I tested the Salter Chocolatier — it’s the ultimate Velvetiser dupe and it’s on sale for Prime Day
WITH temperatures falling and nights drawing in, it’s offically hot chocolate season.
That means it’s time for me to pull my Salter Chocolatier from the back of the cupboard.
Even at full whack, it’s less than a quarter of the price of the famous Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, and Amazon has just discounted it for Prime Day, meaning that it’s now just £28.24, down from £34.99.
Read on for my full Salter Chocolatier review.
Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker, £34.99 £28.24 from Amazon
I spend a lot of time outdoors walking my dogs and in winter that’s often a freezing few hours in the mud, snow and rain.
Once home, a hot drink is essential and while I doubt my kitchen could create that country-inn atmosphere, I was intrigued to find out if the machine could create a rival to my pub-bought favourite.
I’m not a fan of instant hot chocolate so tend to swerve it as a drink option.
Thankfully, the Salter Chocolatier is a different matter entirely.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Handy milk frother
- Works with plant milk
- Easy to clean
- Also great for lattes and cappuccinos
Cons:
- Small capacity
- Takes a few minutes
- Sometimes chocolate isn’t fully mixed
- May not be hot enough for some
Rating: 8/10
How I tested the Salter Chocolatier
It’ll come as no surprise that my main focus during testing was how well the Salter Chocolatier makes hot chocolate, and this function is the one I used the most.
However, I also prepared other drinks with it, including cappuccino, latte and iced coffee.
I considered how easy the hot chocolate maker was to use and how easy it was to clean afterwards.
I was also interested in the quality of the instructions.
I don’t like it when manufacturers supply just a brief product leaflet with their products and then expect users to download a full manual from their website.
Who has time for that? And what about those people who don’t use the internet, such as older consumers?
Finally, I considered how the product looked – was it merely a functional item or did it look good sitting on the kitchen worktop?
Salter Chocolatier review: quick summary
This is a great product. It makes amazing hot chocolate from scratch, though it doesn’t always mix the grated chocolate as well as I would like.
The milk frother is also good, but when using the thick hot froth function I found it impossible to get all of the froth from the jug to the cup.
It’s quite stylish in a minimalist kind of way, and it’s easy to clean.
It doesn’t take long to make your drink but the downside is that it only makes one cup at a time.
Salter Chocolatier review: full review
Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker, £34.99 £28.24 from Amazon
If you have purchased this then chances are you’re a bit of a hot chocolate connoisseur, or at the very least a big fan.
The machine itself is pretty simple. There’s a jug, lid, frothing ring, heating ring and base.
It’s very much like a mini kettle. with the addition of a function button.
This button has four options:
- Thick hot froth
- Light hot froth
- Hot milk/ hot chocolate
- Cold milk froth
Unboxing and setup
The box contains the jug, lid, frothing ring, heating ring and base so it’s simple enough to set up the machine.
There’s also a quick start guide and if you want a product manual you have to download it from the Salter website (sigh!).
However, if you’re hoping for a bit more detail on using the machine, you’ll be disappointed.
The instruction manual on the website is the same as the leaflet in the box and does not provide any further information.
Still, I guess that shows how simple the Chocolatier is to use.
Design and features
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Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker, £34.99 £28.24 from Amazon
There’s an easy-to-see level guide inside the jug for the different drinks and froths.
For example, if you’re after a light or thick froth then you need to add 115ml of milk, but if you’re making a hot chocolate then you would fill to the max 240ml level.
There’s also a minimum level and if the liquid doesn’t reach this then the chocolatier will switch itself off as a safety precaution.
The jug comes with the frother already attached inside, but if you want to clean it or swap it with the heating attachment, you can simply lift it off.
This is tiny, but lives in the lid so you’ll always be able to find it if you remember to pop it back there after use.
The design is minimalist and there’s only one button to get the hang of.
Other than that, the chocolatier sits on its base like a regular kettle.
Operation and performance
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Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker, £34.99 £28.24 from Amazon
The inside of the jug is smooth and easy to clean, which is always a bonus.
I found that both plant and dairy milks simply rinsed off the sides and even residual chocolate shavings came off cleanly without any effort.
You can’t pop the jug in the dishwasher, but you can use hot soapy water to clean the inside if anything does stick.
I never had that problem, though, and I think as long as you stick to the functions as set out in the guide then you’ll be fine.
You don’t need to wait long for your drink either – it takes about 4.5 minutes for a hot chocolate and around two minutes for a jug of froth.
A kettle is quicker but we’re not talking instant gratification here.
It’s well worth the few minutes’ wait.
A kettle is quicker but we’re not talking instant gratification here. It’s well worth the few minutes’ wait
You need 35g of chocolate shavings per cup and you can buy these ready-grated, or as a powder from an array of retailers.
I decided to go for the real deal though and did it myself.
My favourite hot chocolate drink was made using 75% cocoa chocolate, which I grated before adding to the jug (be prepared for the grated chocolate to go everywhere!).
I’m a big white chocolate fan, but when I tried it as a drink, I found it a bit too sweet.
I also tried the Chocolatier with dairy and soya milk and both worked well, though as I don’t like dairy, my preference would always be plant milk.
For some reason I was surprised the finished hot chocolate wasn’t frothy; however, it’s not supposed to be, that’s a separate function.
You can always dress it up with a cream topping and mini marshmallows for the full pub/café effect.
It also wasn’t as hot as I expected but it was a pleasant drinking temperature, which was fine. I think some people might be disappointed it’s not warmer though.
I did experiment with the thick and light froth for coffee, but I wasn’t too impressed with the thicker option as it’s impossible to pour all the foam from the jug, resulting in a lot of waste.
There’s also a cold froth setting, which my daughter tried as she’s a big iced coffee and frappe fan.
I have never seen the point of cold coffee so avoided that one.
Salter Chocolatier review: the verdict
Wow! I loved the hot chocolate I made with this.
The texture was rich but not overly thick, while being creamy and smooth at the same time.
For me, it certainly beats standing over a saucepan of milk to make hot chocolate from scratch, or going for a cup of instant using the kettle.
I can see myself using this a lot.
Though I generally used a high-cocoa content chocolate it was perfectly sweet enough and not bitter at all.
I wasn’t so impressed with the frothing functions though, so will most likely save the machine specifically for hot chocolate.
The major downside to it is you can only make one cup of hot chocolate at a time and because it is drinking temperature when ready, the first person will have almost finished theirs in the time it takes to prepare a second cup.
Either that or one of you will be drinking it cold.
At £34.99 it’s less than half the price of the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
The Velvetiser wins out on looks though – this is functional, rather than pretty. However, the Salter model wins on capacity – 240ml compared to 200ml.
If you’re going to use the frother function regularly, or if you’re a big hot chocolate fan and want to invest in an automatic maker without spending a fortune, then I think the Salter Chocolatier is worth it.
Where to buy the Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker in the UK
You can buy the Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker from the Salter website.
It’s also available from:
