Hot chocolate maker: how to do it right?

Hot Chocolate Maker - My cousin loves gadgets. I have never seen anyone who buys more worthless inventions than he does. It seems like every time a new kitchen appliance comes out, he is the first one in line. He must watch the home shopping channel all night! I bet he has learned to replace sleep with infomercials.

His latest toy is a hot chocolate maker that he ordered online. Now both of us love hot chocolate. We have been trading recipes for hot chocolate back and forth for years. We have made chocolate the traditional Western way, we have made it like the Aztecs did – pepper and no sugar – and have even invented original chocolate recipes that no one else has ever thought of. We love mocha lattes, chocolate covered espresso beans, and all other things chocolate. Therefore, when he got a hot chocolate maker, I thought that there might be something to it. Could hot chocolate makers really make better hot chocolate Would they be able to somehow steam the milk better, or keep the temperature just right I wouldn’t have been the first one to buy a hot chocolate maker, but now that he had it, I was a bit curious.

Let me tell you, the hot chocolate maker was a complete disappointment. Don’t get me wrong – if you have no idea how to make hot chocolate, hot chocolate makers can help. They keep the chocolate moving around, preventing it from sticking to the bottom. Nonetheless, if you are an experience chocolate connoisseur like myself and not someone who just throws in a mix, there really is no point. A hot chocolate maker, like a rice cooker, is just another useless toy for amateurs who don’t know how to cook. I think it is always better to learn how to do things the right way than to buy some new gadget to do them for you.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some gadgets that are great. For example, I’ve always found that espresso comes out better when made with an espresso maker. And just try steaming milk without a steamer – it is almost impossible. Nonetheless, having too many gadgets takes all the fun out of cooking. In my opinion, you should be able to do almost everything with a few simple tools. You don’t need a hot chocolate maker. All you need to make hot chocolate is a measuring cup, a whisk, a ladle, and a pot.

Previous Articles Highlighter:

Hot Chocolate (1)
...time that I need a quick meal. Its getting cold outside and a cold meal sounds depressing. Cold mornings and cold breakfasts do not mix. I want something hot. I thought that I was at a loss until t...

Hot Pepper Plants (2)
...own hot pepper plants. For me, it started purely by chance. I was at the Farmer’s market and found a stall that was selling hot pepper seed. I had always liked a little bit of spice, and I thou...

Hot Pepper Sauce (3)
...But my favorite thing of all is the hot pepper sauce Festival. The hot pepper sauce Festival is kind of an underground phenomenon. It takes place in a different city every year, but it is always a...

Hot Peppers (4)
...My family loves spicy food. My mother never thought a dish was complete if it did not contain hot peppers. The majority of her dishes had that extra kick to them that you can only get from the use ...

How To Cook (5)
...a hard time with it. I guess some just have that special touch and others do not. I do know how to cook, but I guess I am not interested in it enough to give it my full attention, and I tend to m...

Ice Cream Franchises (6)
...them. Yeah, that’s the ticket. You can’t go wrong with the cold, creamy, sweet stuff. We all love rich ice cream with a variety of toppings. Regardless of what you crave, ice cream franch...

Ice Cream Machine (7)
...ice cream. As I was growing up, ice cream making became a passion of mine. My dad would always let us use the ice cream machine during the summer – although he would limit how much we coul...

Italian Cooking (8)
...He never liked sauces of any kind. When I went off to college I shared a house with six other college students. Two of the other women were from Italian heritage. They taught me about the wonders ...

Jalapeno Stuffed Olives (9)
...Jalapeno stuffed olives seem to be creeping into the mainstream slowly but surely. I had my first taste of this spicy treat at a summer barbeque and I think that I may have to search for this produ...

Japanese Teapots (10)
...either tea or hot chocolate and pouring it into our Japanese teapot. I loved pouring it into the tiny cups and sipping it while I ate my cinnamon toast. Of course we were oblivious to the art of ...

Jobs For Cooks (11)
...When it comes to jobs for cooks, you can really go all over the map with this field. I mean think about how many different countries, cuisines and ways of cooking there are. Food is everywhere and...

