Purchasing Decision
Last summer (June 2005) I received a Kenwood New York Smoothie Maker, which was chosen to enable me to create and mix my own smoothies and cocktails. Following on from this, I recently spotted the Kenwood Frothie Maker being advertised which although able to mix cold ... Read review
Advantages: Quick, simple, hot frothy drinks Disadvantages: Waiting time between drink making
...(June 2005) I received a Kenwood New York Smoothie Maker, which was chosen to enable me to create and mix my own smoothies and cocktails. Following on from this, I recently spotted the Kenwood Frothie Maker being advertised which although able to mix cold drinks, was also able to heat and mix the perfect frothy drinks. Being a sucker for a new marketing gadget for the kitchen I quickly persuaded someone to purchase this for me for Christmas (December ... .../>
The Kenwood Frothie Maker is a unique machine designed to create hot and frothy drinks by mixing your chosen ingredients and heating them at the same time. Uniquely it is also designed to mix cold frothy drinks.
It has been designed with a specific "Frothy Mix" button that is pressed before serving, ensures your drink is dispensed perfectly whilst maintaining a level of froth. This is also ideal when mixing cold drinks ... more
Purchasing Decision
Last summer (June 2005) I received a Kenwood New York Smoothie Maker, which was chosen to enable me to create and mix my own smoothies and cocktails. Following on from this, I recently spotted the Kenwood Frothie Maker being advertised which although able to mix cold drinks, was also able to heat and mix the perfect frothy drinks. Being a sucker for a new marketing gadget for the kitchen I quickly persuaded someone to purchase this for me for Christmas (December 2005).
Kenwood Frothie
The Kenwood Frothie Maker is a unique machine designed to create hot and frothy drinks by mixing your chosen ingredients and heating them at the same time. Uniquely it is also designed to mix cold frothy drinks.
It has been designed with a specific "Frothy Mix" button that is pressed before serving, ensures your drink is dispensed perfectly whilst maintaining a level of froth. This is also ideal when mixing cold drinks such as milkshakes or specific cocktails.
The Frothie Maker is ideally packaged in polystyrene in a neat little box coloured similar to that of a cappuccino, whilst retaining a design of the product and several produced drinks on the exterior.
Alongside the product are a recipe booklet, and an instruction guide…as well as a quick cappuccino reference recipe.
Product and Design
The Frothie Maker is basically a large mixing/measuring goblet secured onto a power unit. Included also are the lid, a dispensing facility and a brush to aid cleaning the inside of the goblet. This brush I find indispensable especially when cleaning the goblet after making hot chocolate, as I often find pieces of dried chocolate clinging to the base of the unit, and the brush enables me to easily clean them off.
On the power unit are 3 buttons:
Off switch Heat & Mix switch Frothy Mix
Instructions
Within the instruction guide are important details on safety, instructions before first usage, how to use the appliance, cleaning guidelines and service and customer care guidelines.
Safety
Before using the Frothy maker it's recommended by Kenwood that the instruction booklet is read carefully and retain for future reference. Key safety points include:
1. Never immerse the Goblet or allow the underside to get wet, and ensure the goblets thoroughly dry before use. 2. Never let the power unit, cord or plug get wet 3. Never leave the appliance unattended especially if young persons are around 4. Beware, the appliance does become very hot during application 5. Only use the appliance for its intended use
First usage
Before using the appliance for the first time it is recommended that it is cleaned thoroughly. This I found to be true as the product had become slightly dusty whilst in transit and before purchase.
Using the Frothy Maker
Now for the fun part! To use your Frothy maker, ensure everything is assembled correctly and check the dispensing lever is in the off position. This is a wise move, as unlike me you don't want to spill milk all over your kitchen counter!
Place the liquid ingredients inside the goblet first, this I found prevents the dried ingredients from clinging to the sides of the goblet and aids the cleaning process.
Secondly add the dried ingredients, such as cocoa powder and sugar. Ingredients such as cinnamon sticks or vanilla pods can also be added but purely to retain flavour. The Frothy maker isn't a blender so doesn't chop solid ingredients, and they would become stuck in the dispenser.
Cover the goblet with the lid, and secure tightly.
Press the heat & Mix button, and the mixing and heating operation will commence. The appliance will automatically stop once the optimum temperature has been reached. Although I haven't yet timed this exactly I have found that this takes approximately the same time as a kettle takes to boil.
When the heat and mix program is ended, place a cup/mug underneath the dispensing tap, press the frothy mix button and lift the lever to dispense the drink. This is slightly noisy than the heat and mix program (which incidentally is louder than a kettle, but quieter than the Kenwood New York Smoothie maker) but the end result is a delicious frothy drink. Once the drink has been dispensed you just need to press the off button to end the frothy cycle.
Kenwood recommend a few hints when sing the Frothie Maker to ensure you achieve the optimum results from your product.
These include: - Consume the drink straight away as this is when its at its richest and frothiest - For added richness include a dollop of cream - this increases the thickness of your drink, and I find goes really well when make a deluxe hot chocolate. - The maximum capacity of the goblet is 1.2litres, but remember some ingredients increase in size when heated so be careful not to overfill
When mixing cold drinks you obviously don't need to press the heat and mix button. I tend to pour some milk into the goblet, add a large dollop of ice-cream and a few spoonfuls of strawberry syrup press the frothy mix button for approximately 1 to 2 minutes to ensure the ingredients are mixed together and then dispense into a tall glass. This results in one instant strawberry milkshake!
Cleaning
Unfortunately after the fun part of making and mixing the frothy drinks comes the cleaning part. The Kenwood Frothy maker must be cleaned after each use (unless your making the same drink consecutively) to ensure that food doesn't become dried to the goblet and the product remains fresh.
