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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.cooks,net.consumers
Subject: Re: Expresso/Cappucino Machines Query suggestions
Message-ID: <4881@alice.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Jan-86 13:43:49 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4881
Posted: Sun Jan 26 13:43:49 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Jan-86 20:36:17 EST
References: <1205@lll-crg.ARpA>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
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Xref: watmath net.cooks:5865 net.consumers:4027

> I just bought a Caffe Portofino; this is a stovetop espresso/cappucino
> maker.  I haven't tried it for coffee yet, but I'm having problems
> steaming milk.  Basically, my milk never gets frothy the way it does in
> restaurants.  I get more froth by scalding the milk in a saucepan.
>
> The instructions recommend whole milk; I used non-fat because that's what
> I drink.  Could this be my problem?  I also noticed some steam escaping
> between the top and bottom halves of the unit no matter how hard I try to
> seal it.  Could this be the culprit?

I would not be the least bit surprised to find that skim milk doesn't
work as well, but I haven't tried it so I don't know.

Anyway, here's the secret to making good steamed milk:

	1. Arrange to get as much steam as you can from your
	   steam-maker.  It should really gush out.

	2. Put the tip of the nozzle just below the surface of
	   the milk before you start the steam.

	3. Start it all at once, and HARD.  You're doing it right if
	   you get a noise that sounds like a cross between a
	   jet airplane and a vacuum cleaner.  If milk spatters
	   all over the place, the nozzle is too high.  If you
	   don't hear vacuum cleaner/jet airplane noises, the nozzle
	   is too low.

	4. As the foam rises, use the sound to keep the nozzle in the
	   right place.  You should be able to more than double the
	   volume of the milk as you turn it to foam.

	5. If you start getting huge spattery bubbles on the surface,
	   you've gotten the milk too hot and nothing you do will get
	   any more foam on the surface of that batch.  Time to
	   start again if you don't like it the way it is at that point.