Maybe it’s my lack of patience (no. way!), but I’m having the hardest time getting my room temp tahini to incorporate, and to properly mix in with whatever it is I am making (e.g. baba ganoush).
Do you HOs have any special magic that works?
I put it in a bowl, add a bit of water and of lemon juice, then mix it with a fork til it’s smooth. Sometimes I have to add water/lemon juice. When it’s smooth, I add it to whatever it is I am making.
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Cold or warm water? I think I’ve tried both. When I recently made baba ganoush, I thought I’d whipped the tahini together well enough, but it didn’t mix well with the eggplant.
I use cold water. As I said, if it doesn’t mix well, you should add more water.
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I haven’t bought tahini paste in a long time. I use Bob’s Red Mill sesame seeds that I lightly toast in a SS skillet. After letting them cool I pop them in the blender, turn it up to high and drizzle in some EVOO. When done it will be a little warm.
I’ll then add any liquids and stuff that needs to be minced (citrus/garlic) and run it 'till smooth. Lastly I will add stuff that provides texture (chickpeas, etc.) and run/pulse the thing until I get the texture I’m looking for.
If you don’t have a good blender you can use a FP for pretty similar results. My blender has a tamper which eliminates having to open the thing up and scraping down the sides.
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Yeah, I don’t use tahini often enough to make my own, and my FP isn’t that great.
Are you using a Food Processor?
Do you completely mix the oil and solids of the paste before trying to incorporate into the dish?
No.
And, apparently not 
I don’t think your FP needs to be great, just let it run longer.
I think you’ll be surprised at how much better the home made is over the store bought… plus you’ll have way more control over both the texture and flavor (depending on if you toast the seeds, and by how much). Just keep your seeds in the freezer and they’ll last way longer than store bought paste.
Just sayin’ (c;
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Since I do use a Machine, I always put the whole Can/Jar of Tahini and its Oil in the Processor and emulsify it and return it to it’s Container. I refrigerate it after that which seems to keep it from separating, for a while anyway(I do the same with Peanut Butter).
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Yup… and an immersion blender will work too (if it fits into the can/jar).
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For me, tahini acts like a non-newtonian fluid. If I hit it with too much zeal, it seizes up like a solid, almost. I have a few recipes calling for it to me mixed into other stuffs, and I’ve found I have to do it gently, and with more liquid than called for, or it wants to set up fast and hard like quick-crete.
Maybe it’s just the brand that I happen to have on hand, but once I start to mix aqueous liquids into it, I have to go slow and easy or I get concrete.
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Well, I tried @ScottinPollock’s rec of using an immersion blender, and it worked wonderfully! I now actually have a saucy tahini, not a lake of oil atop seed paste. Thank you for the input, and I immediately made more baba ganoush with the remaining grilled eggplant I had in the fridge 
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