Frothing/Foaming Milk

[melkor]

I'm happy with my cappa art, so now I'm playing with macchiato art - here's where I'm at now:

1% milk in an illy collection espresso cup. A few more of these and I think I'll have it down.

[phaelon56]

By my humble standards you already have it down. I'm still stuck on hearts - can't even make a rosette. Not a problem - my lady friends are impressed and I'm not about to show them pics of REAL latte art like yours

[Sackville]

If this has been asked and discussed endlessly before, someone pour some cold milk over me and point me in the right direction

What's your best technique for frothing milk in a hand-powered frother?

We've found semi-skim milk, heated just until it's too hot to keep your finger in but NOT boiling, then frothing for a minute and leaving to rest works pretty well.

But I was in Bodum the other day and the guy there said he froths cold full-fat milk and then heats it.

I know skim milk is no good but I'm not sure which wins out over semi-skim vs full-fat. I thought I read in a science book that semi-skim was best but perhaps I've gotten muddled? And I'd never heard of frothing it cold and then heating.

Any other techniques out there?

[SuzySushi]

A barista once told me that low-fat (semi-skim?) = 2% fat milk froths best. I've always heated it before frothing. Before the advent of hand frothers, my Italian teacher used to froth hot milk for cappuccino by running the blender at highest speed.

[Sackville]

I can't believe no one else has thoughts on this?

Am I just hopelessly behind the times? Perhaps frothing milk was "so last year"

[cdh]

What do you mean by "hand powered frother"? Is it one of those glass cylinders with a screen like a french press that you agitate? I've never used one. I've also seem whisk-like things called frothers too. Please focus our attention on the device you're interested in.

I've only used the steam jet on my espresso machines.

I find that cold cold milk in a cold cold steel pitcher froths best with the steam jet.

[Chris Amirault]

Ditto Chris. My answer at home is, "You turn on your Rancilio Silvia, wait for it to heat fully, and blast the steam wand just below the surface of the liquid 2% milk for thirty seconds or so." There's also this thread devoted to the finer points of frothing.

But if you're talking about one of those little handheld gadgets, well, I've no idea!

[phaelon56]

I once used one of the little French press type frothers and heated the milk before doing the frothing. It worked "okay" but you really end up with a layer of froth and some milk underneath rather than truly textured or microfoamed milk (which can only be achieved with the steam wand of an espresso machine).

I have been intrigued by the battery powered "Aerolatte" frother that shows up here and there in online ads. Have been giving some thought to putting together a travel kit for making a decent facsimile of cappuccino or latte by using a Velox portable elcetric moka coffee brewer and one of those Aerolatte's for the frothing.

But too many other projects have intervened. I'll be traveling again in the fall and will get my kit together for that trip (which is on a cruise ship where good coffee and espresso is non-existent).

[Sackville]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I mean the french-press type, where you have a picher shaped container that goes on top of your stove. You heat up the milk and then you have a plunger that fits tightly inside the container that you move up and down to froth the milk with.

Someone else said you end up with froth and a layer of milk underneath and I have also found this to be the case, but the amount of froth can vary greatly and I have been trying to work out how to maximise it.

A proper steamer isn't an option at this point!

[phaelon56]

... the amount of froth can vary greatly and I have been trying to work out how to maximise it....

 

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I believe that using either whole milk or 2% wil be the best choice. Non-fat milk tends to give lots and lots of froth but even when produce with steam power that froth separates far too readily form the milk and collapses quickly.

By the way - if you're not already aware it's worth pointing out that one should not heat the milk past 155 degrees F and 140 - 150 is considered optimal. In that temp range the natural sweetness of the milk is enhanced by the heating process but beyond that level it will begin to taste scorched.

[Chef Shogun]

I have been intrigued by the battery powered "Aerolatte" frother that shows up here and there in online ads.  Have been giving some thought to putting together a travel kit for making a decent facsimile of cappuccino or latte by using a Velox portable elcetric moka coffee brewer and one of those Aerolatte's for the frothing.

←

I've got an Aerolatte, and it works pretty well. It's not going to replace your steam frother, but it should work great in the travel kit.

[Arghavan]

I have used handpowered frothers (glass cylinders) mostly and have had very good experience with them. I generally use skim (it actually froths up better and makes for a more stable froth) and first heat it up in the microwave oven until it is about 70 degrees (celsius) and then froth it for about 40 seconds to a minute and it atlleast doubles in volume and becomes very thick and rich. I love it so much I don't drink milk any other way. In warm weather I have also frothed up cold milk. For non skim milk I use fine filtered milk since the fat is more evenly distributed.

[KMPickard]

My weekend morning routine is this:

1. I grind beans and filter out the fine grounds (this hint comes from an earlier French Press thread, my thanks)

2. I heat the water to boiling - fill the latte cups to heat and then pour the water, just off the boil, into the Bodum.

3. While the coffee is steeping I heat 2% lactose free milk to below boiling in the microwave.

4. When the coffee is ready I pour it into the hot cups, rinse the grounds out of the Bodum and transfer the hot milk into it. About 30 churns produces a nice foam that has a creamy mouthfeel. I don't find that it separates into foam and liquid to any significant degree.

5. We enjoy our lazy start to our day.

Churning the milk right in the French Press saves having yet another gadget to store in limited space and has proved to be entirely satisfactory to us. We'll continue this way, I think, until the urge to move up to an espresso maker becomes totally irresistable.

