using unrefined shea. I am going to add avocado oil and jojoba oil. I was

also thinking about adding mango butter. I very nervous about my shea getting

gritty because that seems like such a big problem and people do not like that. I

want to give this away as gifts but I want it to be smooth and creamy. I will

just have to ask for grace and patience from friends and family since this is my

first time doing this.

mara

---------------------------------

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

I have never had an issue with shea being grainy, unless I overheated it.

that being said, when I make whipped shea, I do not melt it at all, I use it

room temp, maybe slightly warmer, when its the consistancy of say..shortening.

**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &

Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)

[Guest guest]

Maybe it depends on the supplier like Willow said. I've always used unrefined

too. I don't know why else it would be grainy like that. It feels like salt is

in it to me. But I doubt any supplier is going to admit they put it in there IF

they do. I'm only guessing. Who was it..... Donna just said she heats hers near

melting... So i'm thinking heating/melting not be the cause of the grainy feel.

I like the cream of tartar idea. You know it really comes down to " cooking " like

she said.

OH and BTW.... another thought is .... what's wrong with the grainy feel? it may

or could help to exfoliate??

I think you may have too much of a mix of oils without putting " something "

else.... but I don't know. Please post how it comes out Mara. I noticed the

primrose oil in my mix didn't separate in everyone's container... only one of

them. So there probably is something to incorporating it as it cools. AND I

don't know if it was the first or the last container I poured up. DUH me. It's

just costly to play and I've figured out I must get down pat an exact recipe.

I'd make a small batch, divide it into maybe 3 and then experiment with each of

them.

The bad thing about doing this is the way I cook I don't measure very well. My

best dishes are of my own and I don't measure anything either. I have a hard

time telling someone else how to make lasagna for instance.

cc

Re: Whipped shea butter...

I am using unrefined shea. I am going to add avocado oil and jojoba oil. I was

also thinking about adding mango butter. I very nervous about my shea getting

gritty because that seems like such a big problem and people do not like that. I

want to give this away as gifts but I want it to be smooth and creamy. I will

just have to ask for grace and patience from friends and family since this is my

first time doing this.

mara

[Guest guest]

sounds more like a storage issue to me

W

--- ceece <ccrejoice2@...> wrote:

> So am I to understand that if unrefined shea is

> melted, then it becomes grainy? or refined shea?

> If so, then this means if it is grainy when we get

> it from a supplier that they could be adding

> something to it.... right?

> thanks,

> ceece

> Re: Whipped shea

> butter...

>

>

> Hi Mara!

>

> Are you using refined shea butter or unrefined

> shea butter? Also, are

> you using other butters and/or oils in addition to

> the shea butter? I

> have read so many opinions on how to keep shea

> butter (refined and

> unrefined) from going grainy that my head started

> spinning. ;-)

>

> When in doubt, your best bet is to experiment for

> yourself. I have

> tried mixing the room temp shea with my other

> oils. I have heated all

> oils together and cooled slowly. I have heated all

> oils together and

> cooled quickly. My results were all pretty much

> the same. As long as

> the butters did not get warm enough to become

> liquid after their

> initial set-up, they were fine (did not become

> grainy when they

> resolidified). I also do not whip a bunch of air

> into my butters...I

> did that once, but had to do a major fix after our

> AC went out, and

> everything totally melted (including me...I live

> in AZ).

>

> I'm sure others on this list can weigh in with

> their experiences.

>

> Just remember to have fun and keep your trials

> small. ;-)

>

> Pami

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

[Guest guest]

shea butter should be heated to 165 degrees and held at that temp for 20 mins.

to prevent graininess, especaily if your are not sure about the quality of the

shea butter. Also you should try to use pure shea butter with no additives there

are some pretty good places out there to get it in bulk.

L M DiCenzo <lmdicenzo@...> wrote: Hi Ceece,

I have gone through pounds of shea and none of it has

been grainy to start, so I'm wondering why yours is...

maybe it got heated where it was stored or when being

shipped? I wish I had more time to play with your

ingredients to see if it works cold - if I get time

soon I will post it.

[i've never heard that salt was being added to shea

butter - you could check with your supplier.]

HTH

Willow

--- ceece <ccrejoice2@...> wrote:

> Hi Mara,

> I'm experimenting with that idea as well and I'd

> love to hear others experiences!