Kitchen Table (12)
...the place where families come together to wake up, have a cup of Joe or a glass of milk or juice, a muffin or a bowl of cereal, and talk about their plans for the day. The kitchen table is also t...

Kona Coffee (13)
...of gourmet coffee, it’s likely you think of the fine South American and African Arabicas. You probably wouldn’t think of fine Arabica coffee, grown right here in the U.S. Yet, it’s...

Latte Coffee (14)
...single morning I look forward to my vanilla or pumpkin spice latte coffee. I can smell that phenomenal espresso before I even make it to the kitchen, which is odd, because I haven’t made it y...

Lemon Pepper (15)
...that is about as far as my seasoning skills have taken me. Let’s just say that I eat a lot of chicken. I know how to throw salt and pepper on a dish or lob some butter on top but adding lemon p...

Low Acid Coffee (16)
...example of good marketing is the coffees that are low in acid. Some companies are using come-hither strategies such as pairing low acid coffee with specialized diets or medical illnesses. A quick s...

Low Carb Bar (17)
...I can’t keep up with every protein shake and low carb bar in town. There are just too many to sort through. Having said that, I have tried my share. What I’ve noticed is that mo...

Low Carbohydrate Recipes (18)
...a low carb lifestyle is one of the toughest things that you’ll ever do. Of course there are thousands of low carb recipes out there, so that is not the problem. The problem is that we are tau...

Low Fat Cooking (19)
...that over half the population of the world is overweight, and many of those people are in the more modern countries like the United States. There is also a rash of obese children growing up ...

Lunch Box (20)
...or for it to fall open spreading food all over the ground. Not only will your child be upset, you may have to leave work to bring them a new lunch, or to drop off money so they can buy their lunc...

Maple Sugar Candies (21)
...it is very big business in the northern US states for those who choose this as a way to make some money. For some, this is a hobby that doesn’t bring in a lot of money, but they love doing i...

Mason Jars (22)
...I grew up I was always surrounded by mason jars. There are still a ton of them in my mom’s basement, though she doesn’t use them any longer. She and my grandmother were both avid canner...

Menu Designs (23)
...how much you spend, and will give you a lasting impression of that establishment. If you own a restaurant, or soon will be, you have to make your menu designs reflect the style and type of place ...

Milk Bottles (24)
...days, you didn’t need to go to the store for milk. The milkman delivered all your dairy products right to your doorstep. Every day but Sunday, you could hear him coming down the street in his...

Nutritional Information (25)
...what they should be eating and what might be skipped. The problem is that most of the nutritional information out there is too hard for someone to understand. This, along with the need to save time, ...

Organic Products (26)
...do resort to fats-food that often, you should be concerned with your health. There is a reason why some health nuts are totally into organic products and won’t touch restaurant cuisine. It...

Outdoor Cooking Equipment (27)
...for the cool months. This is when I use it most. Heck, I love grilling out in the fall and winter. As long as the weather allows it, I’m good to go. So this basically means if it is not sno...

Paper Plates (28)
...your life will be so much easier. Everything can just be tossed into a trash bag and voila! You’ve managed to cut hours off of your cleaning time. Plus, if you’re having a party with a th...

Personal Chef (29)
...even if I could, the image of someone in my kitchen cooking for me makes me giggle. It’s not going to happen. I suppose if I had a bigger home and a bigger kitchen a personal chef might be o...

Quick Dinner Recipe (30)
...we spend as much time getting ready for the meal as we do sitting around the table and eating it. I try to plan a quick dinner recipe for three nights a week, we eat out one night and the other ni...

Quick Dinner Recipes (31)
...I only call it quick because the preparation on my part is minimal. Sadly, most of my quick dinner recipes are not healthy ones. This is something that I am looking to change. Not only am I tr...

Restaurant Dinner (32)
...set in a certain way, with candles and flowers. The dinner service must be exquisite and I prefer the tablecloth to be of crisp, white linen. I like the restaurant to be fairly quite, with just the ...

