Overall: ★★★★☆. A great value hot chocolate kitchen gadget that focuses on science to produce a wonderfully smooth and frothy hot chocolate. Heat the liquid separately, add it and the chocolate to the beaker, twist on the special expansion lid, and shake for 10 seconds. It's no more difficult to make than a cup of tea, meaning you'll find yourself making hot chocolate much more frequently. Taste: ★★★★☆. You can make hot chocolate to your individual preferences, but there's a risk of burning the milk and chocolate. We also measured how long each milk frother takes to heat up 180ml of oat milk and semi-skimmed milk, and if it heated to an appropriate temperature for drinking coffee and hot chocolate.

Pros: Less washing up as you make it in the cup you drink from; Less labour-intensive than a saucepan as you don't need to constantly stir as the milk heats up. The Velvetiser takes just 2½ minutes to make a cup of hot chocolate. Fill it with milk or water to the line, add in the special Hotel Chocolat flakes, cover and switch on. You'll soon be treated to a creamy, frothy hot chocolate. This kitchen gadget heats drinks to the optimum temperature for flavour (that's between 68°C and 70°C), and it's relatively easy to clean afterwards.The method is very similar too, although it's easier to get going. Fill a microwaveable cup with milk. Don't fill it too high as it'll bubble up if you heat it long enough. Set the microwave for a few minutes. I find half a cup takes around 3 to 4 minutes while a full cup of milk takes around 7 to 10 minutes to boil. Remove from the microwave and add the chocolate, using the residual heat to melt the chocolate. Now, the shape of your cup will determine how much stirring you can do to mix everything up, but one thing's for sure, you'll struggle to get a smooth, well-mixed result. This piece of kitchen equipment usually sits in a corner, looking a bit forlorn. It's a clever bit of kit but is often seldom used by many households. All in all, this is a hot drink delight that’s perfect for serious hot chocolate fans or anyone looking to add a touch of cosy finesse to a winter dinner party. In the market for a Christmas present for a loved one? The Velvetiser would be at the very top of our list for sweet tooths. Anyone for a hot cocoa? Chocolate needed: It loves thin pieces of chocolate, so shards are ideal. Small chocolate buttons and drops can be more problematic to melt but are possible. I wouldn't go for anything larger unless you like big lumps of chocolate sitting in the bottom of your cup. This is the only gadget on my list that is solely devoted to the art of making the ultimate hot chocolate. It's not a milk frother, it's an "in-home drinking hot chocolate system". It's also one of the most beautiful machines on my list.

When it comes to looks, little beats the offerings from Hotel Chocolat and Nespresso. These are beautiful kitchen appliances that you'll want to show off. The Chocolate Society Chocolate Shaker Hot Chocolate Shaker kitchen gadget. Photo credit to The Chocolate Society The final important factor for me is cost, as I already own a saucepan and a microwave, so I need to justify the value of a new kitchen gadget. The Gourmet Gadgetry and Homgeek options are great value. At the other end of the spectrum are the gadgets by Hotel Chocolat, Nespresso, and KRUPS are the priciest options but also the best looking too. If you value style as much as function, these are the only options worth considering. The manufacturer recommends a whopping 54g of chocolate to make a single 350ml drink, and 84g of chocolate when making two cups totalling 550ml. This might require a bit of trial and error as those feel a bit on the high side to me.Glamour: ★★★☆☆. The Dualit features a very similar design to other cheaper models in this run-down, but includes patented technology to make a great frothy hot chocolate. Then plunge the filter up and down until the milk looks as though it's grown significantly in volume. Most milk frothers are easy to operate, but the best milk frothers are easy to pour from and clean easily as well. Mouthfeel In fact, I didn’t get straight chocolate: I got Oreo. If you are going to use a machine that makes a hot drink with opaque plastic pods and a tankful of water, why not go full tilt? Also, this summer’s heatwave led to my five-year-old discovering Oreo ice-creams and, if I’m honest, they are not half bad. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the hot chocolate version. It was disgusting.