What is it and how to cream milk without complications?
If you are a beginner barista or in training, possibly, cream the milk be one of the hardest things to do. The good news is that this is just the beginning of a wonderful career and that it will be one more technique that you will master over time.
Steaming and creaming milk is another of the litmus tests to overcome if you intend to dedicate yourself completely to the coffee industry. Although these types of techniques may give you some anxiety about not getting the right texture, feeling intimidated by the equipment, or even suffering from burns, at the end of the day, this will be a difficult path, but not impossible to overcome.
That is why the team Incapto Coffee, wanted to give you a hand with this. Therefore, we invite you to continue reading and discover the best tricks to cream milk and not die trying.
What does the technique of creaming milk consist of?
Before teaching you how to carry out this technique, allow us to inform you exactly what it consists of, so that you can have a much clearer idea.
Creaming or frothing milk is nothing more than injecting hot air under pressure into the liquid. The purpose of this is create tiny bubbles, which are in a certain way responsible for giving that texture or foam to the milk and which do not disappear quickly, unlike the large ones. This makes it the perfect candidate for a delicious drink like latte or cappuccino.
Some specialists on the subject usually put foaming, creaming or emulsifying in different places, but there are those who consider that these provide the same results.Apply these 14 steps and be a winning barista
Since our goal, in this case, is to provide you with all the tools so that you can successfully cream milk, we have decided to bring you 14 steps to achieve it and learn this incredible technique.
Step 1: Find the right milk and measure it
Finding the perfect milk is one of the first things you have to do. But regardless of which one you choose, it will react differently when in contact with heat. Let's keep our fingers crossed that you'll find the perfect milk for creaming and making latte art at the coffee shop where you can work. If you already have this in mind, you should know that the next steps will begin to become more complicated, but not impossible, as long as you use the milk that the customer ordered.
When you have the right product in your hands, proceed to pour the correct amount of milk into a clean jug that the drink you are preparing needs.
Step 2: You will need to clean the lancet
Remember that maintaining hygiene in all utensils is essential. That is why you will have to purge the lancet (a tool widely used to vaporize milk) and then clean it with a damp cloth solely for this task. With this we would be eliminating the accumulation of condensation lodged in the rod, since if this is not done it could end up affecting the milk that you will cream.
Step 3: Get the ideal angle
The experts of Incapto Coffee, they advise you to place the lancet approximately 20-30 degrees towards you. Try to have the lancet in front of you, so you can master the work at a comfortable angle and have good results.
Step 4: Pay attention to the position of the milk jug
To get a ten in your preparation, we invite you to place the milk jug parallel to the surface of the counter and lift it straight towards the lancet. Make sure that the tip of the lancet is the only one that penetrates the milk. Finally, you will have to tilt the jar down. It seems complicated but only practice will help you overcome.
Step 5: It's time to Cream!
Well, we have reached the most important point of preparation: Creaming the milk. Now, one of the things you should keep in mind is that pressure is key to performing this technique successfully, so we invite you to make sure you have enough.
Afterwards, you will begin to steam and aerate the milk. You may want to turn the lancet knob at least twice or lower the lever a couple of times to take a look.
Step 6: Don't overlook the temperature
Checking it is easier than you think. You should only touch one side of the jug so you can feel how hot the milk is.
Step 7: Don't neglect texturing and aeration
If you want to cream the milk perfectly, the trick will be to do good texturing and aeration. The latter is the process in which air is introduced to the milk, allowing its volume to increase from the jug.
But how do we get the cream? Simple, you achieve it when you create a swirl of milk in the jug. You just have to create both although at the beginning of the cremation you will only identify the aeration.
Step 8: Adjust the position of the jug
Once the jug reaches 37°C/ 99°F, which is our body temperature, we proceed to put the aeration process aside and concentrate on making the cream. To do this, we must raise the jug 1 cm so that the lancet can be introduced without complications into the milk. Remember how we talked about a whirlpool a few paragraphs above? Well, if you follow these instructions perfectly, you will see how it will be created without much effort.
If it is difficult for you to know the temperature of the milk, you can apply the method that some beginner baristas use, which is based on inserting a thermometer into their jug. When they reach the necessary experience, they will know what 37°C/99°F feels like in their hands.
Step 9: Keep an eye on the temperature
We emphasize the temperature of the milk again, since it will continue to heat up. Therefore, we advise you that, in addition to holding the jug, you begin to constantly feel the side of it. Thanks to this, we will find out what the temperature is and at the same time, you will avoid burning your fingers.
Step 10: We start with vaporization
When you notice that the jar is hot enough to touch, it should be around 55-60°C/ 130-140°F, you will need to quickly turn off the lancet. This way we would prevent the milk from reaching 65-70°C / 150-160°F.
Although there are some customers who demand extremely hot milk, it is very important that you know that this would affect the texture, final consistency of the coffee and of course, the quality, without overlooking the taste and appearance. Avoid this above all, unless it is a client request.
Step 11: Move the milk jug away
At this point you will have to put the jug on the bar, we recommend that you do not try to perform the following procedures with just one hand. Since, this can cause you to do a terrible job of cleaning or simply spill milk.
Step 12: Don't forget to clean the lancet
It is extremely important that after each preparation, we maintain the hygiene of the utensils. So take the special cloth, hold the lancet by the rubber band and proceed to clean it.
Do it very carefully because it could be very hot.
Step 13: Shake it
Return to the milk jug, start giving it a few small taps and move it concentrically. Surely you will wonder: what do we achieve with this? Very simple, we manage to eliminate any large air bubbles.
The milk should be shiny and at the same time soft, similar to wet paint.
Step 14: Finally pour the milk
We come to the last step, and it is the one where we are going to focus on pouring and starting to prepare our milk-based drink. It is a step that turns out to be quite simple, just try to be 100% concentrated and voila, you will have an excellent and delicious drink as a result.
As you will see, it is all a matter of practice in the case of creaming milk, we only have to focus on these steps to result in a soft and silky texture, as well as the perfect temperature. When you master this method perfectly, you will be more than ready to start with other techniques such as latte art.
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