Cookingtime The Original Aerolatte Milk Frother

Way back in 2000 when I first worked as a barista and enjoyed the perks of a freshly brewed coffee with a thick crema, I got into drinking hot milk lattes and at times, cappuccino forms with thick white milk foam, fluff and froth. I was chucking away my daily mugs of tea and swapping them for thick home made coffee freshly prepared from a £15000 machine on the premises where I had just started working. Milk froth from industrial machines always carried a minimum temperature between 130° (54°C) Fahrenheit to 145°F (62°C) maximum and 150°F (65°C) for additional syrup based milk drinks such as hot chocolate. Fahrenheit is what they use in coffee shops and I have a heat thermometer that displays the same.

The same year, my mum had purchased her latest additional gadget in the kitchen, the "Thunderstick Pro" multi purpose electric hand stick from a shopping channel on satellite television; one of its underlying promises was whipping up cold skimmed milk into a thick fat free foam. The noise and eventual weight of the hand stick became all too annoying and my mum pined for something which could at least do something that the TS Pro was brilliant at - producing the thickest of milk foam.

Nar2's Quick Skip Product Spec

• All stainless steel round coil whisk.
• Size = 21.6cm by 4.5cm by 3cm.
• Powered by 2 AA replaceable batteries: NOT dishwasher safe.
• Able to produce foam or froth upon use with milk.
• Able to be used for meringues or light sauces.
• Very lightweight, quiet and compact.
• Price in 2000 £14-95.
• Price in 2012 £10-99 to £16-99 dependent on body design.

The Price, The Product & The Promise

So when Aerolatte arrived on the shelves at Lakeland's shop in Glasgow, I was eager to find out more about this little gadget. It looked like nothing I had seen before, because the latest gadget rival on the market was at least 10 times bigger in size and came with additional tools. I bought this initially as a stocking filler to my parents and at just 20cm long in its thin box, it made a suitable stocking filler - quite literally!

At £14-95 though I had to seriously question where my money was going on this hand held tiny whisk and knowing that Lakeland Plastics adore marking up their prices by at least a quarter added onto the original pricing, I began to make tracks in my own research.

Now in 2012, the Aerolatte is still available to buy, but you have to be aware of Pound shop copies, since quite a few copies on the market exist and the original Aerolatte is now available in 6 different designs, priced from £10-99 to £16-99 for a British/Britannia version for the Olympics.

About

Aerolatte is a battery operated mini whisk powered by 2 AA cells which creates a small cyclone effect the moment it hits water - yes the whole household appliance world seem hell bent in getting on the cyclone patent since James Dyson more or less brought the word to the masses. The makers claim that the Aerolatte can whip up a suitable foam for coffee, other hot drinks and produce thick foam and froth in cold drinks too, as well as whipping up a frappe based on instant coffee powder and mere water. All these claims and a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. The gadget also comes with 2 AA batteries already enclosed which means you can use it straight away the moment you get it out of its box.

Two versions were original available all those years ago; the standard chrome version which catches finger marks easily and the Satin finished Aerolatte which was the latest addition to the range. Now 12 years later, the four other bodies have different finishes like the black one here on Ciao to a fun black and white "Cow hide," to a recently introduced British Union Jack flag version.

You can additionally buy the gadget online at Aerolatte's home site, www.aerolatte.com

General Design & Quality

The Aerolatte's construction is firstly made up of a chrome body (but closer inspection will reveal that it's a black plastic construction, which is clearly shown by the strands of plastic revealed in the base lock which holds the electrical seat where one end of the batteries will meet). If you lose this lock catch you will not be able to use the machine and replacements are not available either. By inserting opposite sides of the two batteries into the Aerolatte, you push the base onto the end of the hand whisk and push a black lock (which is ribbed) to lock the base into position. Once this is done, there is only a black slide on switch to worry about. There is also only one speed and you can slide the button down and leave the whisk spinning without having to keep your finger on the button.

Moving further down you'll find a central thin spindle which is permanently attached to the motor/battery casing and at the end a small 1 penny size circular whisk head.

