Hot chocolate lovers seeking a café-quality drink at home now have more options than ever, with dedicated machines simplifying the process. The Hotel Chocolat velvetiser, which debuted in 2018, remains a top choice at £120, but the Salter chocolatier electric hot chocolate maker offers a more affordable alternative at just £35.
Both machines blend chocolate flakes with milk to create a rich, silky drink. However, the Salter model doubles as a milk frother for coffee, making it multifunctional. Given the £85 price difference, a side-by-side test was conducted to compare ease of use, taste, and cleaning.
The Salter machine is compact and matte black, with a chrome handle border. Its instruction manual lacks diagrams, but operation becomes intuitive after a few uses. It offers five settings: thick hot froth, light hot froth, hot milk, hot chocolate, and cold froth. The hot chocolate mode takes about five-and-a-half minutes, slower than the velvetiser's two-and-a-half minutes.
The resulting hot chocolate was smooth and at a perfect drinking temperature, but lacked the froth typical of barista-style drinks. Cleaning was straightforward, with a removable whisk and smooth interior. Unlike the velvetiser, which includes cups and chocolate sachets, the Salter machine comes alone, but its lower price and additional frothing functions offer good value for coffee lovers.
