Hot chocolate fans – stop what you’re doing and read this right now! No, really! We’ve found a sleek hot chocolate maker on Amazon that shoppers have dubbed as good as the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser and the Smeg Milk Frother – but it’s almost half the price. I didn’t just take their word for it - I tried it myself - and I’m seriously impressed.
The Salter Professional Hot Chocolate Maker is currently on sale for £34.99 instead of £49.99 (that’s a 30% saving) which is an incredible price (especially when you consider that the more expensive ones are close to £100.
I have to admit that I always resisted buying a hot chocolate maker because I honestly thought what’s the point of paying for a machine when I can just stick a cup of milk in the microwave - but now I get it. There’s just no other way of getting that barista-worthy frothy milk without one.
True story - my dad was actually the first person to recommend this machine to me. He loved the fact it was super easy to use. And he wasn’t wrong - you literally fill it up with milk, add a few spoons of your chocolate of choice (I use Knoops and wow, is it delicious) then press the button three times to get to the hot chocolate setting and wait two minutes for your velvety hot choccy drink.
There are four different settings - one press gets you thick frothed milk (great for cappuccino or macchiato), two for thin frothed milk (for lattes or matcha lattes), three presses for your hot chocolate needs, and four presses for cold milk froth for your frappes or iced coffees.
If you just want to heat the milk up without frothing, you can remove the frother and replace it with the heating ring, which is stored in the cup lid. Is there anything else to be aware of? Inside the machine you’ll see two measuring marks, a minimum line and a max line. Don’t overfill it or you’ll get overflow spillage when you’re frothing up milk.
I found it surprisingly easy to clean. Just a rinse and wipe with a soapy cloth after removing the frothing ring and washing it separately. It’s not dishwasher safe, but that really isn’t a bother for me.
My only quibble? You can only make one cup at a time, which does slow me down in the mornings when I have two kids fighting over who gets their hot chocolate first… but cup by cup does seem to be the standard as far as hot chocolate machines go (the Velvetiser is the same)
See it in action in my video below:
The Salter Professional Hot Chocolate Maker vs Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser pros and cons
Pros:
- Price: At its sale price, the Salter Chocolatier is £70 cheaper than the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. (And a whopping £114 cheaper than the Smeg Milk Frother!) That’s a big difference, however you look at it.
- Taste: I’ve had hot chocolate made by both the Velvetiser and this machine, and honestly - I can’t tell the difference.
- Milk capacity: The Salter has the edge here - it holds 240 ml - 40ml more than the Velvetiser.
- Guarantee: Salter offers a three-year warranty whereas Hotel Chocolat offers 12 months.
Cons:
- Style: While the Salter design team have done their best to come up with something sleek, it just doesn’t compare to the Velvetiser and its ‘I belong in a Parisienne kitchen’ looks.
- Colourways: The Salter machine only comes in black, whereas you can get the Velvetiser in matte black, shiny copper or white.
- Extras: The Salter machine is sold as is, whereas the Velvetiser comes with two ceramic pod cups for your hot choccy, worth £20. You can also buy Hotel Chocolat sachets at a discount (£10 instead of £13.50) when bought with the Velvetiser. It’s not a massive saving but every little helps.
© Katherine RobinsonMug by Stoa Ceramica
What Amazon shoppers are saying
Amazon shoppers give the Salter machine thumbs up for being easy to use and clean as well as having impressive blending power. Its biggest selling point, however, is its price - it’s mentioned again and again in the review section that it’s great value for money.
“I bought this as an alternative to the Velvetiser as it’s pricey, and I’m so glad I did,” says one happy customer. “It’s brilliant – would definitely recommend.” Another reviewer says it’s “better than Starbucks” – high praise indeed!
Other shoppers flat-out say it’s better than Hotel Chocolat’s chocolate maker. “I have a friend who has the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser and compared to this one, it's rubbish,” says one reviewer. “The Hotel Chocolat one makes your drinks lukewarm and the chocolate doesn't dissolve effectively. The Salter Velvetiser actually makes your hot chocolate, hot. It also makes lovely coffees and iced coffees too. Definitely worth the money.”
A hot choc fan with children also had this to say: The kids love how they can get involved making the hot chocolates without the worry of getting hurt with boiling water.” This definitely aligns with my experience, the kids love it!
Are there any gripes? Some shoppers say the amount the machine holds is small. But from what I understand, this seems to be standard when it comes to hot chocolate machines. In fact, the Velvetiser holds 40ml less! One cup at a time is the way to go.
© Katherine RobinsonThe Flip side: A Velvetiser fan speaks
Our head of Commerce and Lifestyle Leanne Bayley wouldn’t swap her Velvetiser for the world. So I thought I’d let her tell you why, in her own words….
“ I am writing this right now as someone who's given up dairy and sugar for a little while, but the one thing I miss the most is my Velvetiser. Nothing is more comforting than a cup of hot chocolate, and in my opinion, the Velvetiser just hits differently. The texture is next level: it's not too thick, not watery, just smooth and velvety and more-ish – once you’ve velvetised, there’s no going back.
“First of all, it's light to hold, and easy to store away. It's also quite pretty if you want it on your countertop, but I struggle for space and I think I'd be too tempted to have hot chocolate morning, noon and night - not that there's anything wrong with that if you can afford it!
“With one-click technology it's super easy to use, and I just pour in the milk and add in a sachet of Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel flakes (definitely my top choice!) and press the button and voila, in a matter of 2.5 minutes (you can't rush perfection) I have a delicious hot chocolate to drink. You can only make one cup per round, so if you're making it for two people it's fairly quick and easy but if you're making it for a lot more, you might find it laborious. If you are making successive batches, a top tip I was given was to rinse the Velvetiser with cold water so that the in-built thermostat can begin at the right temperature.
“You might think the amount it holds (200ml) is a small amount but for a rich drink, you probably don't need a huge mug and I tend to use a slightly smaller mug, or the cups you get with the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
"Now, I will say that your hot chocolate isn't piping hot. You don't need to blow your cup of hot chocolate to cool it down, and that's because you don't want to burn your milk/chocolate. That's not to say it's cold, but it's not totally steaming hot. I sometimes warm up my cup with hot water before I add in the hot chocolate if I want it to be hotter for longer.
“The Velvetiser is also easy to clean and buying the flakes is super easy as well. Hotel Chocolat is everywhere these days (even in my train station) so when I'm running low on my favourite chocolate flakes, I just pick them up or order from online. I'm sure you can use other brands of chocolate ingredients, but I'm loyal to Hotel Chocolat. Instant drinking chocolate is mostly sugar (or chemical-laden sugar substitutes) with very little cacao powder – all drinks created for the Velvetiser only use pure, grated high-quality chocolate or cacao butter, with a deep, not-too-sweet flavour profile.
“Ultimately, a lot of brands have been inspired by the Velvetiser, but no one has managed to capture the 'omg' element that the Velvetiser brings. It just has an air of luxury, and it makes for a really great gift. This gadget will deliver café-quality hot chocolate at home with zero fuss and zero mess every time.”