In terms of instruction (and the instruction is a fold out 6 page affair with recipes and general do's and don'ts which have been clearly marked) for the most basic of froth, for example making up froth for hot coffee, the makers advise to heat up milk to 70°F before pushing the whisk into a large mug and in a circular motion whisking the outsides of the liquid to allow air inside the liquid. Once this is done the whisk can then be pushed in and out slowly so that the liquid gets a chance to thicken up. And what a surprise you will get, because hot milk with this gadget will thicken up the milk considerably. The manual suggest between 15 to 20 seconds and to be fair to the makers, yes you do need that amount of short time before you see results. The more you "pull out" with the whisk, the thinner the froth will be but the more you push in, under the milk, the thicker the froth becomes. I was really desperate to see if the froth produced by this gadget bettered the froth that comes out of the industrial steamer at work.

General Performance

Using the Aerolatte is really easy and so lightweight compared to a traditional whisk. Even those mini stainless steel balloon whisks you can buy are no match for the power and speed of the Aerolatte. When it came to initial use, I started testing the Aerolatte on milkshakes and experimented with my own ideas, using low fat semi skimmed milk which had been chilled from the fridge, a couple of table spoons of low fat yogurt and a handful of berries. The fresh berries had been halved and I was interested to see if the machine could blend everything together. Well, as the milk and the berries began to blend together, and the yogurt began to fold in, the milk started to get quite frothy; end result a very thick and lumpy "fruit shake." Don't go thinking that steel whisk head will blend and puree fruit into milk or yogurt - the batteries can only cope with so much and the whisk is not engineered to slice through berries let alone other general fresh fruits - it only goes by its name, adding air to milk, thus "Aero-latte."

A big or large mug is recommended, although those Pyrex measuring jugs are pretty good for "frothing" up milk. Avoid large diameter breakfast bowls though as this whisk is really designed to be used in a drinks mug or narrow tumbler, containing air around its narrow whisk head rather than a wider, more expansive size that the whisk would have to match. The instant frappe idea works well for example when using a narrow tumbler as opposed to the Pyrex jug. When it came to making a frappe, the Aerolatte works superbly well and it works to a degree where I was pleasantly surprised; by adding milk instead of water you get a thicker, creamier taste but it does depend on the type of milk used - another factor which the makers seem to have left out. Their claim is that any milk can be used. But there's a wee problem with that as I'll point out;

Milk Types

Creamier, heavier and thicker consistencies in taste and preference will be found most definitely in full fat cream milk. As I'm a fan of semi skimmed and skimmed milk in general I found that getting a thick head out of the semi-products wasn't as successful compared to full fat cream laden milk. However, when skimmed milk for example is heated, it can develop a beautiful light and frothy foam compared to full fat milk - but it all depends on the temperature you heat your milk at!

All types of milk though can be used; including Soya milk which when tested with the Aerolatte at a hot temperature produced a similar effect to the semi and skimmed milk product results. Aerolatte claim that full fat milk gets thick froth compared to semi skimmed milk which gets the same type of froth when its cold - not possible I'm afraid - the constituents of semi or skimmed milk cannot produce a thick foam for a long duration - compared to semi or skimmed milk which has been hot steam frothed.

General Results

Well, the Aerolatte seems to be able to produce different types of foam and froth but at the cost of one all important aspect; time - and this includes the temperature gauging. Times on heating milk for example are based on an 850 watt microwave oven and the manual suggest that the owner should just find a correct temperature duration for their own preference of heating milk.

If for example you heat milk as preferred by the instruction manual at 70°F (21.1°C) I found that the milk cooled down a lot faster and a thick foam could not be perfected, no matter how many times I stirred and pulled the whisk out of the mug. The manual suggests using a large diameter mug as opposed to a thin vessel to allow air into the mixture. At 120°F (48.8°C) however the milk frothed to a good degree, slightly better and thicker but no match for a steamer from a machine, industrial or domestic with a 15 bar pressure minimum. This is taking into consideration the 15 to 20 whisking rule as set by the Aerolatte's makers.

Similarly, hot milk at 70°F isn't really that "hot" by standards set in cafes which use industrial machines. 100°F (37.7°C) should be able to give you a full hot cup of milk which is satisfying to drink aided by thick foam and suitable froth. That's really the more ideal temperature you should think about when it comes to using this gadget for hot drinks.

When it comes to making a hot coffee, say instant coffee I've found that making a normal black coffee and then putting the foam on top is better than the other way around, say if you are going to make an espresso and then add the milk. Again steamed milk works better here because it is thicker the moment it pours from a jug as opposed to the whisk pushing air through the espresso and mixing the milk in together.

