The objective of milk steaming and foaming is to produce a
firm, semi-liquid velvety milk foam, ideal for cappuccinos
and lattes. This is achieved by the use of heat and air, by
way of steam.
Always use a stainless steel straight sided or
bell-bottomed jug for your milk frothing. Never use
plastic, glass or china jugs. Stainless steel offers good
heat transfer which is an essential part of the process.
Always use chilled fresh milk - milk will take in air
easier if it is cold. Full fat milk produces a denser,
longer lasting foam than low fat milk, but this is personal
preference.
Make sure the jug is half full or less, as the volume of
milk will double during the frothing process.
The first thing to do is to purge the steam wand of any
water residue, making sure that none of the steam jets are
blocked and position the wand so that it will allow the jug
to easily pass under the tip.
Centre the tip of the steam wand of your espresso machine
on the milk surface and submerge it by 1 cm (half an inch).
Turn the steam valve fully on.
Holding the jug in both hands, gently adjust the depth of
the wand tip until you hear a distinct "tssss tssss" sound
which indicates that air is being drawn into the milk. The
milk level should rise quickly as it expands or stretches.
As this happens, lower the jug slowly, keeping the tip just
below the surface at all times.
If the milk bubbles too fiercely and spits then the tip is
too high and you should raise the jug slightly, however if
you hear a screech then there is insufficient volume of
steam so you should lower the jug slightly.
During this process try to avoid breaking the surface of
the milk with the tip as this can introduce large bubbles
into the mixture and spoil its texture.
To complete the process, lower the tip of the steam wand
(by raising the jug) towards the bottom of the jug and at
the same time move the wand to one side of the jug. The
milk should start to swirl and you should here a high
pitched growl. This adds texture to the mixture as many
tiny bubbles are formed.
Continue to swirl the milk in this way until the side of
the jug is too hot to touch comfortably and the growl
becomes a low purr. Turn off the steam quickly with the
wand tip still submerged.
Remove the wand and wipe clean immediately.
Tap the jug on the counter and swirl the jug around gently.
You should have a jug of firm, velvety foam over hot
steamed milk.
Pour the mixture over an espresso by gently rocking the jug
from side to side to ensure the right combination of hot
milk and foam is delivered into the cup.
Enjoy.
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For more information about coffee and coffee making
equipment visit http://www.cafebar.co.uk and view our
Coffee School Section
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