Frothing milk with your Espresso Machine
- Fill a frothing pitcher a third full of cold milk. (Whole milk works best)
- Turn the steamer on so that any water will be pushed out. Don't get any of this water into your milk.
- Once the steamer is at full force, fully submerge the steam wand quickly into the milk (don't go slow, if you do, be prepared to clean up the milky mess!!).
- Drop the frothing pitcher down until you position the tip of the steam wand just beneath the surface of the milk. If the surface of the milk becomes violently turbulent, and large bubbles form, then move the nozzle slightly deeper into the milk, you should hear a deep rumbling sound.
- As the milk rises, slowly lower the frothing pitcher to constantly maintain the same depth of the steam wand. Once the milk has doubled in volume, fully submerge the steam wand into the milk and this will increase the temperature of the milk.
- Turn off the steam when the temperature hits 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). If you don't have a thermometer, judge the temperature with your hand by holding the bottom of the frothing pitcher. The temperature will continue to rise after you remove the wand from the milk. The maximum temperature should be 71 degrees C (160 degrees F).
Frothing Milk with a Whisk
There is no need to purchase an expensive espresso machine or a frothing machine to make frothed milk. A whisk can be used to aerate the milk and in just a few simple steps, you can turn milk into rich and creamy froth perfect to enjoy with your coffee or espresso. You will also need a stove, saucepan, and cold milk. For a rough idea of how much milk you will need, fill one of the cups you will be using to serve the beverage halfway with milk and multiply that amount by the number of people being served. Steps:
- Pour the cold milk into the saucepan. The milk should not be over the halfway mark of the pan, to allow for expanded foam.
- Place the saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Take your whisk and slowly begin to stir the milk (wide bubbles will begin to form). As more whisking occurs, the smaller and more condensed the bubbles will become.
- Increase the speed of whisking as the milk temperature rises. By now, you should be whisking the milk as if you were beating eggs and the volume of the milk should be increasing. It’s important to not let the milk come to a boil! If you do boil the milk it will ruin the taste and you will have to start over. If you think the milk is about to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue to whisk away from the stove.
- Continue to whisk and aerate the milk until it develops into a fluffy velvety froth and doubles in volume.
Espresso Bella Team. Helping you make every cup an Espresso Bella www.EspressoBella.ca
