What Is A Frothing Pitcher And Why Do I Need One?
Frothing pitchers are used when steaming milk with an espresso machine for preparing cappuccino and latte drinks. There are a variety of quality milk frothing pitchers which are suitable for home or professional use. Most home espresso machines work best with frothing pitchers sized in the 12-24 oz. range; larger pitchers are typically used for commercial applications and may be difficult to fit under home machine steam wands. These elegant pitchers can also be used for serving cold milk with coffee.
These high quality restaurant grade stainless steel milk frothing pitchers are designed for home or professional use. Italian made, featuring 18-10 stainless steel construction and convenient flared lip design for easy pouring from any angle.
Purchase Tip: The 18-oz. size is best suited from most home espresso machines due to the low profile; the larger sizes may be too tall and difficult to fit under the steam wand without excessive tipping.
A frothing (steaming) pitcher is a necessity for anybody making espresso-based drinks like macchiato or cappuccino. I can’t tell you how many times a glassy-eyed bandana-clad teenager has served me up a cappuccino with flat foam on top. Indeed, there is no sense in even distinguishing between a cappuccino and a latte if the foam is absent or corrupted.
Pitchers constructed of quality stainless steel work best. There are four different sizes you might consider. The smaller 12oz pitcher works great for some of the Super Automatic machines with short wands such as the Jura or Capresso models. The 20oz pitcher is the most popular pitcher for home use, since it fits nicely under most steam wands and is large enough to produce enough froth for two drinks. The larger 24oz and 33oz pitchers easily serve up to four drinks. The 24oz pitcher size with a bell shaped design will improve the rolling action needed for good froth production. The 24oz and 33oz Frothing pitchers are recommended only for commercial-style semi-automatic machines with plenty of steam power.
Tip: The colder the better! Always use fresh cold milk. A cold pitcher helps as well. Keep your empty pitcher in the fridge.
When you buy an espresso machine there are some things you will need, no matter what. Aside from the obvious coffee beans, there are many accessories that will help you learn to make espresso and froth milk. They will also help you consistently get good results. The list of accessories is miles long..well, probably not, but you know what I am getting at.
Cappuccino and latte are espresso drinks made by mixing the espresso with frothed milk, and with steamed milk, respectively. All espresso machines will have a steam wand (usually on the side, adjacent to the portafilter) that is used for frothing and steaming milk. For cappuccino, the milk is frothed into a “microfoam” that is nearly double the volume of the original milk. For latte, the milk is “steamed.” The result of steaming is simply hot milk (with a little bit of foam). Stainless steel frothing pitchers are essential tools for steaming creamy, frothy milk with velvety microfoam.
