Keep Hot Chocolate Warm For Hours With Your Slow Cooker

No one wants tepid hot chocolate. Apart from this luscious drink's ability to spark a resurgence of childhood memories, many of us choose hot chocolate to combat a cold and wintry day. In fact, in one 2020 YouGovAmerica survey of 1,000 adults, 34% of participants chose hot chocolate as their favorite beverage to enjoy during the often blustery holiday season.

Besides hot chocolate's warming effect, there are also a number of benefits to drinking the milky sweet confection. Registered dietician Brigitte Zeitlin told Bustle that hot chocolate not only provides the body with an abundance of antioxidants and flavanols, which according to one 2012 study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology have a number of benefits on brain productivity but depending on your milk preference, can provide you with a healthy dose of protein and other essential vitamins.

The "hot" component even carries more weight than you might assume. The Guardian goes in-depth on the science between the astounding effects of hot drinks, claiming they not only aid in healing suppressed immune systems and help us exude more positivity toward others, but one professor at Cardiff University, Ron Eccles, found that heating a beverage actually enhances its overall flavor profile. Now that you know the importance of keeping your ultimate hot chocolate recipe warm, use a slow cooker to better control that undeniably important temperature.

If you're ever faced with the fun task of making the world's best hot chocolate, the internet proves to be on your side in providing you with an array of recipes. In reconstructing the basics, in reference to the New York Times classic hot chocolate recipe, any homemade variety usually contains, milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, vanilla, and some intrigue (i.e. pieces of your favorite chocolate bar or dark chocolate chips). Instead of going with an extensive homemade recipe, you might opt for something like The Pioneer Woman's homemade hot chocolate mix which only contains a few ingredients: powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and dry milk. No one should have trouble finding the right hot chocolate recipe for their individual tastes. Yet, keeping that luscious drink warm proves to be a more difficult feat.

Luckily, the trusted slow cooker may be your answer to making hot chocolate for a crowd since you don't have to worry about maintaining any loss of warmth as opposed to standard recipes that are made on the stove. Food Network outlines their trusted recipe for crockpot hot chocolate. The recipe includes your favorite hot chocolate ingredients and when assembled, if stirred frequently at the low setting, will be hot and ready for drinking in two to three hours. However, if you don't have a slow cooker, you can explore other ways to heat your favorite winter drink.

According to OvenSpot, the low setting on a slow cooker is roughly 200 degrees, so with occasional stirring, you're able to have a hot drink no matter what time of day. You can even make an Instant Pot hot chocolate recipe and utilize the device's warm setting, which according to The Instant Pot Table, levels between 140-172 degrees. The recipe featured on the Every Little Crumb website suggests using this setting to have hot chocolate whenever the mood strikes. But what if you don't have an electrical outlet handy?

If you're low on electricity, FoodsGuy suggests using an insulated coffee dispenser. While the most obvious benefit to using these is the fact that they don't need to be plugged in, all temperature-controlled coffee carafes and dispensers usually contain a handy spout and if you take a quick look on Amazon, you'll find the price range to be quite broad depending on the size and quality of the product you choose. If you don't have to worry about serving hot chocolate to a crowd, FoodsGuy suggests using a stainless steel thermos or portable mug — just don't forget to properly heat your beverage container with hot water before adding in any milky sweet goodness. There's no dearth of options: Crockpot or portable mug, you have many ways to ensure a warm cup of delicious hot chocolate each and every time.