The milk frother is a handy appliance for making cappuccinos or lattes similar to the ones you get at a coffee shop. Electric models are the most popular choice.
It is important to choose the right accessory to buy. Otherwise, you risk preparing a drink that does not live up to expectations and ruining moments of relaxation and break.
For this, it is necessary to make sure that the container is large enough, that the appliance is powerful and that the functions are complete. Right below, we had selected some fo the best milk frothers.
Buying Guide to Select the Best Milk Frothers
Milk frothers are useful appliances for making perfect cappuccinos and macchiato coffees. These appliances cannot be missing in the home of those who consider the moments of breakfast and the coffee break sacred and want them always to be perfect.
Thanks to these cappuccinatori, you can control every detail, from the temperature of the milk to the density of the foam: in this way, you will not need to wait to go to the bar to have the perfect drink.
Its use is also very simple: once the milk frother is connected to electricity, just add the milk – being careful not to exceed with the doses -, set the appropriate programs and start the processing. In a few minutes, everything will be ready, and you can enjoy your perfect moment without making any effort.
Heat and Froth the Milk
The price you pay to take home a good milk frother has ranges that vary from a few tens of euros to a hundred, and such a substantial difference is soon explained by the different functions offered by the various devices from which you can choose.
But comparing prices is not the only step; let’s see in detail what a complete appliance can do. The more expensive models offer the possibility to customize the drink according to your taste.
Usually, milk, but it can also be chocolate or other like salted creams without setting limits to the imagination in the kitchen, it is inserted in the container capable of bringing it to a controlled temperature, often adjustable, but which should never rise above 80 °. Some of the complete devices can whip milk by forming foam, both hot and cold.
Immersion or Autonomous
Difficult to establish a priori which type of milk frother occupies the first place in the ranking of consumer preferences. Each review highlights the pros and cons of the different solutions on the market.
A model capable of bringing the drink to the desired temperature by creating the compact foam will certainly be more complete than an immersion model that works directly in the cup where you want to create the foam.
The advantage of an immersion model will certainly be the greater compactness of a device that works in the individual cup, and that creates foam instantly without the need for decanting, which ends up blowing some bubbles.
Accessories
The best brand of these appliances intended for use in the kitchen will knowingly dose the number of advantages offered to make a product more or less attractive regardless of the price range to which it belongs.
So it will be nice to know you can count on milk frother equipped with a measuring cup that acts as a guide to controlling exactly the quantity of milk to be inserted without risking it being poured once mounted.
The presence of elements to be connected to expand its functionality can also be appreciated, such as the tool for mixing sauces or shaking cocktails.
How to Use a Milk Frother?
A soft, dense and tasty cappuccino as at the bar just a few meters from your bed is possible, just have the milk frother and use it with some care.
In this short guide, we will give useful advice to those who are thinking of buying it and to those who already have one but would like some more information to obtain an excellent result.
Here, we had also shared a video guide so that you can get a proper video about how to use it.
What Is It For?
A milk frother is an indispensable appliance for those who love to sit and enjoy breakfast in peace, before facing the day. Once upon a time, the cappuccino was a pleasure that we could only treat ourselves at the bar. At the same time, today, we can obtain a very satisfying result even at home, staying warm in pajamas and slippers.
They can also be used for other purposes, for example, some allow you to whip cream, eggs, mix ingredients during the preparation of a recipe, or to mix chocolate while it is melted in a water bath.
Small premise: to get a good cappuccino, regardless of the milk frother used, you will have to use fresh whole milk.
Electric Induction Milk Frother
The induction milk frother has the advantage of doing everything by itself: we just have to put the milk in the container, set the operation that interests us, and he will take care of the rest.
We should also pay attention to the amount of liquid to use because if we only intend to heat the milk, we can fill the whole carafe. Still, if we aim to obtain cappuccino, we must reduce the doses because the foaming causes our ingredient increases in volume.
