Milk frother

A milk frother is a small appliance, either a handheld battery-powered whisk or a standing electric jug, that spins or heats milk to introduce air and build foam similar to what an espresso machine's steam wand produces. It gives coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos their foam without needing the pressurized steam system built into larger espresso machines.

Handheld frothers are the smallest option and store easily in a drawer, working best in a mug or narrow container of warmed milk, while standing frother jugs heat the milk themselves and often produce more consistent, denser foam with less effort. Milk fat content changes the result noticeably, since whole milk and many oat milk blends froth more easily than skim milk or thin nut milks.

A common mistake is overfilling the container, since milk expands significantly as it froths and can overflow a jug filled past its marked fill line. Another is expecting cold milk to foam as easily as warm milk does, since gently warming milk before frothing generally produces thicker, longer-lasting foam than frothing it cold.