Homemade sodium acetate?

ok, so earlier I tried to make some sodium acetate with baking soda and white vinegar, I mixed the vinegar and baking soda until the bubbling and everything, then I put the mixture in the microwave for an even amount 5 mins 3 times, then 1 min. interval until the solution was about 1/10th, was able to blow on it and it started to crystalize, when it started drying it looked just like long crystals no "lump" or powder. Dried it out more with coffee filters, and in the end looked like all crystals. I tried putting some in water and all it did was sink to the bottom, no freezing or anything. So anybody know what I did wrong? I didn't really measure anything out. Want to make this stuff at home, so can anybody tell me how to really make this, or at least what I did wrong.