Here's something else they won't tell you in the manual or website. Milk when it is boiled starts to soil between 185°F (85°C) and 200°F (93.3°C). What do I mean by "soil"? Well, the nutrients in milk start to evaporate when milk reaches 185°F and 200°F or anything above this!! Then the milk on its own goes rotten. This in effect means that milk starts to allow bacteria to set in if it is boiled to that temperature and over.

The taste is very light and very airy though - and the final result doesn't last very long due to the whisk's inability to spin milk at a faster rpm.

Downsides

Aerolatte is a very good gadget to keep in the home, but there are some downsides which blunt a very well thought out gadget. Firstly, it is not a machine that I consider to be a direct replacement for making frothed milk completely. Morphy Richards who make filter coffee machines similarly discovered that consumers who had bought their machines with the added milk frother whisk were not satisfied with the results - you really do need a steam gun which thickens and froths up milk properly - or to a proper standard that Italians and Americans prefer, which by all accounts in cafes such as Starbucks and private Italian coffee shops, you can easily sample and compare.

The battery power is woeful if you try the gravy recipe. Traditional or made up gravy needs to thicken over time and you don't need a whisk such as this to cut your time - who wants froth on gravy anyway? The TS Pro stick on the other hand which uses constant electric power and a thicker commercial grade steel blade thickens gravy and pushes the fat onto the steel head - which this gadget cannot accomplish - at all. Remember the head on the Aerolatte is a circular design and being a whisk it has wrapped coils which allow air to enter into the food product you are mixing. Gravy when it thickens starts to burn the batteries down and the result means you have to replace the batteries and think again.

A battery power level indication light would have been handy to know when the batteries are losing power. There's nothing to let you know when your power source is failing other than the speed and sound of the motor - and there's nothing worse than realising you haven't got any spare batteries lying around to show off to your friends! More often than not, the small "whine" that the motor produces when fresh batteries are installed is minimal and the gadget doesn't interrupt low conversation in the kitchen when friends are around! When the batteries are losing power, the motor lessens in pitch sound and of course power starts to decrease. Forget using rechargeable batteries too as the little motor in this whisk demands full power all the time.

Additionally, the handle on the Aerolatte gets quite hot over time and that is all down to the pressure and strain the batteries have been put under. I got a shock once when I grabbed the handle with wet hands, so it has to be said the Aerolatte isn't double insulated for safety. Even if the batteries aren't under strain the heat of the user's hand can heat up the motor casing and from time to time, the chrome body (or Satin if you so choose) can slip out of the hand which knocks the batteries the moment it hits a hard surface.

The spindle and whisk are not removable from the motor. Although the metal used on the latter are stainless steel and are apparently of food grade metal, the casing on the motor isn't and you have to be extremely careful when cleaning this gadget. I found the worst food type to be hot chocolate which clung to the spindle and the whisk head and it took several hours dipped in hot water for the stick to become completely clean.

The stand that comes with the Aerolatte is near useless. No attempt has been made to allow the stand to accommodate a mug, which seems silly since the gadget can be switched on and left on without holding your finger on it. The stand also has a tendency to fall over if it has not been put on a flat surface and it cannot be wall mounted either.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the Aerolatte is a little gadget for those who can not go without trying the latest gadget or who dreams of the thick, milky creamy consistency that adorns their Starbucks or similar franchise premium coffee treat. However after three years of using this handy little whisk, my Aerolatte began to rust at the end of the motor casing which then caused that food grade metal to discolour. This did not heighten consumer confidence and whilst I no longer work at a coffee shop I can do without the "half" froth that this gadget works up. I bought another one, this time the Satin clothed one in 2008 and it also rusted in 2011 around the metal shaft and whisk head. It may be made out of "stainless steel," but I'm beginning to wonder after the two I've had between the years.

The cost of the appliance is pretty expensive too and pound shop copies burn out too quickly compared to the original here, which can last up to a month or two if you use this whisk two to three times a week. Any more use and the batteries will only last out to 3 to 4 weeks.

The gadget is upon average safe, but only just - the spindle stops on a safety cut out if anything gets tangled up into it - and it's a great gadget for children to use, but watch that safety aspect because the machine is not built for all weathers.

If you adore froth/fluff then buy an espresso machine which has a minimum of 15 bars of steam pressure. At least frother guns don't rust! Ultimately then, the Aerolatte will whip up a suitable ripple of froth in a mug, but not a storm in a tea cup! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2012

www.aerolatte.com