> Heating incorporates the ingredients and prevents

> separation... what i'm seeing is if it is not

> whipped long enough, the oils do separate.

> The shea butter I've gotten that was grainy... I was

> thinking salt, perhaps was added to it while it was

> in Africa to help preserve it, but I don't know.

> I've been using a double boiler and have not gotten

> my shea to hot. I'd have to really boil some to see

> if that's what causes the grainyness-sp? Was it

> grainy when you got it or grainy after you boiled

> it?

> I'm working on shea, avocado butter and evening

> primrose oil. It's very smooth, I love it, but I

> think w/o heating it to a certain temperature, maybe

> while whipping it... that the primrose oil may

> separate. Either that or I'm not whipping it long

> enough.

> Suggestions anyone?

> What are you adding to your shea Mara?

> thanks,

> ceece

> Whipped shea butter...

>

>

> Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils

> and then whip, and

> some just whip everything together without heating

> anything up? Which

> works better? I would think it would be better to

> not heat something

> up if you don't have to because you could get it

> too hot. Am I correct

> in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot

> it gets grainy when

> it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of

> whipped butter but I

> am unsure of the method I should use. Any

> suggestions?

>

> Mara

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

---------------------------------

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

[Guest guest]

Yes hit on a good point here. Holding that temperature for 20

minutes may work.

The graininess is actually stearic acid that has clustered together

with other stearic acid. Stearic acid naturally occurs in the shea

butter, but this phenomenon occurs when a supplier heats up and cools

down a batch of shea in order to save time. If you can imagine having

to break down a ton of shea quickly into 1kg bulk supply containers,

you can imagine why they really wouldn't care how hot they got it and

how quickly it cooled down.

But I think holding that temperature just may work. Thanks for

bringing that up ;-)

Have a great day,

R. Lorenti Jr.

mlorenti@...

www.sensatia.com

On Mar 10, 2008, at 10:23 AM, Villanueva wrote:

> shea butter should be heated to 165 degrees and held at that temp

> for 20 mins. to prevent graininess, especaily if your are not sure

> about the quality of the shea butter. Also you should try to use

> pure shea butter with no additives there are some pretty good places

> out there to get it in bulk.

>

>

>

> L M DiCenzo <lmdicenzo@...> wrote: Hi Ceece,

> I have gone through pounds of shea and none of it has

> been grainy to start, so I'm wondering why yours is...

> maybe it got heated where it was stored or when being

> shipped? I wish I had more time to play with your

> ingredients to see if it works cold - if I get time

> soon I will post it.

> [i've never heard that salt was being added to shea

> butter - you could check with your supplier.]

> HTH

> Willow

> --- ceece <ccrejoice2@...> wrote:

>

> > Hi Mara,

> > I'm experimenting with that idea as well and I'd

> > love to hear others experiences!

> > Heating incorporates the ingredients and prevents

> > separation... what i'm seeing is if it is not

> > whipped long enough, the oils do separate.

> > The shea butter I've gotten that was grainy... I was

> > thinking salt, perhaps was added to it while it was

> > in Africa to help preserve it, but I don't know.

> > I've been using a double boiler and have not gotten

> > my shea to hot. I'd have to really boil some to see

> > if that's what causes the grainyness-sp? Was it

> > grainy when you got it or grainy after you boiled

> > it?

> > I'm working on shea, avocado butter and evening

> > primrose oil. It's very smooth, I love it, but I

> > think w/o heating it to a certain temperature, maybe

> > while whipping it... that the primrose oil may

> > separate. Either that or I'm not whipping it long

> > enough.

> > Suggestions anyone?

> > What are you adding to your shea Mara?

> > thanks,

> > ceece

> > Whipped shea butter...

> >

> >

> > Why do some people heat their shea butter and oils

> > and then whip, and

> > some just whip everything together without heating

> > anything up? Which

> > works better? I would think it would be better to

> > not heat something

> > up if you don't have to because you could get it

> > too hot. Am I correct

> > in saying that if you heat shea butter up too hot

> > it gets grainy when

> > it cools? I am wanting to make my first batch of

> > whipped butter but I

> > am unsure of the method I should use. Any

> > suggestions?

> >

> > Mara

> >

> >

> > [Non-text portions of this message have been

> > removed]

> >

>

>

>