The consistency of my hot chocolate is off, what do I do?
I've made hot chocolate before however it's only ever been the instant powdered variant by Cadbury's, however today I bought some hot chocolate by "Charbonnel et Walker", I don't know if anyone knows about this drinking chocolate but it isn't powdered instead it's comprised of really fine and small flakes of chocolate and you're meant to mix them with the milk I guess? I did so but the consistency of the hot chocolate was off; that is to say that although the flakes melted a little they congealed/massed on the surface of the hot milk rather than assimilate and no matter how much I stirred they'd still rise back to the top.
My steps were: I microwaved some full fat milk till it was a hot, mixed the recommended amount of chocolate flakes in and some brown sugar, gave it a good stir and put it back in the microwave.
I've probably made this wrong, was I meant to make this in a sauce pan? Could anyone help me with this? Thank you.
Best Answer
At Marriott hotel, where I worked for a while, we used similar flakes. Our technique was to add a good splash of boiling water first, incorporate the chocolate flakes by mixing it into a smooth paste (more or less), and only then add hot milk. I guess the idea is that it is much more of a challenge to incorporate a small amount of solid into a large amount of liquid, however if you turn that solid into a paste first, its almost like your mixing two liquids. You'll find that the same technique is used for making a bachamel sauce. For convenience sake, try using a small amount of hot milk, instead of water. Also, having your liquid boiling might help, which is hard to achieve in a microwave. e.g. when making a classic chocolate sauce which contains butter and cream, the chocolate is only fully dissolved when the liquid is boiled.
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Quick Answer about "The consistency of my hot chocolate is off, what do I do?"
Why does my hot chocolate taste weird?
Make sure the milk is warm but not too hot, and certainly not boiled. The store is probably using steamed milk which adds to the frothiness. Also try Green and Black's chocolate drink. It's much better than Cadbury's.How can you tell if hot chocolate is off?
If the cocoa has remained dry and looks fine, then your sense of taste is the best way to tell if it is still good. When cocoa is no longer good, the chocolate taste in the powder disappears.How do you fix lumpy hot chocolate?
The most common and known way to remove clumps from your hot chocolate is to make a paste by mixing the cocoa powder and a tablespoon of milk.Can hot chocolate be saved?
STORING AND REHEATING HOT CHOCOLATEYou can store leftover hot chocolate in a glass jar with a lid or any air-tight food storage container. Make sure to keep it refrigerated. To reheat hot chocolate, transfer it into a small sauce pot and heat through just until hot. Make sure to reheat it slowly over medium heat.How to Make The Best Hot Chocolate Of All Time (4 ways)
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