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Typically the milk is prepared in a stainless-steel pitcher or "jug" as it
is called in some countries. You need the pitcher to be large enough
to accommodate the expansion in the volume of the milk as you steam it.
Choose the size of the pitcher based on how many drinks you are going to
prepare. If you are going to prepare several drinks, you might
consider preparing more than one batch of milk, or at least "recharging"
what is left by adding more milk to the pitcher and preparing more.
The fact is that once you have poured off milk for the first two drinks, you
will be left with milk that is not sufficiently volumized to make a good
drink and pleasing your guests.
In steaming the milk you are setting out to "volumize" it by adding tiny
air bubbles to the milk, what are called "microbubbles".
(Another expression you'll hear that means the same thing
is "stretching" the milk). Place the tip
of the steamer of your espresso machine just a little below the surface of
the milk. Your aim is to suck air into the milk by forming a whirlpool
near the top of the milk. Do not have the tip of the steamer above the
milk or so close to the surface of the milk that the steam is blowing air
into the milk: you are wanting the air to be sucked into the milk.
Do not move the pitcher up and down in an action that takes the steamer
head in and out of the milk. Unfortunately, this is something that
you'll see happening at quite a few coffee shops, and when you see it you
can be sure the "barista" is poorly trained and you are about to be served
an inferior drink.
Tilt the pitcher slightly so that the air being sucked into the milk is
hitting the side of the pitcher near the bottom and is making the milk
rotate so that the heat is being distributed and all of the milk is being
brought into contact with the steam as it circulates around the pitcher.
By the time the milk has come to the correct temperature for your drink,
it should be volumized to the extent that it has approximately doubled in
volume. As I said before, make sure you leave sufficient room for this
expansion to occur when you start out otherwise you will have to stop the
steaming process before it is at the right temperature.
 The
milk should have been volumized by the addition of tiny "micro-bubbles" of
air. It shouldn't be full of large bubbles which is what will happen
if you lift the steam tip above the surface of the milk and blow into the
milk. If however there are a few larger bubbles on the top of the milk
when you are done, you can remove them by banging the pitcher on your
counter top to break them.
That's the basic preparation of your milk. However if you are going to
be making a "flat white" or macchiato you have one more step to follow.
That is to fold the micro-bubbles from the top into the milk at the bottom
using a spoon or by swirling the milk in the pitcher
until it becomes one consistent velvety and rich mixture. Use this
milk for the preparation of flat whites and
macchiato coffee.
Get Rid of Messy Clean Up When Steaming Your Espresso Milk with an
Aerolatte whisk
Using the steamer in your home espresso machine can be a bit of a hassle.
For a start, you need to have a machine that has a separate boiler for the
water used to steam the milk. The reason for this is that to make
steam, the water has to be heated a lot hotter than the water that is used
to brew your espresso. If your machine has only one boiler for both
brewing the espresso and steaming the milk, then don't use the machines
steamer. (I give you an alternative below.) Some machines I
found also cause the pressure in the espresso side to increase to the point
that you get "blow back" when you remove the filter cup from the machine and
coffee grounds will be blown all over your kitchen. (This was a fault
of the "Briel" espresso machine I owned for a while; other than that fault,
it was a good machine though. When using the steamer you also need to
be meticulous in keeping the steam head clean of milk so that the the tiny
hole that the steam comes through doesn't become blocked with dried milk,
not to mention obvious health and hygiene reasons that demand you keep the
steam head clean, milk being such a wonderful breeding medium for bacteria!
 For
all these "drawbacks" I personally have dispensed with using the steamer at
home, and use a wonderful little gadget called an "Aerolatte", which is
basically a battery-powered whisk. I use a plastic mug in which to
heat the milk in the microwave oven; 1 minute is the perfect time for
bringing the milk to the right temperature in my case. You then use
the Aerolatte to achieve the same volumization effect talked about above.
Again, position the whisk head sufficiently below the surface of the milk
for it to cause a vortex that sucks air down into the milk. I works
perfectly, and all it takes to keep the whisk clean is to run it briefly
under some running water after each time you use it.
Buy an Aerolatte at Amazon.com. You can get them in several
finishes. The one I have at home is the matt black. I recommend
getting the stand that goes with it too so you can keep it conveniently next
to your espresso machine. |
