Questions about heating vessels

A few questions came out of yesterday's post on evaporation!

What are the jars in this picture? These are 500 ml wide mouth mason jars (okay, technically they're Bernardin 500 ml wide mouth jars, but you get the idea). I find they are a great choice because I can cram quite a few of them into my awesome double boiler and they are designed to take the heat. I will warn you, though, they can break if you let them touch the bottom of your pot for too long, so get yourself a $2 wire rack they can sit on the bottom on what jars would consider luxury and they'll last longer.

This is a great time of year to get boxes of jars on sale. I suggest them for both heating and holding your products as well as storage. Get some of those plastic lids and you have a nice storage system for your lotions and potions. (Just be careful using glass around the bathtub!)

As an aside, have you seen the new Pyrex jug shape? They're trying to emulate the OXO slanty ones that make it possible to see the measurements through the container. I like them for cooking, but they are awful for product making as I can only get one of them into the pot! So more Mason jars for me! 

What is the appliance in this picture? This is a Rival electric fondue pot. I fill it up with water, put the switch to 400˚F until it's boiling, then reduce it and heat my ingredients in it. It's awesome because I'm not tied to the stove and I can control the temperatures. As you can see, it's not small - no, no, no! - as it can contain an 8 cup (2 litre) Pyrex jug easily.

This is a great time of year to be able to purchase one of these as they seem to more plentiful around Christmas. I have three of them - two for making products and one for actual fondue (do-it-yourself tempura party at my place!). I think they're about $45 and I think my family bought my last one at London Drugs, but I've seen them at Home Outfitters, Linens & Things (I think they're gone now?), Bed, Bath & Beyond, and larger retailers like that. I have scoured the thrift stores for something like this, but I have never ever found one.

They're non-stick, so you could actually heat a shampoo bar in the pot instead of using the double boiler or water method, but there's all that cleaning up to do of the pot before you can move on to the next project instead of just cleaning one container while another project is heating and holding!

Is it just me or does every Simpsons' fan call it Bloodbath & Beyond? I can't help myself! 

Why do you have three things heating in the pot? I'm not really sure. I'm guessing one was for a different project because I don't think I've ever had three phases for the heating phase! There's the oil phase, the water phase, and the ??? phase here. I think I set it up to take this picture. Just like I wouldn't heat and hold with the spoons in the container. At the very least, the spoons get really really hot!

Join me tomorrow for more question-y fun!