⚙️ Milk frother
Makes milk foam for coffee.
A milk frother is a device that whips milk into foam for coffee. All frothers work the same way: they get air bubbles into the milk. Milk proteins, above all casein, wrap around the bubbles and hold them. This makes the foam stable.
There are several kinds of frothers. A manual one is a jug with a mesh plunger, like a French press: 10–20 seconds of pumping doubles the volume of milk. A handheld electric one is a battery-powered wand with a small whisk on the end. An automatic one is a jug on a base: it heats the milk by itself, usually by induction, froths it and switches off. In coffee shops, milk is frothed with the steam wand of the coffee machine. In fact, frothing milk for coffee began with the steam wand.
The foam depends on the milk. Whole milk gives a thick, dense foam, and skimmed milk a lighter, runnier one. For a cappuccino, milk is usually heated to 55–65 °C: at this temperature it tastes sweeter and does not burn yet.
How it connects to milk
⚙️ Milk frother → kind of → ☕ Milk in the kitchen: dishes and drinks → kind of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Used for
- 🔄 Frothing
- Part of
- ☕ Milk in the kitchen: dishes and drinks
Frequently asked questions
Which milk froths best?
Proteins create the foam, and fat affects its texture. Whole milk gives a thicker, denser foam, and skimmed milk a lighter one.
What is the difference between a steam wand and a milk frother?
The steam wand of a coffee machine (often called a “cappuccinatore”) froths milk with steam and heats it at the same time. A separate frother whips milk with a whisk, plunger or disc.