It’s the perfect weather for a cosy hot chocolate, and right on time, Aldi’s sell-out hot chocolate maker is returning in stores this week, and it’s an excellent alternative to Smeg’s Multi Milk Frother (£161.10 at John Lewis).
Landing in stores on Sunday (7 December), Aldi’s Hot Chocolate Maker is just £24.99, a bargain price compared to other models on the market, and an appliance the Ideal Home team was very excited about after spotting it at the Aldi Specialbuy Christmas preview.
Either a brilliant budget Christmas gift, or a must-have appliance to warm your cockles through the winter months, I predict this Aldi hot chocolate maker won’t be on the shelves for long. Here’s everything you need to know.
The sleek, retro design of the Aldi hot chocolate maker makes it look very similar to Smeg. But at £24.99, its more than £100 cheaper.
Salter
Salter Chocolatier to Share 4-In-1 Hot Chocolate Maker
If you are after a hot chocolate maker that will make more than one cup at a time, I recommend buying this one. At an affordable price, it rivals some of the top hot chocolate makers. It has a huge 500ml capacity, four settings.
Smeg
Smeg Mff11 Multi Milk Frother With Tritan Renew™
You can always count on Smeg to produce some of the most stylish kitchen appliances on the market. It’s dishwasher safe, has six preset programmes and even allows you to decide the foam density you want with both hot and cold milk.
I’m always pleasantly impressed by Aldi’s kitchen appliances. Always affordable, they often offer surprisingly good quality, too. For example, I use my Aldi Everyways Pan every day, in place of an Our Place Always Pan (£99 at Amazon), although I will admit the Our Place Pan is still high on my Christmas wish list.
So, if you’ve been lusting after Smeg’s gorgeous milk frother and hot chocolate maker, Aldi’s version is a solid, affordable and stylish alternative. This year, the Aldi Hot Chocolate Maker has received a stylish update, available in retro cream and sleek black colourways.
It has two pre-programmed settings, is dishwasher safe, and has a large 450ml capacity. Choose between warming and frothing milk to create delicious hot chocolate to your preference.
Either add hot chocolate powder or grated chocolate flakes to the appliance, and let the machine do the rest. While the idea is to create barista-worthy hot chocolate, we haven’t tested the Aldi Hot Chocolate ourselves, so we cannot vouch for how close it comes to your favourite coffee shop hot chocolate.
What we have tested, however, is the Salter Chocolatier, which is almost as affordable as Aldi’s hot chocolate maker. When testing the original Salter Chocolatier (was £29.99, now £24.99 at Amazon), we found it to be an excellent alternative to high-end models such as Hotel Chocolat’s iconic Velvetiser (£120 at Amazon).
Our only qualm was that it was a little small; however, with the launch of Salter’s Chocolatier to Share 4-in-1 Hot Chocolate Maker (£39.99 at Amazon), this is no longer an issue. This hot chocolate maker has a huge capacity of 500ml as well as temperature control and a built-in heater, frother and foamer. It delivers luxury hot chocolate on a budget.
It has an LED screen and can be used as a standalone milk frother to complement your cappuccinos, making it a great appliance to own alongside one of the best coffee machines.
While Aldi is providing a great, affordable hot chocolate maker, I do believe that Salter pips it to the post on this one. Which one would you invest in?
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