Best Electric Milk Frother Reviews
Something you may want to look into on your search for an espresso machine is a separate milk frother. Not all the units you’re going to see have a milk frother included. Of those that do, many have one that just doesn’t hit the mark. Even some of the high end units don’t seem to know how to get a good foam on the milk, which is so important to a good cappuccino, latte or cafe au lait.
Milk frothers do a lot more than just heat up the milk, and they are so much better than just using the microwave like a lot of people do. Heating milk in the microwave doesn’t do anything more than heat the milk you poured out of the milk jug. Frothing, on the other hand, adds volume and actually changes the taste of the milk so it tastes like part of the drink rather than just being the cream used to lighten it.
There are a few different things to consider when looking for a frother, and you want to keep in mind that you can also use it for regular coffee, hot chocolate, chai drinks and more. You can probably use it more than you realize.
Best Milk Frother Overall
Breville BMF600XL Milk Café Milk Frother
Milk really makes the drink. I mean that. Most people don’t stop to consider how important milk is to a drink. It’s the ingredient that gets the least credit for making drinks good. I love a good espresso, but when it’s mixed with milk of the right volume and texture, it’s out of this world. There’s a huge difference between overheated milk, or poorly steamed milk, and getting it right.
This one gets the milk right every time, but it can do so much more than just frothing milk for lattes and cappuccinos. You can make drinks right in the carafe if it’s something that has to be mixed, and the carafe is dishwasher safe. It’s a larger investment than some of the other options in this class, but it does so much more that it’s basically in a class by itself.
Best Value Milk Frother
Kuissential Deluxe Automatic Milk Frother and Warmer
Between the worlds of budget and best in class there is this value option, which will fit into the budget of most espresso lovers. It looks a lot like the more simple milk frothers that don’t cost much at all, but this one has a little more power, a little more speed, and provides a lot more flavor.
The Kuissential Deluxe has the ability to make both hot and cold drinks, and it also has the added bonus of one-touch operation. If I need to use this thing early in the morning, I want to be able to do it quickly and easily, since my brain probably isn’t working yet, and it just doesn’t get any easier than one-touch. The stainless steel exterior cleans up quickly, and the milk film that’s always left behind rinses right off the non-stick interior.
You can also take it with you. Okay, you’re right, it won’t go that far. But you can detach it from the base once you’re done making your mixture, and pour it into your drink right from the canister. Easy peasy.
Best Budget Electric Milk Frother
Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother and Heater Carafe by Epica
If you were to see the Epica sitting on a kitchen counter, you probably wouldn’t know what it is. It looks like what you would get if a bottle warmer mated with a stainless steel wine chiller, but it’s what it does that makes it so great.
You can fill it with milk and make it work for either hot or cold drinks. I’ve spent a lot of time building up froth, but I never knew there were machines that worked for both hot and cold. If you’re making your favorite cappuccino or latte, you can pour the milk in the top and just let it do its thing. The milk sits right inside the base which has a heating element and the power to get the milk frothed to the volume you want.
Depending on how much milk you put in, you can get foam for a cappuccino, frothed milk for a latte, or warm milk to make hot chocolate or soothe your stomach. No matter what you’re looking for, there is probably an option for it with this super simple milk frother, and it’s a lot less expensive than many other espresso accessories.
There is a lot you can do with it, and it even detaches from the base so it can be used as a pitcher. I can think of about 15 or 20 different things I could use it for, from cooking oatmeal to warming milk before bed.
Best Nespresso Milk Frother
Nespresso Aeroccino Plus Milk Frother
The world of espresso used to have few inhabitants – basically just beans and grinders. The last decade or so has seen the market open up to include a lot of other items, like capsule-based espresso machines that make one heck of a drink with very little effort. What that means, though, is you can get great espresso quick, fast, and in a hurry, but if you want more than just a caffeine shot, you then have to find a way to make the frothy milk that makes it even better.
The most well known capsule espresso machines, the Nespresso line, now have the Aeroccino Plus to keep them company on the countertop. Both devices are pretty small, but still pretty powerful. You don’t need a Nespresso machine to use the Aeroccino Plus, so if you have an espresso machine without a frothing arm of its own, this can be a really nice companion for it. You can make both hot and cold drinks with the Aeroccino, and it’s compact and designed like a pitcher, making spoons unnecessary. You can just pour and be on your way. And get this – you can get everything you need in just 70 seconds, which is just about the amount of time a capsule espresso machine needs to make your coffee.