Why It’s Time to Ditch Making Hot Chocolate in the Microwave
There’s nothing like getting cozy with a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite book in the winter. Imagine you get amped up to make yourself a delicious cup of hot chocolate. The ingredients are poured in, the cup goes inside the microwave, and around 40 seconds in, you hear a contained explosion.
Did your microwave oven mess up or is it the electricity surging again? You’re struck with a roller coaster of thoughts, there’s confusion, and you’re also perhaps a little scared for your life. Little did you know, it was your milky hot chocolate recipe playing a little messy trick in the microwave.
Why You Should Always Avoid Making Hot Chocolate in the Microwave
When you’re heating liquids in the microwave, the inner surface of your cup is almost always cool – as opposed to heating liquids in a pot on the stove. In the latter situation, as the pressure inside the liquid builds up, you’ll see the liquid relieving that pressure by making small little bubbles along the sides of the pot until the liquid vigorously starts to boil.
However, when you’re heating the same liquid in the microwave, it’s highly likely that the bubbles will be unable to form alongside the walls of the cup (since the inside of the cup is usually cool). This doesn’t allow the liquid to relieve its internal pressure, but it continues to get hotter. Before you know it, the liquid in the middle gets superheated and expands explosively (the volume of water increases 3000 times as it gets converted into steam).
This is exactly why you should never heat milk or other liquids in the microwave. More often than not, you’ll see the liquid making a mess. Even if it doesn’t make a mess, the milk will be heated unevenly and must not be consumed before it is stirred properly.
How to Make Hot Chocolate
Since there are multiple safety concerns associated with heating liquids in the microwave, it’s best that you don’t ruin your evening by sacrificing your milk and chocolate. Instead, either use appliances that are specifically made to get the job done or go at it the old-school way.
If you haven’t got the budget for it, we suggest that you light up your stove, set up the pan, pour in some milk, some chocolate, cream, and some sugar, and get it done with. However, if you’ve got some money in the bank, get yourself a nice hot chocolate maker. The aroma and flavor that you’ll get out of this cool gadget will have no match!
Types of Hot Chocolate Makers
In most cases, the chocolate maker you’ll get your hands on will do more than just brew a cup of hot chocolate. Here’s what you can look forward to when getting your hands on this kitchen appliance:
1. Frothers
Froth is a coffee-shop luxury that not everybody gets to enjoy at home. It allows you to create a creamy, fluffy, frothy goodness that you can add on top of your cup – whether you’re planning on enjoying your cup of hot chocolate, cappuccino, or even just an espresso. Your ideal hot chocolate maker should ideally do both – make hot chocolate as well as the creamy, frothy goodness to top it off.
2. Coffee makers
You’ll also come across these ideal 2-in-1 appliances that’ll help you make both hot chocolate and coffee. It goes without saying that they will also allow you to make cappuccinos, lattes, shakes, and more!
3. Cold stir
Hot chocolate makers with a cold stir feature will allow you to get the best of both worlds; hot cocoa to cozy up in your quilt in the winter and chilled shakes to blow the summer heat off!
Is It Safe to Heat Chocolate in the Microwave?
It’s totally safe to heat chocolate in the microwave. However, you should always be mindful of placing it in the microwave with the wrapper on. Most chocolate wrappers are usually just aluminum and the electric fields in the microwave cause the charges to flow through the paper, causing it to heat up and ultimately ignite.