Cheers,

Kathy

[slkinsey]

So, like many people I've been trying to get better at producing the right kind of pourable "latte art" milk foam over the years. This has involved such refinements as installing a three-hole steam tip on my Rancilio Silvia and switching from the "standard" 20 ounce milk pitcher to a much smaller 12 ounce milk pitcher. Both had a notable impact on my ability to consistently produce high quality milk foam. But still, perhaps depending on the quality, age and fat content of the milk I used, I wasn't able to get the creamy pourable microfoamed milk I wanted. Until now.

One day I was making cappuccino for myself and Mrs. slkinsey and realized we were out of clean demitasse spoons. And I figured that since we would ordinarily put a touch of sugar into the cup, why not add the sugar to the pitcher and steam it in to the milk. Well, this made a tremendous difference. The milk foam was the best I've made. I've continued this practice, and the consistency and quality of my milk foam has increased greatly.

Anyone try this? Observe this? Have any ideas why this might be so?

[Chris Hennes]

Could you describe the difference between the foam made with and without sugar? Smaller bubbles in the one with sugar? More uniform bubble size?

[slkinsey]

Not necessarily any different from the very best foamed milk with no additions. Just more consistently there. If I was hitting a 10 out of 10 maybe 60% of the time before, now it's 95% with a touch of sugar added.

ETA: to be more clear... before a typical problem might be milk with lots of medium-sized bubbles that would't break down, and an overall separation of the foam top from the milk below even in the pitcher. What you want is something that feels like thick milk, where there are tiny bubbles throughout, all of the milk is part of the foam, you can easily knock out a few larger bubbles and swirl everything together into a uniform pourable mass.

Edited October 15, 2011 by slkinsey (log)

[earlgrey_44]

Well, this made a tremendous difference. The milk foam was the best I've made. I've continued this practice, and the consistency and quality of my milk foam has increased greatly.

Anyone try this? Observe this? Have any ideas why this might be so?

Reading this today is the first I've heard of this practice - intriguing. I'll have to play with this and see what happens...

[LizD518]

I'm considering whether to invest in an espresso machine right now but my main interest is in the milk rather than the espresso itself. Sacrilege, I know, but it is what it is.  Does anyone have the aeroccino that goes with the Nespresso systems and can you tell me how the froth is with those systems?  Ultimately, the drink I prefer is a flat white, which means microfoam and I'm wondering if that is at all possible with anything other than a steam wand.

[rotuts]

re: espresso  its not strong coffee  its an emission.

 

re frothy milk ?

 

this type of thing works well:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bru-Joy-Frother-Stainless-Steel/dp/B016AXTAXI/ref=sr_1_1/190-7329459-5512202?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1447879213&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=milk+frother&psc=1

 

cheaper at IKEA

 

will make cold non-fat milk into 'non-fat cream'

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Why would you put milk in your coffee?

[haresfur]

re: espresso  its not strong coffee  its an emission.

 

re frothy milk ?

 

this type of thing works well:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bru-Joy-Frother-Stainless-Steel/dp/B016AXTAXI/ref=sr_1_1/190-7329459-5512202?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1447879213&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=milk+frother&psc=1

 

cheaper at IKEA

 

will make cold non-fat milk into 'non-fat cream'

 

I had one of those stirrers (great for mexican hot choc) but I don't see how you could get a proper flat white micro emulsion with it. Not that I'm very good at getting it with steam but it's very different from cap or latte if done right.

[Chris Ward]

Semi-skimmed (2%) works best since it's the protein content, not the fat content, that promotes frothing (cf McGee); the protein is in the milk, not the cream, so less cream=more protein.

If you don't have a steam wand, I've successfully used this technique: Heat the milk in a microwave (borrow your neighbour's if you're too posh to have one) to a bit over your required temperature. Place a sauce whisk vertically in the jug you used and 'roll' it between your vertical hands as quickly as possible for as long as you can. Do it for long enough and you get a nice micro-texture.

[DougL]

I have a Vava frother, to froth milk for lattes. Works kinda OK. Froth seems a bit heftier if I do frothing action with it TWICE. I use fresh 1% milk. My question is, how to improve frothing action. One would like to believe there is some protein additive that you can stir in to bump up froth production, but I've never seen that described.  Whey, maybe? Lots of disagreement about whether whole or skim, or part skim milk is best for frothing.

[Bernie]

In Australia most milk is actually broken down into its constituents and reassembled (there are some boutique produces that don't).

Well i have a friend who "engineers" milk.

All the major manufacturers here break the milk down to extract all the various proteins which although some are in very small concentrations are extremely valuable if sold separately. ALL the milk is broken down to "permeate" Plus fats (cream) and proteins.

To make skim milk it just means taking permeate and adding the right amount of fats and proteins. Low fat milk the same. "light milk" is the same but with slightly less fat. Full cream is not as it came from the cow, in Australia all these milk is specified as to the fat content percentage. These various mixtures are then homogenized to produce the finished products.

 

There is also a special milk made for commercial coffee machines. some coffee franchises require you to use this milk. I believe it is has a higher fat content and maybe some other additives and it is almost double the price of "normal" full cream milk. It apparently produces much finer bubbles in the froth

Back to the topic.

I use a  coffee frother (Breville). It heats the milk while stirring it producing the froth. Previously we had other brands but they were very inconsistent

Some full cream milks do froth better than others. Some "lite" milk seem to froth better than others. Even the same brand full cream milk from the same company produce different froth. I cannot actually work out what makes a difference.

My neighbor has a coffee machine and the engineer friend recommended him to use light milk because it "is more consistent" what ever that means, though he did say it wont make much difference. I know clear as mud