Also, many of these models allow you to prepare hot chocolate or to mix other ingredients.
Compared to the immersion milk frother, which we will see shortly, they have a higher cost and greater bulk. Furthermore, before purchasing, we recommend that you also check the capacity, to understand how many cappuccinos you can prepare at one time.
Electric Immersion Milk Frother
The immersion milk frother is probably the best-selling and most used model. It is not very expensive, which proves to be a good incentive for the curious, it does not take up much space (we can find a little place in a box in our kitchen) and it is very versatile.
In addition to using it to prepare cappuccino, we can dip it in the pan while preparing a velvety or custard cream. Some models also include very useful accessories for whipping eggs or cream.
Also, generally, for their operation, they require stylus batteries, and this feature, combined with the weight and small size, allows us to take it with us on vacation.
However, it has disadvantages, such as the fact that it needs our presence to function, but also the preheating of milk can be tedious.
To obtain a good cappuccino, we have to bring the whole milk to a temperature of at least 45 ° (for a lukewarm result); otherwise, the proteins are unable to incorporate the air.
The ideal would be to reach 60 °, to obtain a creamy, dense foam, and also a particular slightly sugary flavor; In comparison, we do not recommend going above 70 °, otherwise, the taste becomes less pleasant.
Use the kitchen thermometer? If you have one at home, why not, at least the first few times it could be valuable to obtain the desired results.
How to Choose the Right Milk Frother for Your Needs?
To choose the most suitable milk frother for your needs, you must take into account several aspects. The first thing to look at is certainly the capacity of the container, but obviously, it is not the only one.
It is also necessary to consider the associated functions, the power with which the machinery works, the possible presence of a handle and a base, rotating or not. We analyze these aspects one by one in-depth, to have everything clear at the time of purchase.
Capacity
The capacity of the container is a fact not to be underestimated because it concerns the quantity of milk that can be whipped in one go. Typically, the milk frother container marks two sizes.
One is suitable for marking how much milk can be heated, the other for understanding how much foam can be prepared. The measure for milk is double that for foam. Respecting what is indicated is important to prevent milk or foam from overflowing from the container, spilling.
Power
The power of the machine greatly affects the preparation time of the drink. The higher the wattage, the less time it will take. It must be kept in mind that this also implies a greater energy consumption and, therefore, greater expenses.
To solve this problem, you could think of purchasing a product with an energy-saving function. Alternatively, aim for a product that is equipped with automatic shutdown.
In this way, the machine will stop working autonomously if not used for a long time, and the consumption will not be excessive even if you have forgotten to turn it off manually or you are doing something else.
Handle
The presence of the handle on the milk frother container is not to be underestimated. The models without handles focus on design and aesthetic beauty, but according to most, they are more difficult to manage.
Thanks to the handle it will be much easier to pour the drink or foam without getting burned or risking spilling it.
Base
All milk frother is equipped with a base on which the cup is mounted, which acts as a container. The base can be fixed or rotating. The base with interlocking structure develops in width.
It has great stability, but it is certainly more cumbersome and more complex to manage. The base with rotating structure is less bulky because it has more compact dimensions. It is ideal for those who think they want to leave this appliance in plain sight on the kitchen worktop.
Also, generally, the milk frother with a rotating base is made with removable and dishwasher-safe pieces. In this way, even leaving the device clean at all times will be much easier.
Functions
In addition to the structural details, it is good also to consider the extra functions that a milk frother can perform. First of all, it might be an excellent idea to have a machine at hand which is capable of heating milk and making cappuccino foam, but with which you can also prepare other drinks.
The other important function to have is that which allows you to keep the temperature under control. In this way, you will not run the risk of getting burned, and you can also choose to enjoy a cold cappuccino. In short, this machine never goes on vacation, not even in summer.
A final detail that could make the difference is the presence of bright LEDs: these are useful for signaling malfunctions or the end of preparation, to always have everything under control.
