I bought this item after a recommendation from someone I know and who is a coffee master, and after reading the reviews. I make a large Latte a couple of times a day. Getting the right froth with most consumer grade kitchen gear is a challenge. And reading about this one, I thought would fit that void nicely. Well, yes and no.
If you need gobs of beautiful velvety froth, this machine will most definitely deliver. And you can't beat the price.
But, if you want to make a great latte with a good froth, it can turn into a frustrating experience, as it leaves ergonomics and efficiency to be desired. First of all, if I used 1 cup of milk, as I usually do, I end up with the unit full of froth and almost no liquid milk left. Too much froth, too little milk. So I have to resort to heating some milk separately and end up discarding a lot of froth which is wasteful. Second is the cleaning the unit can optionally heat the liquid during the process, which is of course nice. But, at only 500W heating, it takes quite a while and you have no control over temperature. Also, because the heating is accomplished through a coil in the bottom of the removable pitcher, it invariably has a slight burn-in every time and with the integrated electrics you can't put it in the dishwasher, so that adds annoying hand-cleaning every time (remove the paddles, rinse, take a sponge and clean the bottom of the pitcher, wipe dry).
So while I like the froth it makes, I have gone from using one machine (KitchenAid espresso machine) to 3 (make coffee, make froth, heat milk) and I have at least twice the cleaning to do afterwards. That's an unreasonable ergonomic setup. It's possible that using different amounts of milk makes a difference on some aspects, but that would make it wasteful again.
I think this unit has it's place in sauces, whipped cream, and other things (if you don't already have other suitable KitchenAid mixers/processor for that), but as a everyday milk frother it falls short. Hence it's trying to be versatile, but ends up imperfect.
The build quality wasn't impressive. Lots of plastic, some parts (like heater on/off switch) not well fitted.
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as a professional cook, the hardest dishes to make perfect are egg based, ie custards, lemon curd and other flavored curds, hollandaise, bearnaise. this tool does them all to perfection.
the beater, heater, and timing are perfectly sychronised to get maximum thickening from the egg before overcooking it. you must not overfill container for ideal results. the recipe determines how thick the mixture will be, but in all cases, the potential of the egg is maximized.
in addition, i froth the milk for my morning coffee everyday and the results are heaven. never had a tool that was so reliable and so useful for dishes i consider a challenge under all other circumstances.
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After having searched all over the web and returning machine after machine I stumbled on this website. The description of this machine sounded to good to be true, so I decided to contact the company to find out if I could have a demonstration of it since they were fairly local. I was so blown away by the performance of this machine. The milk was nice and hot and the froth was thick and beautiful. In addition, this company makes several different sizes to fit the needs of anyone and the prices are extremely reasonable. I ended up buying one for my daily use and one for entertaining large groups. Finally, a great frother!
Honest reviews on Froth Au Lait Gourmet Automatic Hot and Cold Milk Frother
This is my long-overdue review. I've been blessed to have this wonderful little machine for just over a year now, and it has stood up sturdily to daily use. It makes utterly divine froth, and lots of it! Friends love coming over to get the "frothies" that I make; they adore them, and so do I. The variety of delicious possibilities goes on and on -perfect hollandaise, too!-so if you're creative in the kitchen, this machine is for you.
Amazon didn't have this model in stock yet when I first discovered it, so I contacted the manufacturer and bought directly from them. (It is a charming, old-school family company, btw, who stands behind their products and loves their customers. I've had occasion to visit them in person, to replace a part lost while traveling yes, I travel with it and their staff is wonderful.)
The key thing to understand about this machine is that you'll be best off trying a few different milks and testing your results. Personally, I tend not to do well on pasteurized dairy, so my experience is largely with alternatives to milk. Some work beautifully, many do not. (And if something doesn't work, no big deal, just add chocolate, sweeten to taste and try the next one!).
I've experimented with just about everything, and suggest you do, too, as there's clearly some interesting biochemistry & physics going on behind foam creation. One brand of milk won't work at all, and the next one will, perfectly. My very best results are with unsweetened Almond Breeze (plain or vanilla foam galore!) and with Edensoy's Rice & Soy (for those who do soy products). I've also tried it with my own homemade nut milks, and wound up with... pudding. Happy accident!
I make chai tea lattes, Japanese matcha lattes, Teeccino lattes, mate lattes and hot raw cacao along with the traditional cafe latte (although by now, with all my flavor doctoring, nothing is traditional anymore!). It's rare for me to have a "fluffy" drink away from home now, since these are SO much better than anything you can get at a restaurant (outside of Italy or New Zealand, that is ;)).
A few tips:
1) Do NOT go above the 3rd line with your milk. It will overflow, and that is not fun to clean up. Your little finger's width below the top line (that's what I use to measure) will ensure that you can walk away and come back to a full pitcher of foam that didn't run over.
2) Wait until the very end of the cycle to add sweetener; the foam should be almost at the top. Grade B maple syrup works brilliantly, especially combined with pure vanilla extract and a drop or two of one of the organic flavor essences from Medicine Flower (e.g. Dark Chocolate Flavor Extract By Medicine Flower 15 ml yum!); agave also works fine. Honey flattens the foam, so I tend to mix it into the warm milk by hand after foaming is complete.
3) Unless you can make do with petite lattes, you can usually make enough foam & milk for 2 people per pitcher. So if you are serving more than 2, you must cool the base before subsequent batches. For quickest turnaround, I clean and dry everything, then stick it in the freezer for a minute or two until the base has cooled off.
4) And here's a fun one: if you did happen to pick up a latte when you were out and about, and you didn't finish your drink, when you get home you can throw the cold remains into the Froth Au Lait Gourmet, add some of your own flavoring and fluff up the whole lot. Fantastic.
Bottom line: after a year of daily use, I have nothing but praise for this little wonder. It's perfect for me and one or two friends at a time, which is most of the time. (Next on my wish list is one of those professional grade stainless S14 machines, for entertaining.)
All thumbs way, way up. As Dr. Seuss might say, "Hooray, hooray for the Froth Au Lait Gourmet!" :0)
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This is an outstanding product and company. I have owned 2 other Froth Au Laits and now have the Gourmet; it is phenomenal! I use it at least 3 times a day and absolutely love it! I make froth to eat like whipped cream and to make my own cappucinos. I bought the Nespresso and found it to be absolutely useless, so I went on a hunt for something that made foam the way I wanted it, thick like meringue. I googled "frothers" and found Froth Au Lait on Amazon, so I ordered the mini. It FAR EXCEEDED my expectations but it wasn't big enough for me, so I ordered the Gourmet. It has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. Not only is the product outstanding, making unbelievably thick and lucious foam, the company is wonderful as well. After I made my purchase review on Amazon, the owner actually called me to thank me for my review and as we chatted she found my original order from 10 years ago! This company needs to be known and featured and commended. I will be a Froth Au Lait owner from now on and will do anything I can to make it known to others! Thank you Froth Au Lait for not only having an outstanding product, but for having the kind of customer service that puts you in the stratosphere of outstanding companies.
