I have tried using [a milk frother wand from IKEA](https://www.ikea.com/eg/en/p/produkt-milk-frother-black-50301166/), but it made a foam that is very thick and heavy and the rest of the milk is kinda thin. It made it not very useful for playing around with latte art, it would just fall into the cup as a blob of foam once the thinner milk is poured.
I’ve heard of using a French press or dedicated 2in1 milk frother/heater vessel thingy, but wondering if there is an improvement in using one of those over what I have already.
Or is there a specific technique to using any of them (the wand or the other 2) to make thin foam?
by LorryWaraLorry
9 Comments
I started out with the frothier but it makes more “foam” then silky frothed milk. I found the french press method worked better the smaller the press. The best “frothed” milk came out of the tiny red plastic one sold on amazon. I could make latte art sometimes. I called it my 80% solution to an espresso machine for a long time. Is it as good as a decent 3rd wave coffee shop no? But its 80% of the way there. This is a hobby of diminishing returns as you upgrade.
The French press works. It is fiddly and difficult so I upgraded to a stovetop steam boiler after a few months… but it does work, and I was able to get some decent latte art. Temperature management is important.
Might not be as good microfoam, but yes— you follow the same principles as steaming (introducing air and then tumbling), but separate the heating from the frothing.
1. Heat to 65c
2. Introduce air/volume by creating a whirlpool
3. Without stopping, change angle to tumble the milk vertically (mixing lighter and larger bubbles into the milk and breaking them up)
Oldie, but best video imo: https://youtu.be/n0f46Ti2DjA
Used to do it with a moka.
Those jugs which heat milk while frothing milk seem to have decent reviews
Also those $20 expresso machines with steam wands work decent for home use but you’ll need a little practice to get half decent
I use a manual milk frother that’s essentially just a steel French press/cafetiere with 2 layers of filter.
I use a Nanofoamer and it works pretty well
I just use the coffee machine but nice ideas here
That literal once in a blue moon moment
Yes it is possible, the best way to do latte art with cheap frother is to follow the instructions of Cappuccinable: a home latte artist youtuber here’s the link. It’s amazing what he does. https://youtu.be/-Hby0HmVCno