What is it about restaurant hot cocoa that makes it taste better than the hot cocoa I make at home?
Someone made it for you?
When I get hot cocoa at a restaurant, they usually top it with quite a bit of whipped cream. This increases the creaminess of the cocoa. At home, I don’t use hot cocoa mixes, I heat my regular milk (Borden 2% Extra Protein) to nearly boiling, and add chocolate milk mix to it. I think this makes a richer cocoa than the stuff in packets. If we happen to have whole milk in the house (usually we don’t, it’s the 2% and skim milk that are our regular stock) then I’ll make the cocoa out of that.
Look at the ingredients of the cocoa mixes sometime…most of them have powdered skim milk listed as one of the ingredients. A little butterfat makes it taste MUCH better.
There are foods and products that are available to the trades, that the average consumer doesn’t have access to. Different grades of cocoa give you a wide range of tastes, textures, odors and ultimately satisfaction. True, most of the time the restaurant/diner stuff is a pre-bought mix, with things added to improve the list above. When you make cocoa at home, you’re not mixing in stabilizers and such, which give “mouth feel”, a definite positive when it comes to cocoa. Try using a better grade of cocoa, a drop or two of vanilla, half-and-half instead of milk, and aerate the finished product with a whisk. Oh, and 86 the marshmallows, vile disgusting entities, IMHO.
Quit using Swiss Miss and get a better grade of hot chocolate. There are some instant mixes that are quite good, although making it from scratch is usually better…
I like to use Silk soymilk for mine. It makes the stuff from the mix packets taste much better and it’s better than dairy milk when making cocoa from scratch. I just use the “plain” flavor, but I bet using the vanilla would make it even better.
Ghiradelli’s “instant” hot chocolate is the only instant brand I like - and I’ve tried them all.
But if your idea of making hot chocolate at home is ripping open a packet or two of Carnation Hot Cocoa and nuking it for a couple minutes, you’re definitely going to be disappointed.
If you’re making it on the stovetop, using Hershey’s Cocoa Powder generally won’t give you the same rich taste as you’ll find in nicer restaurants. Additionally, some places use a blend of milk and cream, making it richer, and still others use actual melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
It’s like drinking a light ganache. Gawd I’m killing myself here.
Hot chocolate:
Put in small sauce pan:
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. QUALITY cocoa
scant 1/4 t. pure vanilla
sprinkling of cinnamon
1 Tbsp. warm water
Stir these together until you have a thick but smooth paste, i.e., no clumps of unmoistened cocoa powder.
Add 8 ounces whole milk, whisk together. Heat to a simmer, whisk again, pour & drink. Yield: one cup.
If you use a big mug, increase amounts slightly.
If you have to use skim milk, add a tiny sliver of butter while heating.
StarvingButStrong has the recommended method.
Sometimes I like to use melted bar chocolate instead of cocoa powder, or get all crazy and use a little bit of almond extract instead of vanilla.
One important thing about cocoa powder:
Do not use “Dutch cocoa.” It’s not a geographic descriptor – Dutch cocoa has alkaline additives and makes for a crappy hot bevvy. (But often better cakes.)
Well, at least you’re not making it WATER :eek:
Yes, people actually do this. And telling them to use milk only makes 'em look at you like you’re weird.
I wish I knew what restaurant you went to - the few times I’ve gotten hot chocolate at a restaurant it’s clearly been from a mix. However, one local café, bless their hearts, makes their hot chocolate from steamed (whole) milk and ground chocolate. It’s bitter but it’s better than any other hot chocolate I’ve had. Using very good quality semi-sweet chocolate and whole milk makes something pretty damn close, though. Sweeten it with sugar or rapidura, add a tiny bit of vanilla and a sprinkle of salt, and some cinnamon if you’re into that sort of thing.