Soap Equipment Upgrade: New Baking Racks

Before

I'm getting a complete soap workshop upgrade.  I'm going from making soap in my basement to making soap in my new soap studio in the backyard. I'm also going from making soap using wire bakers racks to being a 'big dog' and investing in some lasting equipment.  So today I spent the day at a restaurant auction getting commercial baking racks for curing! I scored two... (Yea!!!) , but I must admit it was an eye opening experience!

After

First off, I was the only female there, which REALLY surprised me.  Second, never being to an auction before, everything moved fast. The auctioneer talked fast, the people bid fast...  you really had to pay attention.  Third, almost everyone I talked to asked me if I was a baker.  I really had no idea why.  I had not bid on anything yet; I was nowhere near the baking racks I wanted, so where was this idea coming from?  Finally I asked someone.  His response, "Most woman are bakers!"

AH HA!!! An eye opener!!  No frigin' way! But the more I thought about it (my only reference is the FOOD NETWORK so ignore any assumptions I make past this point); most 'successful' cooks/chefs are men. And the 'successful' women tend to bake.  Whether or not this IS true, it was the tone of his voice that got me. It was like he was saying, "You throw like a girl, or you run like a girl." (Which in any situation this comes up, I make sure I give a reply that says- thanks for noticing that I'm female, and yes, I am very good at what I do!) 

So I embraced his comment and responded, "Actually, I AM a baker.  I'm also a chef.  I'm the chief Saponifier at Handbrewed Soaps."  And that was it, he said, "Oh! Well, good luck today," and walked away.  There was no, "What the hell is a Saponifier?"  The conversation had ended, for whatever reason.  

So, I learned something today.  Not only how to bid, but of the hierarchy within the cooking field. And so, I happily went home with two backing racks.  Now I can cure 600 bars per rack instead of just 150 bars with my wire ones!!