Buy a velvetiser? Or an alternative?

[NeededANameChangeAnyway]

I really fancy a velvetiser as I love hot chocolate. Is it worth it? Do you have to use Hotel Chocolat bits in it?

What should I go for instead of a velvetiser?

Or just stick with hot milk in a pot and a decent hot chocoate (and Bailey's)?

Another voice for the hot chocolate shaker. OP, please please get this, it’s brilliant and so simple. We got ours years ago and we still use it all the time. We buy big bags of gorgeous quality chocolate drops like this https://amzn.eu/d/0g0qttEg, or any other chocolate flake hot chocolate we want, then just heat the milk in the microwave to whatever temp you prefer, shake it with the chocolate, and you get the best chocolatiest smoothest creamiest hot chocolate ever. All the “velvetising” is done just by shaking it. Dead easy and my kids could do it.

We do have a milk frother thing already which came with some coffee gadget. I feel it's a bit weedy and doesn't melt actual chocolate flakes, the velvetiser is better than this?

Not them but also a fan - yes, we microwave it in a jug then pour into the shaker with the choc in there, close and shake.

I heat enough milk for 2 mugs, then just make one after the other. (Not both for me!)

Thanks all for your input! And good chocolate recommendations as well.

I buy the HC sachets but also the tesco hot chocolate powder. I alternate between them. It makes the tesco hot chocolate lovely & frothy. Definitely worth the investment imo.

I got one of these at the beginning of the year. I love it! Because I want BIG mugs of hot chocolate, and the velvetiser states it made little ones (to me, anyway) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D47MXV84

I use mine every single day! I have oat milk… I use it in the morning to make frothy milk for my coffee and in the evening for hot chocolate. My favourite hot chocolate is the M&S one… they do sachets. £6 for 5 so it’s not cheap! I like the milk chocolate one. I love the Hotel Chocolat salted caramel too.
I’ve got the older style one and I’d definitely buy the new one if mine breaks.

Yes, I do it exactly as @TallagallaPenguin says, except I'm even lazier. I stick the milk in the shaker container and stick it in the microwave and add the hot chocolate flakes when the milk comes out (hot) then put the lid on and push it down (never put the lid in the microwave) and shake away! Knoops hot chocolate flakes are the best. I like the 65%. Expensive though.

We have one but I absolutely hate it.
Takes up space on the counter, which is already overloaded with a fancy coffee machine and pseudo-kettle. It is never used, as it’s a ball-ache to clean and dry and just doesnt work as well as it should. My SIL got it for us as a Christmas present, but it’s just a really shitty gadget that gets in the way.
It’s also absolutely crap as it doesn’t heat up properly, the chocolate (even the recommended packets from hotel chocolate) doesn’t mix in sufficiently, so it leaves lumpy bits at the bottom of the actual jug and in your mug/glass.
I can make much nicer hot chocolate using either my slow cooker and real chocolate or in the microwave.

Just used the Hotel Chocolat flakes with my Bamix stick blender, works a treat. I also have an Aerocino which can work for the cold things as you’re not meant to hear anything but milk in it.

Erm, based on this thread I have just bought one. Oops.

There’s £20 off until midnight. (Apologies if this is a duplicate and someone else has already posted)

Ahh this has sold out ! Looks good too !

I love mine. I use it every day to heat my oat milk for my coffee. Dh uses it too. The dcs occasionally have a hot chocolate out of it. It’s super easy to clean, no faff at all, you just clean it. We even take it away with us with our little nespresso machine.

I heat my milk in the microwave in a mug. While it’s heating, I add the hot chocolate powder to the shaker. I put the milk into the shaker, shake it, then pour it back into the still hot mug. I’ve used flakes and powder and both work very well. The shaker can go in the dishwasher and is very easy to wash anyway. It also takes up very little space. It’s definitely one of the best kitchen items I’ve ever purchased.

I buy the hot chocolate flakes from M&S. About £6 and a little goes a long way!

You can put any hot chocolate in. I just use cocoa powder and sugar in mine. Also make lattes in it by putting in a teaspoon on instant coffee with the milk instead of choc powder. I do agree that it's not boiling hot but it's hot enough. And if youve got kids then they can safely make their own hot drinks without you worrying about scalding themselves.

My dc love theirs

Enjoy your new addiction , perfect tine of year for it 😁

It seems quite a bit of money for something that just does one job do people really drink hot chocolate everyday

We use it for hot chocolate, babycino, milky coffees, Ovaltine, Horlicks etc
Also use the cold setting for milkshakes.

We use it most days.

If you heat the mug with boiling water in parallel with making the hot chocolate, it stays hotter.

Ours has been used daily for breakfast for 6 years.

At the moment I am.....! Gallons of tea during the day, hot chocolate in the evening. I do limit myself to one though otherwise I'd be the size of a house....

Hardly any. I love mine and use it a lot.
Easy to clean. Love trying different flavours.

I have a Smeg one. It gets hotter than the velvetiser, its larger so you can make hot chocolate for multiple people in it and the jug goes in the dishwasher!

It has a hot chocolate setting and various hot milk settings. It also does cold drinks

I tend to use either Knoops or Hotel Chocolat sachets. In store you can often pick up the sachets half price if they have a short date on them.

Following. Trying to decide if the kids should have one for Christmas. Or if it will be another gadget to store