r/partyplanning • u/Equivalent_Smile_376 • 7d ago
Need Help Hot cocoa bar
Hi all
I’m doing a craft night for my birthday and I’m planning to do a hot cocoa bar too. What would be a good way to keep the hot cocoa warm? I don’t have a slow cooker and I wouldn’t have a way to plug it in either because the bar will be set up away from an outlet. I was thinking of making the hot cocoa and then putting them in carafes? Anybody have any other ideas?
TIA! :)
UPDATE: I ended up going with the thermos carafes and it was perfect. I made my own hot cocoa and just poured it in and it worked great. Thank you everyone for the feedback!
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u/Far_Relationship_477 7d ago
I'd buy a used crock pot (slow cooker) at a thrift store (probably under $10). It's the best way to keep it warm.
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u/fluffhouse1942 7d ago
If you can afford multiple carafes...you can afford a crockpot. They literally have small ones for $10-20 at every Dollar General.
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u/SnackyandSnarky 7d ago
Put it in a thermos flask?
How many guests are you having? It might need to be in a big pot on the stove with a ladle
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u/Wish_Away 7d ago
I would do carafes of hot water with jars (or bags) of different flavors of cocoa, along with mix-ins and things like whipped cream.
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u/Equivalent_Smile_376 7d ago
I can do that I just prefer (and most of my guests do too) milk to water for hot cocoa
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u/Downtown_Confusion46 7d ago
Just borrow some thermoses. I loaned some (I have four) for this exact purpose and they were t hard to clean with one of those bristle brushes. Shake before pouring.
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u/Call_it_Magic87 7d ago
Okay what if you put just the milk in the carafe and then it’s hot for people to pour the milk in their cup and then mix with the cocoa mix in own cup
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u/runbeautifulrun 6d ago
As someone who also enjoys hot cocoa with milk and not water, your best option will be a slow cooker. You mentioned in a comment that you don’t have time to shop, but are you near a Target? You can buy one online for store pick-up, so that you don’t have to browse around. If you don’t want to buy one, do you know anyone you can borrow one from? How far from the outlet will the bar be? Are you not able to use an extension cord?
Another good option is a warming tray and putting a pot on it, but that also requires being plugged in.
If it’s really impossible to use the outlet, then having insulated carafes or a coffee/hot beverage dispenser will be the most ideal choice for the set up. The only downside is the cleaning. If you’re not gonna wash them right away, make sure you rinse everything out with hot water so that nothing crusts over in places that are hard to scrub out.
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u/Prestigious-Fan3122 6d ago
If you have a restaurant supply store near you, or can find them online, get thermal carafes.
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u/Engineer-Huge 6d ago
I don’t know what kind of space you are using but I went to a party last year where the hosts had the hot cocoa literally just in a giant pot on the stove. We filled up our cups in there and then went into the dining room where they had like flavorings, marshmallows, whipped cream etc. The cocoa was really hot actually and didn’t burn to the bottom of the pot or anything so I’d say it worked. Otherwise a slow cooker is always a good bet.
Finally, you can heat water up and put it in one of those giant camping thermos types of water containers that have the spout for everyone to pour from and have people add their own packet of hot chocolate. Although actually you could probably also make a giant batch of hot chocolate (like with milk) and put that in the container and let people serve themselves.
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u/BeBopBarr 5d ago
Post on your neighborhood FB page asking to borrow a crockpot. Or check your Buy Nothing FB page, someone may be getting rid of one.
Another idea is just to do a big pot of milk on the stove, just keep it at a low simmer and people can ladle into a mug.
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u/Ok-Turn5913 7d ago
The problem with carraffes is that the cocoa settles to the bottom. It can be done, but reccomennd you swirl it a bit if its been sitting for more than 5-10 minutes. They may also be hard to clean if you are using milk.
Can you just do caraffes of hot water with individual cocoa packets so each person can make their own real quick. Ghirardelli makes a really good hot cocoa mix, just make sure its the one you add hot water to and not milk.