To ask how many of you have a velvetiser and if it's really as good as it's made out

[CoffeeWithCheese]

I covet one but I am a sucker for hype.

Well, it is just a whisk and a heating element, you can buy the same chocolate and do it manually. It's just a convienience thing.

Love it! Got it 6 months ago and used it a good few times each week since

I usually melt a bar of dark chocolate in a pan with some milk and whisk it. It doesn’t take very long and the left overs can go in the fridge and be microwaved for next time.
I can’t imagine spending near £100 on a gadget that likely won’t get used in the warmer months.

@NightmareSlashDelightful

I've got one of those hot chocolate shakers -- it basically does the same job but it's only about £30 including a starter bag of choc chips.

You just heat the milk in the microwave, add 35g of chocolate, put the lid on and shake the thing. It has an expandable lid which means you don't get hot chocolate sprayed everywhere when you open it up again.

It makes brilliant hot chocolate, as good as a Velvetiser I think. Plus I can buy any chocolate chips or flaked chocolate I want.

We have this too. I love it!

My worry with the velvetiser or any of the milk froth era is that it wouldn't heat the milk enough. Warm instead of hot.

The hot chocolate shaker doesn't look fancy, but it does make great hot chocolate

I love mine and I've had it for 3 years this Christmas. You wipe it out, dunk the whisk in the sink and you're done. No way am I getting a pan out for hot chocolate and I don't have a blender!

My husband has one, good for a while now he's bored.

Father in law uses his everyday and has done for at least three years.

Depends on the person I think

@SoupDragon

The smears are on the base under the whisk.

I'm not alone in not finding it easy to clean.

@SoupDragon

You do know the whisk is removeable? And can be put in the dishwasher (not that it needs to be, takes a few seconds to rinse it off under the tap).

Just remove the whisk and rinse, then swish the main chamber under the tap, and dry off with kitchen roll.

Honestly, it's never taken me more than 20 seconds to clean - completely smear free. There's nothing for smears to catch on once the whisk is removed. Its a completely smooth non stick chamber!

I'm genuinely wondering if you're trying to rinse it with the whisk in situ, because I really can't see how anyone can imagine that its hard to clean!

It's great I got mine as present last year from My mum and I use it several time a week.

I use it to make regular low fat (options type) as well as the indulgent ones from hotel chocolat. As it thoroughly blends the chocolate.

Also cocoa and hot milk for coffee.

I do preheat the cups with boiling water.

Indulgent but worth it.

I've just got the Black Friday velvetiser pack with four packs of hot choc, biscuits and batons as a treat. We don't get it very much otherwise.

@CarlaH

So are they easy to clean or not. Seems to be some difference of opinion here.

If it isn't an easy clean then I am not interested.

I don't have any trouble cleaning it. I take the whisk out and swoosh it in soapy water, then fill the machine up with more water and let it stand. Then all it needs is a quick scrub round with a dish brush. (Don't put the whole thing in water-it's got electrics in the base like an electric kettle)

Lacazza modo mio can do hot milk foamy milk and cold milk shakes

We love ours, it's one of the best things that we have ever bought. We use the monin syrups and have different flavours of Irish cream in ours. They now do latte/coffee to use in them as well. Lots of things only get used seasonally.

Lavazza

"My worry with the velvetiser or any of the milk froth era is that it wouldn't heat the milk enough. Warm instead of hot."

I put mine in a pan while I'm doing my DD's, I don't have a microwave. It helps to put boiling water in the cups before you pour the chocolate in.

I’ve just bought a cusinart soup maker and just realised that it can double as a velvetiser. I might go and experiment.

I just put milk and single cream in a pan, heat it and then whisk in some chocolate curls and vanilla paste (and sometimes some gingerbread flavouring) and it's smooth, frothy and delicious. I can make loads at the same time that way too for a fraction of the price of HC hot chocolate.

We got one as a present and I thought it was a novelty that would soon wear off but it has been in almost daily use for the last 2 years. My DS uses it with Nesquick, my DD uses to make mocha, and if it broke I’d probably have to go and buy a new one!

I bought one for Dd and she said the first time she used it that it was amazing.

She likes hot chocolate so it is regularly used

I have a lavazza milk frother that makes a lovely hot chocolate and is quite small and inoffensive. Plus it was only £50.

Asda did a knock off that was brilliant! I don't know if they still stock it but you can buy unbranded ones from loads of places now.

Dds cost just over £50. I had a voucher, it was on a special deal and I bought it going through Quidco

I find I rate it because I actually use it.

Sure, it’s not essential, but it is convenient.

You do know the whisk is removeable? And can be put in the dishwasher (not that it needs to be, takes a few seconds to rinse it off under the tap).

@mrsm43s I'm not an idiot!

There's nothing for smears to catch on once the whisk is removed. Its a completely smooth non stick chamber!

The whisk makes smears across the base of the pot. These do not rinse off, I need to clean it with a sponge. What is so difficult to grasp? I'm clearly not imagining them - when I've just rinsed it out, I've dried the inside with a tea towel and found it's wiping smears off and I have to clean it again.

I'm genuinely wondering if you're trying to rinse it with the whisk in situ, because I really can't see how anyone can imagine that its hard to clean!

Do you run the so called cleaning cycle with no whisk? 🙄 Anyway, I've given up with that because it doesn't work.

Mine leaves smears. Mine is not easy to clean. These two things are facts. Your experience with your Velvetiser may differ.

It should be easy to clean. Mine isn't.

I got one last christmas, I love it so easy to clean.

Fill with milk then pour the chocolate flakes on, lovely hot chocolate a few minutes later.

If you press the power button again after it's made the drink it heats it up a bit more. I also put boiling water in the cup before as well.

Most of these are suitable to use with it too pendragondrinks.co.uk/

I've used it with Horlicks and Cadbury powder too (for children as they don't appreciate the Hotel Chocolat ones , it mixes it up far better than I can with a milk whisk.

@SoupDragon

You do know the whisk is removeable? And can be put in the dishwasher (not that it needs to be, takes a few seconds to rinse it off under the tap).

@mrsm43s I'm not an idiot!

There's nothing for smears to catch on once the whisk is removed. Its a completely smooth non stick chamber!

The whisk makes smears across the base of the pot. These do not rinse off, I need to clean it with a sponge. What is so difficult to grasp? I'm clearly not imagining them - when I've just rinsed it out, I've dried the inside with a tea towel and found it's wiping smears off and I have to clean it again.

I'm genuinely wondering if you're trying to rinse it with the whisk in situ, because I really can't see how anyone can imagine that its hard to clean!

Do you run the so called cleaning cycle with no whisk? 🙄 Anyway, I've given up with that because it doesn't work.

Mine leaves smears. Mine is not easy to clean. These two things are facts. Your experience with your Velvetiser may differ.

It should be easy to clean. Mine isn't.

You are being very snippy. I was genuinely trying to be helpful.

I rarely run the cleaning cycle. If I do it is whisk in. But normally I do as I described - rinse whisk under tap, swish chamber out with water from the tap, wipe dry with kitchen towel. All done in less than 20 seconds, never had a smear.

Just tried it in soup maker and it was perfect so will be taking the velvetiser off the Christmas list😁
Bonus is I can make up to 1.5l of hot chocolate at a time