Thursday, November 20, 2014

How To Froth Milk Without A Frother


You don't need a fancy gadget to froth milk for a delicious cup of coffee (or cappuccino). The effort takes two minutes and is simple, so why bring another appliance into your kitchen?

To froth milk is to produce a mass of air bubbles by agitation. There are several ways to do so:

Method #1. Pour ½ cup of milk (per serving of coffee) into a jar; or use as much milk as you need as long as the jar is at least half empty. Secure the lid and shake the jar vigoriously for 30-60 seconds. Remove the lid and microwave it for 30-40 seconds. Voilà, warm froth! Pour the milk into hot coffee, and spoon the foam on top.

Method #2. Pour ½ cup of milk into a large mug and either microwave for 30-40 seconds, or pour into a saucepan and heat for several minutes on a stovetop until steaming. When it starts to produce steam, remove and use a whisk to stir vigoriously for 30-60 seconds. Add to coffee.

Lazy Girl (My) Method #3. Pour ½ cup of milk into a big mug to heat in a microwave for 30-40 seconds, or pour into a saucepan on a stovetop until it begins to steam. Remove and pour into a blender. Blend until frothy. Pour into your coffee.

Method #4. If you have a portion of milk left in a mostly empty milk jug, hold the lid on tightly with your thumb and shake the jug vigoriously for 30-60 seconds. Presto, you have froth. Pour it into a dish and microwave for 30-40 seconds before pouring into coffee. 

The reason you microwave the froth is to set the foam (i.e. air bubbles in liquid). It keeps the mixture from returning to milk.
 

I use skim milk. (That's what I normally stock. For guests I open a can of creamier condensed milk.) Milk with 1% or 2% fat works too. Use whatever you buy.

For cappuccino (the word means hood in Italian), brew a strong cup of coffee. Top with steamed (agitated) milk, ta-da ... froth.

No extra space, equipment or batteries needed. You're welcome!

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1 comment:

  1. As a little boy, I would enjoy blowing bubbles through a straw into a glass of milk. Well, you guessed it, inspired by this blog, I "frothed" some milk (50 years later) for my coffee- using the same "technology". Not as good as some of the techniques shown here- though better than normal pouring of milk into the coffee. Did not try the microwave, but it did hold some bubbles long enough for me to pour the coffee in.

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