Romantic Restaurants (33)
...for wedding receptions or rehearsal dinners, or even couples who are getting engaged. Couples who simply want an evening out the phones ringing and the kids running around, tend to be drawn to r...

Sabatier Knives (34)
...of use. Currently I Use a mix of cutlery in my kitchen. I have a high quality Wustof chef’s knife for most of my slicing and dicing. I have a J.A. Henckle serrated bread knife that perf...

Salt Shaker (35)
...intake. This was very difficult for her because the salt shaker was never far from her plate, she loves salt. It seems that people usually fall into the sweet lovers or salt lovers category. My mothe...

Simple Recipes (36)
...of them are just as tasty as more complicated ones, but it will depend on your taste. Perhaps I was just raised to enjoy simple meals. A good roast, potatoes, and some vegetables are all I need for a...

Small Microwave Oven (37)
...the available counter space in your kitchen. Families today seem to be busy and always rushed for time. With full time work schedules, soccer practice and dance lessons, many moms and dads are turni...

Sources Of Vitamin B (38)
...stress and depression can be helped with adequate B vitamins. All the B vitamins are water soluble and must be supplied daily. Brewer’s yeast is one of the excellent sources of vitamin ...

Steak Sauce (39)
...the meat is cooked. I have been going to Applebee’s a lot lately, and the reason is the steak. It is always good, and always cooked exactly like I like it. I have no need to put steak sau...

Table Etiquette (40)
...dinner, the basic rules are the same. Here’s how to make a good impression. When you’re invited to be seated, don’t just plop down in your chair. Offer to pull Mom’s chair ...

Take Out Boxes (41)
...of their own as well. I’m not sure what the problem is, but it seems no one can part with their pizza boxes. Perhaps it is that they are odd shaped and hard to handle, though I can’t rea...

Teapot Cake (42)
...Having a beautifully decorated teapot cake is perfect for a birthday celebration that includes a tea party. If you aren’t an avid baker you can certainly use a couple of boxes of cake mix to m...

Teflon Sheet (43)
...breaking. The Teflon sheet is easy to clean as well, and the days of scrubbing ovenware are long gone for the most part. I do occasionally use glass for things like lasagna, but for the most part t...

Vegetarian Crock Pot (44)
...in meal time you need to come up with different dishes. One delicious dinner that takes just a few minutes to make is vegetarian crock pot chili. Ground beef has long been the staple of chil...

Wedding Cake Decorating (45)
...wedding cake decorating class with them. The baking part of the equation is fairly simple. In fact, you can even purchase plain, cakes that haven’t yet been iced from most bakeries. This is goi...

Wedding Cake Designs (46)
...you’ve chosen the lifetime commitment. Now if you can just make it through the wedding ceremony and all the traditional hoopla. Not to say that there aren’t some wonderful aspects o...

Wedding Cookies (47)
...dress, time, place and husband are usually the first and most important things to think about. For my friend’s special day the wedding cookies overrode almost everything else for me because ...

Whole Foods Market (48)
...out the truth of the matter. Whole foods is actually owned by venture capitalists with money in the weapons industry. They are notorious for their union busting. In short, whole foods market is the ...

Wood Fired Pizza Oven (49)
...own. I was watching this debate on the Travel channel. It was basically a pizza contest. From New York style to Chicago made to southern style pizza cooked in a wood fired pizza oven, they had it...

Worlds Finest Chocolates (50)
...am in my mid-20s, and I love chocolate. I have tried some of the worlds finest candies from all over. I have tried Ghiradelli chocolates, Belgian chocolates – you name it and I have tried it. ...

Bulk Chocolate (51)
...coconut balls can be handled. The chocolate still had a great taste and the candies had a great sheen to them. When I was a teenager the first bulk chocolate became available in grocery stores. My m...

Salad Recipes (52)
...the lunch time catching up with each other on what we had done thus far in the summer. The women all liked the food and asked for my salad recipes. As I was looking up the recipes one of the women ...

Crock Pot Soup (53)
...means two things. One is that we need to break out the warmer clothing and heartier food is on the menu. It’s difficult to imagine eating a stew or casserole in the middle of summer, but whe...

