Once you've reached the 3-4 hour mark and the soap has softened and turned translucent, it's time to test it to see if it's cooked long enough. Take two ounces of boiling water and add one ounce of your soap paste. Stir the soap, breaking it up and helping it dissolve in the water. Once it's completely dissolved (several minutes) check to see how clear it is. If it's just very lightly cloudy, that's ok. The soap will "settle" after it's finished and get even clearer. If the dissolved soap mixture is milky or very cloudy, you've either not cooked it long enough or you've mismeasured something.