Definition
Gel phase
The stage during saponification when a soap batch heats itself and turns translucent, starting in the centre and spreading outward. Whether a batch gels affects the finished look: a gelled soap is usually smoother and glossier, and an ungelled one is often paler and more matte.
Neither is wrong. Gelling is influenced by the water amount, the insulation and the mould, and it is a finishing decision rather than a quality one.
Tools that use this term
Soap Batch Size Calculator
Turn a bar count and bar weight, or a mould volume, into the oil, water, fragrance and lye weights a soap batch is built from.
Soap Mold Volume Calculator
Volume of a rectangular, cylindrical or loaf soap mould in cubic inches and millilitres, and the batter weight it holds at 0.4 ounces per cubic inch.