Fish Recipe (54)
...Apart from health issues, a fish recipe offers great flavor and is usually quick and easy to cook. Your friendly, local fish merchant is normally willing to fillet and prepare the fish or you...

Ice Cream Machine (55)
...took the other gifts out of the car. Once the ice cream machine was assembled we were a little disappointed to find that we needed to run to the store to buy rock salt and other items for the reci...

Pepper Grinders (56)
...It has a better, fuller flavor, and you don’t need as much to get a great taste. A great advantage of pepper grinders is that you can experiment with different types of pepper. There are ma...

Pepper Plant (57)
...We planted eight of the bell pepper plant. They came in four packs so we bought two packs. We put them out into the garden at the very end of May. By the middle of August we had so many bell pepper...

Bbq Recipes (58)
...friends. It’s the best way to have a party and the food always tastes great. For me, bbq recipes should be cooked on charcoal barbecues. No gas fuel cookers for me. The charcoal should be go...

Healthy Recipes (59)
...a great deal of butter and salt in her cooking, and they ate out in restaurants a great deal. Neither one of my parents had ever given a thought about healthy recipes and fat or salt content in the...

Hershey Chocolate (60)
...is a great success story and its products have been part of the American way of life for decades. Their main rival is Mars and competition between the two has been quite hostile. The secrecy given ...

Hot Pepper Sauce (61)
...Green, yellow, orange or red, there’s a heat to match your index. A hot pepper sauce can transform a ho-hum casserole into an exciting rave-review dish. Let’s take a look at some matches....

Hot Sauce (62)
...year, enjoys cooking. He is involved in football in the fall so he misses the preparation of dinner. It was nice to hear him say that he missed the time with the family. One of the first nights afte...

Italian Cooking (63)
...lots of conversation. A meal in Italy is purely delightful. Italian cooks insist on the very freshest foods. Perhaps more than any other culture, Italian cooking focuses on the season. Many Italia...

Rotisserie Cooking (64)
...so basting is advisable. Rotisserie cooking is good for keeping the flavor in. You can cook just about anything using this method but chicken, lamb and pork do seem to suit it best. Placing vegetab...

Slow Cookers (65)
...cooking – a heck of a lot easier. If you’ve never used slow cookers, you owe it to yourself to try this fabulous time saver. If you’ve got one stuck away in garage storage, con...

Barbecue Sauce Recipe (66)
...learning how to do this. Cooking is a process and he does not have the full process down yet. He has yet to learn the art of timing. As a result the meat, which he is most concerned about, is usual...

Chocolate Brownies (67)
...Let’s test your brownie knowledge and see just how much you know about America’s favorite desert. Here are some interesting facts about chocolate brownies from www hocolatebrownies et. ...

Chocolate Cake Recipe (68)
...The first year we were married a used a chocolate cake recipe that has a can of cherry pie filling in it. This cake is one that my mother would make because is was easy to make and it made a v...

Chocolate Fudge (69)
...My mother prepared mainly comfort foods. These were the foods that my father preferred. Her specialties were pot roast, baked chicken, wonderful gravy and chocolate fudge. After many year...

Easy Dinner Recipes (70)
...in a clown suit dancing and frolicking about with children. It’s a joke. Give us all a break! Any fool knows that this stuff will destroy your insides and cause you to kill over from a heart at...

Greek Recipes (71)
...types of honey available. A lot of honey varieties come from fruit trees such as lemon and orange. The combination of yogurt and honey is sometimes served as a dessert. Cheese is an important ...

Healthy Lunch Recipes (72)
...in smaller portions. Grabbing lunch on the go or skipping it completely is something we all do and should avoid. So how should we curb the urge to miss that mid-day meal, the one that take...

Beef Jerky Recipes (73)
...now and again. One especially delicious way to include red meat in your diet is with beef jerky. With all the beef jerky recipes out there you can customize one to make it please your taste buds per...

Cereal Boxes (74)
...that it is not the cereal itself that costs so much money, it is the actual cereal boxes. Apparently cardboard and the coloring of ink and patterns on the cereal boxes is what is expensive. Some peo...

