Coffee
Tips
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
More tips later.
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