Latte-licious (Aerolatte Milk Frother)

Member Name: steedandpeel

Product:	Aerolatte Milk Frother
Date:	26/07/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Make your own lattes at home, easy to use, easy to clean, looks nice

Disadvantages: Froth can disipate quite quickly, not as good as an Italian coffee machine

I've recently developed a bit of a latte addiction, so I decided I would like to try out making lattes at home, to save a few pennies. I asked my Mum to get me a milk frother for my birthday. She is usually a fan of the latest gadgets, and handily had an unused Aerolatte in her kitchen cupboard, which she gave me on the big day.

The Aerolatte is a small, hand held, battery operated whisk designed specifically for milk frothing. It's a relatively stylish product, matching my kettle and toaster with its brushed steel exterior. It also comes complete with matching stand for storing it on your kitchen surface.

I use the product mainly for thickening up milk, which I then add coffee to. To do so, warm up the milk in the microwave for about a minute and then get stuck in with the frothing. The Aerolatte works like a mini-whisk, as you move it around in circles and up and down to thicken up the milk - and it does really work - the milk just about doubles in size. It's very easy to use and takes approximately 30 seconds to a minute. Just don't take it out of the milk whilst it's still whisking, unless you want to get milk all over the place!

The product can then be easily cleaned under running water and then hung up again on the stand to dry. The stalk and whisk doesn't detach from the handle, so you can't submerge it in the sink.

I usually use skimmed milk, which froths up remarkably well, although you do need to drink it relatively quickly after adding the coffee, or the froth starts to decrease. I have tried this with full fat milk, and the froth lasts a lot longer. It's worth bearing in mind that the hotter the milk is, the longer the froth last.

You can apparently use the Aerolatte for a number of other different recipes. I've tried it to mix a cocktail of my own making - milk, Baileys, Vodka and ice cream - it tasted lovely!

I am generally very pleased with this product, and it delivers what I expect a hand-held frother at this price should do. Admittedly, it's not the same as getting a latte made from a proper coffee machine - but then I don't expect it to be. It does, however, make a decent latte and has definitely helped me keep my addiction under control!

Summary: A great little device for getting your latte fix.