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (75)
...chocolate covered strawberries. In my opinion, they can be a tiny piece of heaven. My wedding cake was four tiers of varying flavors and chocolate covered strawberries wrapping themselves down the s...

Coffee Machine (76)
...a fine cup of java should. What you need is a quality coffee machine that grinds the beans right before your very eyes, and does so fresh each and every morning. This is the only way to enjoy fresh c...

Dunkin Donuts Coffee (77)
...Domino’s. Oh, and then there’s breakfast. This consists of a jelly-filled Bizmark and an extra large cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Does that all sound about right to you Wow; that̵...

Ice Cream Machine (78)
...own ice cream shop. Have you ever dreamed of working in a place filled with children, nostalgic settings, and a mellow atmosphere With a professional ice cream machine, you can make tons of profita...

Italian Cooking (79)
...If you have the same affliction I do, you can do something about it. If you aren’t happy with sauce from a jar, you can most certainly learn Italian cooking to make your own special sauce to s...

Jobs For Cooks (80)
...or cooks intern at fine restaurants, only to be offered jobs when their internship is complete. If you are looking for something close to home, there are jobs for cooks in almost every restaurant ...

Low Acid Coffee (81)
...energy drink but I hate the effects on my stomach especially during times of great stress. Low acid coffee promises relief to my dilemma. Low acid coffee serves the same energy-inspiring service sup...

Books For Cooks (82)
...are not confined to recipe books. Food and cooking can literally keep you occupied for a life time, if you so desire. The more you learn about food and cooking, the more you want to know. When y...

Easy Dinner (83)
...let me have too much time in the evening to prepare an elaborate meal in the kitchen. I’m limited to about 30 minutes until they get stir crazy and start running around the house like mania...

Kitchen Scale (84)
...does not take into account the juiciness or dryness of those apples. A European recipe instructs you to use “1.5 kilograms of green Granny apples”. What’s the difference Six dry app...

Low Fat Cooking (85)
...to promote low fat cooking. I thought I was making healthy choices by eating at home instead of in restaurants, but I guess that all depends on how I prepare my foods. For instance, I like to grill ...

Simple Recipes (86)
...tease me before we got married. I had lived on frozen dinners, pizzas, cereal and simple recipes since I moved out after graduation. I had always been thin and hadn’t worried about it. Suddenly...

Electric Ice Cream Maker (87)
...cream at all. The idea of getting an electric ice cream maker seemed like a revelation to me. We could have ice cream cones literally whenever we wanted, and could make any homemade ice cream recip...

Kitchen Gadgets (88)
...my bread maker. I can put the mixture in at bedtime and wake up to the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread. The only down side is that I put on weight because the bread is so tasty. The rice cooke...

Cake Decorating Magazine (89)
...motivated to start creating great designs. A cake decorating magazine can also help a novice get starting on projects with professional results. Some of the topics found in a cake decorating magazine...

Chocolate Cake Recipe (90)
...to during family get-togethers. This individual may be the best source for inspiration. Consulting family for great chocolate cake recipes is a double edged sword. On one hand, the relative may be...

Chocolate Chip Cookies (91)
...the same old cookie a little bit special. Many recipes can be found in baking cook books and you can even consult a seasoned cook in the family for some ideas as well. No matter which recipe you cho...

Healthy Dinner Recipes (92)
...more convenient and we don’t have any cleanup or we’re simply short on time. With a little planning and foresight, you can make balanced, nutritious and healthy dinner recipes ready...

Kitchen Equipment (93)
...for a week at a time which they will now have to do because the distance they will be from shops. My daughter told me that she is going to have to invest in some kitchen equipment because at th...

Low Carb Cooking (94)
...may seem like a real challenge but once you lay a foundation you are well on your way to a carbohydrate-controlled diet. There are a handful of things to consider and there are a few tips and tri...

Southern Living Cookbook (95)
...gold standard in lifestyle and cooking for families to enjoy. You can be sure that there is a Southern Living cookbook that will suit your particular needs as well as your tastes. Following are three...