Aldi has announced the introduction of a new hotpot cooker to its product line-up, aimed at those interested in recreating Chinese-style dining at home. Priced at 21.99 euros, the Ambiano-branded hotpot is available across stores, according to the supermarket chain’s upcoming promotions leaflet. The move responds to the growing appetite for hotpot, an East Asian cooking method that’s seen a marked rise in popularity, especially in Spain, in recent years.
The 0.9-litre capacity appliance offers 700 watts of power, making it a convenient choice for individuals or couples. The interior is lined with a ceramic non-stick coating, which simplifies post-use cleaning, while the tempered glass lid provides ongoing visibility during cooking without the need to lift the cover. Finished in white and featuring a fully detachable power cable, the device is designed with storage efficiency in mind—a feature likely to appeal to those with modest kitchen space. Aldi continues its strategy of launching competitively priced non-food products on a limited-time basis, building on its main grocery business model.
Limited-Availability Hotpot Cooker Targets Home Eating Trends
Consistent with Aldi’s usual approach, the hotpot appliance is being offered in limited quantities as a special weekly item, often resulting in swift customer uptake for new releases. The model features an adjustable temperature setting, allowing users to tailor cooking times for protein, vegetables, noodles, or seafood—staples of Asian cuisine. This function lets home cooks ensure optimal results when preparing delicate or varied ingredients.
The non-stick ceramic insert not only aids in cleaning but also supports even cooking. Meanwhile, the tempered glass lid’s double function helps retain heat by sealing the contents while still making it easy to keep track of progress. The removable power cord provides additional practicality, facilitating both storage and relocation of the cooker when needed, whether within the kitchen or elsewhere.
Hotpot Cooking: Features and Benefits
With 700W output, the Ambiano device reaches boiling temperature rapidly, saving time for users looking to prepare Asian-style meals swiftly. The 0.9-litre capacity is suited to single servings or shared meals for two, reflecting the product’s suitability for various household sizes. Traditionally rooted in Chinese gastronomy, hotpot offers a method whereby diners cook thinly sliced meats, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, and noodles directly in a communal, simmering broth at the table.
Each participant can add and cook their preferred ingredients as they eat, personalising their meal in real time—a method recognised for promoting interaction and conversation at the table. Recent years have seen growing interest in hotpot within Spain, attributed partly to an expanding number of specialist restaurants and a burgeoning curiosity about Asian cuisines more broadly. Affordable home appliances like this Aldi item have helped bring the experience into domestic kitchens beyond traditional restaurants.
What to Cook in a Hotpot Cooker
Hotpot cookers have flexibility when it comes to ingredients. Popular choices include paper-thin slices of beef, lamb, or pork, which cook almost instantaneously upon entering the boiling broth. Seafood options—such as prawns, mussels, squid, or pieces of white fish—are also common and require minimal time in the pot. Vegetables often featured include Chinese cabbage, spinach, mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, oyster), broccoli, carrot, and sweetcorn. Soy-based products like tofu, offered in various textures, are regular fixtures.
Completing the dish, diners may add rice noodles, wheat noodles, or glass noodles, all of which absorb the broth’s nuanced flavours. Broths can range from a simple water base scented with ginger, garlic, spring onion, and soy sauce, to more complex stocks cooked from chicken or pork bones for added richness. In some regions of China, spicy elements like Sichuan pepper or chilli paste are introduced, providing the signature heat of certain regional hotpots. Divided pots with separate spicy and mild broths cater for different heat preferences among guests.
This social approach to dining, easily replicated at home with compact cookers, gives each person control over ingredients and cooking times, fitting a variety of dietary requirements as well. Since the method involves boiling in broth rather than frying, it offers a lower-fat, nutrient-preserving alternative that appeals to those seeking healthier meal options whilst experimenting with new flavours.