Can You Make Hot Chocolate In A Coffee Maker? (A Complete Guide)
A coffee maker is a useful and cost-effective kitchen appliance because it makes delicious coffee and it saves you the cost of daily store-bought coffee if you need your coffee every day.
However, you will love and appreciate your coffee maker more if you learn that this machine can also make delicious cups of hot chocolate. Can’t wait to experience this new function of your coffee maker? This guide will show you how you can extend the functionality of your coffee maker to make hot chocolate.
Get To Know Your Coffee Maker
The traditional drip coffee maker is becoming a staple among home kitchens and offices because of its ability to make great coffee and its convenience.
Components
When you fill the water reservoir of a drip coffee maker with cold water, it will flow down through the small tube inside this machine, run through the heating element, push the water to the chamber where coffee grounds sit.
Drops of hot water will gradually run through this chamber and extract coffee from the coffee ground. Extracted coffee will be dropped to the carafe below the chamber and kept warm in this container.
Here is a simple and graphic video to help you understand how a coffee maker works:
Functions
With a coffee maker, the coffee-making process is simple. You only have to fill the filter with coffee grounds and put this into the chamber, boil the water in the water tank, and let the coffee brew for as long as you prefer. Hot water will extract coffee from the grounds and brew your delicious coffee for you.
Yet, with its construction, a coffee maker’s functions do not stop at making coffee. It can boil water, keep your drink or your food warm in the carafe when the heating system is on, and make delicious hot chocolate.
3 Steps To Make Hot Chocolate In A Coffee Maker
Hot chocolate is an indulging and comforting drink. Yet, its making process can cause lots of inconveniences and involve a lot of steps. Don’t worry, your coffee maker will simplify the process for you.
Step 1: Preparation
To make hot chocolate, all you need is your coffee maker, your favorite pack of hot chocolate mix, and water. You can also prepare marshmallows as garnish.
Step 2: Make your hot chocolate
Fill the coffee maker with the amount of water you want, put your chocolate powder into the coffee carafe and place this into the coffee maker. Then, you can turn on the coffee maker and let the hot water run to the carafe, and dissolve the hot chocolate powder.
When all the hot water ends up in the coffee carafe, you can stir the hot chocolate liquid to make sure that all the powder is dissolved. Now it is ready to be served.
Step 3: Enjoy!
Put marshmallow on top and enjoy your hot chocolate.
Bonus Tip: Hot chocolate and coffee
Using a coffee maker is the easiest way to make a mocha drink of coffee and chocolate. The best way to make this drink is to make your hot chocolate first using the machine. Then make your coffee afterward and let the coffee drip onto the carafe that already contains hot chocolate.
FAQs
Can you boil water in a coffee maker?
It would not be boiling water but yes, you get your hot water in a coffee drip machine. Fill the water in the water tank, set the temperature, and let it boil. If you do not put any coffee in the chamber, the hot water will flow to the coffee carafe as it is. You will have your hot water in this way.
Can you heat milk in a coffee maker?
In theory, you can heat milk in this machine like how you heat water. However, milk contains proteins that water does not have. Running heated milk inside the machine can create an ideal environment for bacteria to invade your milk. Hence, you should not heat milk with a coffee maker even though you can do it.
Thus, letting milk run through the inner tube of the coffee maker can make the tube become unsanitary and unsafe for further use. This can also spoil the taste of your coffee. Hence, you should not heat milk with a coffee maker.
Can I put milk instead of water in the coffee maker to brew my coffee?
Like the answer above, you shouldn’t because the component in milk can spoil your coffee maker as well as your coffee.
Thus, coffee is brewed by hot water is by no means similar to coffee brewed with milk. The taste of your coffee may suffer and the heat of the coffee maker can kill all the nutrition in your milk. Again, even though you can put milk instead of water in your coffee maker, it does not mean that you should do it.
What else can you make in a coffee maker?
What you can make using just your coffee maker may surprise you. But its construction with the heating right below the coffee carafe resembles a skillet cooker. Thus, this system does serve various functions from keeping food warm to even cook some dishes like mini cupcakes, grilled cheese, steamed veggies, and even boiled eggs.
Here is an entertaining video of a Tasty chef make a 3-course meal using a coffee maker for your inspiration:
However, you should not cook everything with your coffee maker. Remember that your coffee maker is designed to make coffee. If you do not clean your coffee maker properly after using it to cook other food, the smell and the residuals remaining after your cooking process can spoil the taste and the smell of your coffee later on.
Read More:
Cuisinart vs Kitchenaid Food Processor: A Detailed Comparison
Conclusion (Can You Make Hot Chocolate In A Coffee Maker?)
Now you have the guide to make hot chocolate with your coffee maker and many ways to extend the functionality of your coffee maker. You can explore your coffee maker as much as you like, but remember that a coffee maker should be kept clean at all times to make the best coffee.
Hence, do not put substances that can spoil the machine inside your coffee maker to protect your machine and the taste of your coffee.
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