Milk Frothers

[ColleenD]

I like to make a pseudo chai tea at home with pumpkin spice, equal or sugar and milk. I would like to make it more like a latte and was wondering how well frother gadgets work. Any advice? Thanks.

[DCP]

I like to make a pseudo chai tea at home with pumpkin spice, equal or sugar and milk.  I would like to make it more like a latte and was wondering how well frother gadgets work.  Any advice?  Thanks.

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Shockingly enough, Ikea makes a ~$3 milk frother that works surprisingly well. It won't steam your milk, of course, but if all you want is a little foam, it will do the trick!

[andiesenji]

I sent one of these to my daughter, actually for my grandchildren to use as they all love tea latte, last fall.

They use it almost every day and love it. Because of the the spigot, it doesn't have to be lifted to dispense the hot liquids, so is safe for kids to use.

I have one of the FrothN Sauce appliance, which I love, but I wouldn't give it to someone with children because the stuff does get very hot and it has to be poured.

I use it all the time - it is of course, more expensive than the other machine.

Froth N Sauce

[Kayakado]

I have two, I have an Aerolatte and a Bialetti frother. I think we bought them about 2 or 3 years ago. We microwave the milk/cream/½&½ and then froth it for lattes or use cold cream to make whipped cream for hot chocolate. They are a favorite evening treat when my mother comes to visit. The frothers are small and don't take up a lot of storage space. They are easy to clean. I am not a big coffee drinker so an espresso maker with a frother uses too much counter space for me and these do a passable job for a non-expert. They are also easy for my non-techno wizard mother to operate.

[Jay Francis]

I use the Bonjour frother (the one with the screen mesh at the bottom) with great success. I heat my milk in the microwave and then whip it with the unit.

I am very pleased with it.

[alanamoana]

If you have Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking", he recommends the following:

1) Use a French press

2) Very cold skim milk

3) Vigorous pumping for about 20 seconds

4) Heat for about 30 seconds to set the protein in the milk and keep the foam stable

So, if you already have a French press, I would recommend not buying another gadget. My husband has been doing this for the past two weeks and LOVES it. You end up with a really dense and creamy microfoam that is perfectly stable.

Read the science on it, it is so interesting.

[ColleenD]

Thanks so much for the tips! I don't have the McGee book, but found this interesting http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/milk

Interestingly, the IKEA $2.00 frother looks like some of the Bonjour frothers and the Aerolatte, which are not expensive either, but several times more than the IKEA one. Since I have an IKEA 2 miles from my house, I may have to give the $2 frother a shot...not much to lose!

The Froth N Sauce looks cool, too. I am trying not to get too many new appliances/gadgets, though, since I have a small kitchen and already have a Champion juicer (love it!) and am getting my first stand mixer shortly. If the wire frother disappoints, my resolve may weaken...

[alanamoana]

for $2 you can't lose, but i have an aerolatte and it doesn't work nearly as well as the french press. it barely foams at all...but maybe it is because i'm not trying with cold milk first.

[blixa]

I've got one of those IKEA $2 ones and I love it. Although, I haven't actually used it for frothing milk. I use it all the time for whizzing dressings and sauces, etc. Also, it's mighty handy if you just want to make a small amount of whipped cream (say, in the bottom of a demitasse cup, for an espresso con panna -- mmmm!).

[ColleenD]

I am happy to report that the $2 IKEA frother works great! I love it! I've frothed milk hot and it still gives good foam. Definitely a bargain! I'll have to test it out for some other things.

[I_call_the_duck]

I love my IKEA $2 frother. I tried using it on other things to little succes, but I blame the almost-dead batteries more than the product itself. I also bought a frother from the Dollar store, which looks identical to the IKEA one and comes with a little stand. It works pretty well.