Espresso Catering in San Diego. Specialiazing in mocha, latte, espresso, coffee, tea

STEAMING MILK

There is a difference between steaming and foaming milk. Simply steaming milk means heating it to temperature without a lot of foam. Foaming or frothing milk means steaming the milk but allowing it to foam. Frothing milk is probably the hardest part of being a barista.

Milk should always be steamed before or at the same time as pulling a shot of espresso. The reason for this is that the shot goes stale within 10 seconds after being extracted. Milk should be steamed between 145 degrees Fahrenheit for an in-house drink and 165 degrees Fahrenheit for a to-go drink. Milk steamed higher than this will become scalded and destroy the taste of espresso. Foam should be formed as you first start heating the milk. Milk is easiest to foam if fresh and cold.

Milk Steaming Techniques Step-By-Step:

1. Always start with cold milk.

2. Fill steaming pitcher a little over 1/3 full.

3. Open and shut steam valve quickly to blow out any excess water.

4. Place the tip of the steam wand to just below the surface of the milk.

5.Open the steam valve to full pressure.

6. Place one hand on the handle of the pitcher to hold it up and the other hand on the front side of the pitcher. This will enable you to feel how hot your milk is getting.

7. Keep the tip of the wand just below the surface of the milk and gently pull the steam pitcher down to bring the froth up. You do not have to "hop" the pitcher up and down, just smoothly lower it to expand the milk. You will know if you have the wand too far out of the milk because large bubbles will form or you will get milk splatted in your face. You will know if the wand is too far in the milk if there is a loud, jet engine-type noise and the milk is only churning around and not frothing.

8. Milk will foam best if expanded before 100 degrees, or just when the side of the pitcher is feeling warm. At this point, sink the wand in the milk a fraction and allow milk to move in a clockwise swirl until heated to temperature. This will froth milk with a creamy texture.

9. Turn off the steam wand a little before the milk has reached the proper temperature, as the milk will continue to heat up even after the steam wand is out of it.

10. If you do not have a thermometer, milk will be at temperature when you cannot lay your hand on the side of the milk pitcher for more than a second. *Milk is over-steamed if you can see more than a little steam coming off the top of the milk.

11. Clean the steam wand out by quickly turning on and off the steam valve to blow out excess milk and wiping the wand clean with a damp cloth.

It is very easy to overheat milk while trying to foam it. You can use a thermometer to gauge the temperature of the milk until your hand becomes adjusted to what the milk should feel like at 150 degrees or so.

Sometimes milk will not foam if it has been steamed already, it is not cold, or has been previously frozen. The lower the fat content of the milk, the easier it is to foam it. Nonfat milk foams the best.

If milk smells cooked, you have scalded it, and you need to dump it out and start over.A customer will generally not mind waiting a little longer for a great drink than paying for an inferior one.

QUALITY STANDARDS:

• Never serve scalded milk
• Re-steam milk only one time
• Rotate pitchers of milk and sanitize at least twice a day
• Empty milk pitchers every night and completely sanitize
• Change water in frothing spoon cup every hour
• Clean cream containers out every 2 - 4 hours and empty and sanitize every night