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What is the best type of milk for frothing?
Whole milk (full cream milk) creates a thicker, creamier foam when frothed, giving more body to your coffee drink. Low-fat milk and skim milk are much lighter and create larger quantities of foam with larger air bubbles for a more delicate latte or cappuccino. As for non-dairy alternatives, soy milk, almond milk or oat milk can also be used in a frother but the results are often quite thin.
Types of Milk Frothers
Electric Milk Frothers and Hand-Held Whisks
Electric milk frothers offer the most basic approach to frothing. Electric frothers are hand held with a motorised whisker. This whisker quickly spins the milk to create froth. They are usually battery operated and are very simple in design. The pros for this option are that they are easy to use and relatively inexpensive. The cons are that batteries will need frequent replacement and that you are required to heat your milk up separately which makes the process quite time consuming.
Built In Espresso Machine Milk Wand
Espresso machine milk wands are ideal for coffee enthusiasts. Milk wands require a level of skill and knowledge to create a good quality finish and foam. These types of frothers are also a significantly more expensive option compared to electric milk frothers and jug frothers. However, once you have mastered the milk frothing process you'll have the ability to produce café quality milk and coffee recipes from home. Nespresso’s Creatista range of coffee machines and accessories are a good option for those looking for barista-style milk combined with ease-of-use. They feature a fully automatic steam wand with multiple frothing and temperature settings.
Jug frothers
Jug frothers offer the opportunity to simultaneously froth and heat milk. They use induction coils to create heat within the jug while whisking the milk to create a smooth, even foam. Both affordable and easy to use, jug milk frothers are great for beginners and coffee aficionados alike. Nespresso offers a range of jug frothers that are simple to operate and allow you to quickly create quality milk foam for hot and cold drinks at home.
Which Type of Milk Frother is Best?
Of each of these options, the jug frother holds the most appeal. Firstly, because you don’t need to buy an entire espresso machine to create froth. Secondly, it consistently creates café quality milk and creamy froth unlike the varied results from an electric whisk.
What is the best milk frother for making lattes at home?
Our recommendation
Nespresso Aeroccino3 Electric Milk Frother
Our pick is the Nespresso Aeroccino3. It allows you to create creamy hot or cold milk froth in a little over a minute. It’s simple to use: choose your whisk, fill the jug up to the correct level, pour in the milk and press the button. The biggest appeal of this milk frother is that it will froth all kinds of milk, is easy to clean and it produces a consistently high-quality foam.
Frother info:
- One button
- Press for hot and hold down for cold to enjoy either a perfectly heated cappuccino or a refreshing iced coffee.
- 120ml milk froth capacity, enough to prepare two Cappuccinos or one Latte.
- 240ml hot milk capacity
- Weight: 450g
- Cold & hot milk and froth preparations
How to Clean a Milk Frother
The Aeroccino milk frother jug coating prevents milk from sticking making it quick and easy to clean. Place the jug directly under running water using a non-abrasive cloth making sure that the underside of the milk frother is dry. Visit our Aeroccino 3 assistance section for further cleaning instructions.
How to create latte art
Once you have your milk ready in your frother jug you can get creative and begin to create latte art.
- Pour your espresso shot.
Tip: Don’t let your shot sit for more than about 20 seconds otherwise it will develop an unpleasant bitter taste. - Begin pouring your milk with your cup tilted to about 20 degrees towards your frother jug.
- Slowly combine with your espresso until the cup is about half full.
- As you start to pour the second half, move your cup into an upright position.
- You will begin to see some white micro foam appear in the espresso. You can now start making a design.
- Using your wrist move your jug from side to side to "draw."
- With the last pour, draw the stream of milk back through centre of the design.
Start with a basic leaf design and then try more complicated designs once you feel confident. Check out our beginner’s guide to making latte art at home.
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