Milk frother for hot and cold foam

Café foam in your own mug

A good cappuccino is two things: the coffee, and the milk that sits on top of it. The coffee was never the problem. Milk is what goes wrong in a home kitchen: in a pan it either scorches or stays lukewarm, and the foam disappears after three sips. This jug takes over that one step and does it the same way every morning.

Pour in the milk, press the button, and you have exactly enough time to grind the coffee. At the end of the cycle the appliance switches itself off, so nothing boils over while your back is turned.

Why a pan is not enough

You can froth milk by hand, but not predictably. A pan has no thermometer, a hand whisk does not carry enough air into the milk, and whatever foam you manage collapses on the way to the glass. The machine removes all three uncertainties: heating and stirring work together, and the programme always runs for the same length of time.

In practice that is one less pan to wash. It also means the children's cocoa comes out as foamy as the adults' coffee.

Made for the coffee corner

The jug is 20 cm tall and 11 cm wide: it stands next to the coffee machine and is not the sort of thing you hide away afterwards. The lid is clear, so you watch the foam build the whole time, and the handle sits away from the metal, so you can hold it with hot milk inside. In the Fashion by Berlinger Haus kitchen range it was made to stand beside the coffee maker and the kettle.

Four programmes, one button

Press the button once, twice, three times or four, and that is your choice made: warm light foam for a latte macchiato, warm dense foam for a cappuccino, hot milk for a café latte, cold foam for iced drinks and desserts. Each programme works at its own temperature and frothing time, so four differently named settings do not give you the same result.

It heats quickly

The 400 W heater and the fast-heating function bring the milk into the 50–60 °C band: pleasantly warm and just right for coffee. In the morning it means the coffee and the foam are ready at roughly the same moment.

MIN and MAX on the jug wall

There are three marks on the jug wall. At the bottom the MIN at 80 millilitres: below that the attachment cannot reach the milk. Above it the frothing MAX, and at the top the 300 millilitre heating limit. For frothing, fill to the middle mark so the foam has room to rise.

The attachment lifts out

Two interchangeable stirring attachments come with the appliance. The attachment clips into the bottom of the jug, lifts straight out again, and washes in warm, soapy water.

Washed up before the coffee finishes

The inside wall of the jug is smooth and non-stick, so milk residue does not bake on. Take the attachment out, wash it in warm soapy water and rinse the jug. Wipe the base and the outside of the jug with a damp cloth; neither may be put in water.

Materials, safety and disposal

The body is made from stainless steel and plastic, the inside of the jug has a non-stick surface and the lid is clear. The base stands firmly on the worktop, and the handle keeps your hand away from the metal parts.

Cold foam

A frothing programme that runs without heat. The attachment turns cold milk so the foam does not melt into an iced coffee but sits above the ice. It is what you want for an iced latte, an iced macchiato, or a topping on a dessert.

The appliance contains electronics, so at the end of its life it must not go into household waste: take it to a designated collection point for electrical equipment.

What an ordinary day looks like

At a quarter to seven the jug is already on the worktop. You pour in milk straight from the fridge, press the button twice for dense foam, and take the mugs down while the machine works. By the time the espresso has run, the foam is ready.

In the evening the same jug does something else. Cold foam turns into an iced coffee or a chilled, creamy drink for guests; hot milk becomes a mug of hot chocolate for the children. Same button, different programme.

Cleaning and storage

• Unplug it and let it cool before cleaning.
• Take out the stirring attachment and wash it by hand in warm soapy water.
• Rinse the jug straight after use, before the milk dries on.
• Never immerse the jug or the base, and do not put them in a dishwasher.
• Wipe the outside with a damp cloth, without scouring agents.
• Store it dry with the lid on, so the attachment stays where it belongs.

If you drink milky coffee

If you drink your coffee black, this appliance adds nothing for you. If you have an espresso machine or a capsule machine, it is the piece that adds the most beside it.

Frequently asked questions

Technical data