The Coffee Machine

 
Imagine this… a cappuccino made from steamed milk with a velety smooth texture similar to wet shaving cream. That’s the way foam should be, and here are some tips on how to achieve the perfect top for your cappuccino.

First of all, you need to start with cold milk straight from the fridge. Pour the milk into a stainless steel jug until it’s about a third full. Remember, milk will double, even triple its volume after the frothing process.

Once you have your jug ready, you need to purge the excess water out of the steam wand so it doesn’t end up in your milk. You can do this by placing a damp towel over the wand and releasing the valve for a few seconds. The steam will be extremely hot, so be extra careful to avoid burning yourself.

Submerge the wand into your milk and turn on the steam to full power. Don’t let the wand come out of the milk as this will splatter everywhere creating large, tasteless bubbles. The key is to get the milk flowing in a rapid, circular motion, so adjust the wand until it’s pointing just off centre. It’s really important to maintain this fast, circulating vortex in the milk.

The next thing to do is lower the jug until the tip of the wand is just below the surface of the milk. Keep the circulation going as you do this. When you can hear a hissing noise, you’ve reached the optimum position. Keep the milk rotating, trying to maintain the hissing noise. As the milk volume rises, lower the jug slightly to keep the tip of the wand just beneath the surface.

It’s not good enough to use an up and down motion when steaming milk – you must use a rolling action to create those tiny, velvety bubbles.

The trick is to keep the milk flowing in a rapidly moving circle – any large bubbles that form will be rolled into the milk and eliminated. The optimal temperature for your milk is around 63-65ºC – if your milk gets too hot it will burn and leave a bad taste.

If you do have large bubbles in your mix, you can try tapping the bottom of the jug lightly on the kitchen counter to remove them. Serve immediately with your freshly brewed coffee and enjoy the silkiest-tasting milk you’ve ever created!