Cocoa powder

Mix the cocoa with a little cold milk or water into a smooth paste first, then gradually whisk in hot liquid. For a single mug, whisking the paste directly into hot liquid often leaves dry pockets.

Yes, but cocoa powder is generally unsweetened, while drinking chocolate powders often contain sugar and other ingredients. Add sugar to taste when making a drink, or use cocoa in baking where the recipe calls for it.

Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard, away from steam, heat and strong smells. Use a dry spoon; moisture can make the powder clump.

Use it in brownies, chocolate cakes, biscuits and chocolate sauces. A little cocoa also adds depth to chilli, especially when stirred in with the spices.

Start with one or two level tablespoons per mug, whisked into a paste with a little cold milk, then add hot milk and sweeten if you like. Cocoa powder itself contains no sugar: 0 g per 100 g.

No. Cocoa powder is made from cocoa solids and is usually unsweetened; chocolate powder is commonly a sweetened drink mix. Chocolate powder has 71 g carbohydrate per 100 g, compared with 11 g in cocoa powder.

Unsweetened cocoa powder is cocoa powder without added sugar; the names are often used for much the same product. Check the ingredients if you need to avoid added sugar, as products labelled cocoa drink mix are different.

Yes. Cocoa powder contains small amounts of caffeine as well as the related stimulant theobromine; the amount in a prepared drink depends on how much powder you use.