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Author:
Melissa Collins
What’s the secret to making cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos at home? Frothed milk. If you think you need an expensive espresso machine to froth your milk, think again.
You can create coffeehouse-style drinks right in your own kitchen using tools you probably have already.
Here are five easy ways to froth milk at home – without an espresso machine.
If you have a mason jar – or any clean jar with a lid – you can make your own frothy milk at home. Just add your warm milk to the jar, screw the lid on tightly, and start shaking.
The shaking action adds air to the milk to make it foamy and frothy. Don’t overfill your jar – the milk will expand as you add air. If your milk is very warm, wrap a towel around the jar so that you don’t burn your fingers.
An electric mixer will create a better froth than the mason jar method. Use a hand mixer for this job, and make sure that your milk isn’t too hot before you start mixing.
Whisk at low speed until the milk reaches your desired level of frothiness.
If you have a French press, you can froth your own milk without any expensive equipment.
The French press works just as well as the special hand frothers you find in stores. The foam it creates is good enough for latte art, and the spout makes pouring even easier.
An immersion blender works very similarly to a hand frother. The key to making this work is to use a deep pot to warm your milk. The blender needs to be able to get deep down into the milk to aerate it.
Once the milk is warmed up, place the blender into the liquid. Make sure that the blades are fully immersed. Turn the blender on low and start blending until the milk gets frothy.
Immersion blenders produce a nice foam, but they can get messy, especially if your pot isn’t deep enough. Use a very deep pot, and make sure that your milk isn’t too hot.
If you don’t have an espresso machine, a frothing wand is a great alternative. They’re affordable, easy to use and designed for frothing milk.
Start by warming up your milk, and then immerse the frother into the milk and power it up. The process is similar to using an immersion blender – only less messy. You don’t have to worry about using a deep pot either.
While the frothing is working its magic, whisk it around to create a swirl of milk. Stop when the milk is frothed to your liking.
Frothing your own milk takes some practice, but it’s not as hard as you think. Any one of these methods will produce a nice foam that will make your morning cup of coffee extra-special.