Remember the underside of the goblet and the power unit must not become wet, as this could damage the product. Instead use the brush provided to clean the inside of the product and fill with warm water, allowing it to slowly dispense through the tap. The unit should be wiped carefully with a damp cleaning cloth.
As I mentioned above food does become stuck to the goblet, but if you find the brush doesn't remove it easily, fill the goblet with water and run the heat and mix cycle, as this generally loosens the dried on food particles.
Service and customer care.
Found inside of the instruction booklet and details on the service and customer care of the Frothy Maker. These include a phone number to ring for customer care, and an alternative number for spares and attachments.
The guarantee offered by Kenwood is one year, although this doesn't cover neglect, misuse or modifications. You will also need your receipt to as proof of purchase.
Recipes
Okay after the sensible instructions, safety, usage and cleaning guidelines, you really need to know some recipes in order to make the most of the Frothy Maker.
Included with the product is a comprehensive recipe booklet including such recipes as:
Cappuccino Vanilla and Cream Coffee Gourmet Hot Chocolate Chilli Chocolate Apple Lemon Punch Chocolate Milkshake Pineapple Spice Tea
Although there are many other recipes included, you are also encouraged to adapt and change recipes to suit your personal tastes.
The Cappuccino recipe is the one I have used the most often as this is extremely simple:
1. Put all the ingredients (liquid first) into the goblet 2. Press heat and mix 3. At the end of the cycle, press frothy button and dispense into two cups
And Voila! You have the perfect cappuccino.
It doesn't matter which brand of coffee you use, that's all a matter of personal taste, although I would recommend using full-fat milk for some of the creamy recipes to guarantee that level of richness and taste.
Conclusion
Since receiving the Kenwood Frothy Maker for Christmas (December 2005) I have used the appliance on a regular basis, generally making hot chocolates and cappuccinos for myself and friends. The drinks have always been well received, and we were inclined to agree that the quality and taste (again dependant on your ingredients) far surpassed the coffee we were drinking at work.
Although I received mine as a gift it can be purchased from most good kitchen outlets including Argos where it retails for GBP 39.99 (January 2006)
I do find the actual usage of the appliance very simple and although I tend to keep the recipe booklet to hand, find I don't actually use it very often now, unless I wish to try a new recipe out.
Cleaning hasn't been too much of a problem, although after making several hot chocolates in a row, I did find I needed to use the cleaning brush more than normal.
One observation I have made though, is that when switching between drink types you need to leave the machine for around 15 minutes to cool down. This I think is a safety mechanism within the product, and would also be applicable if you were making hot then cold drinks. However as we all tend to drink the same drink (which takes longer than 15 minutes) we haven't found this has been a problem.
Unfortunately I do think that has relegated by New York Smoothie Maker to the back of the cupboard for a while, especially while the cold weather is still with us. By the time the summer comes I'll be stuck for choice as to which appliance to use.
Overall this is definitely a product a recommend, as it produces quick, easy and satisfyingly brilliant drinks.
Advantages: great drinks, good price Disadvantages: noisey
...patiently, and more patiently until Kenwood brought out a machine and at an affordable price to.
I bought the machine and lke a 5 year old at Christmas ripped open the box. Inside was the machine. Appearance-wise is has a stand and on top of that there is the jug. It just looks like a normal blender but jug shaped. With the machine you are given a recipe book. At first I was confused because I assumed you got sachet's to put into the machine but ... ...so you buy your own ingredients.
I started flicking through the recipe book thinking I had been conned before even putting the plug in. However, the recipes didn't seem all that difficult, most consisting of the same kind of ingredients so that it wasn't a case of buying a hundred different things that would never be used. Inside the book it says these recipes can then be made advanced when you get more confident but to be honest I really don't ...
ms19 04.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kenwood Frothie Maker
Advantages: quick and easy deliciouse drinks hot or cold Disadvantages: lack of coulor schemes and noise
The kenwood frothie maker. At first glance it just looks like another instalment of the kitchen gadgetry fad. WRONG!!! This is new and innovative idea from kenwood set to revolutionise the way we make hot and cold fun drinks. Lets start with its appearance.
Appearance
The frothie maker consists of a semi transparent (frosted) plastic jug with black handle at the rear a and pouring tap up front. It is a similar size to that of any other kitchen ... ...out of place but if kenwood where to make this machine in alternative colour's I would possible consider changing.
Function
Lets start with hot drinks. So far I have used the frothie maker mainly create delicious thick and frothie hot chockie's so hears how. Its really quite simple just pour in your milk (up to 8 cups/4 mugs) then add your chocolate powder, I also add a few shakes of cinnamon or ginger this ads a burst of extra flavour. Once you ...
krishook 21.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kenwood Frothie Maker
Advantages: The variety of hot and cold drinks Disadvantages: Noisy, instant cleaning necessary - both minor complaints
My mum used to run a cafe, and she loved her 'frothy coffee'. Since selling the cafe she no longer had a milk steamer, and therefore no more frothy goodness! Until this machine came along...
Being a fan of hot chocolate myself, I bought two at Christmas - one for myself and one for my mum. I was impressed with the large range of drinks in the included recipe book, and the very extensive indexing of ingredients at the back of the book! But not quite ... ...you get the basic idea.
Opening the box, there are very clear warnings NEVER to submerge the goblet in water. All cleaning must be done with the brush provided, immediately after use. Do not dishwash, and do not allow to dry. If your mixture does dry, you can add water and re-heat to loosen before cleaning.
You drop your ingredients in the jug as normal (let's say for arguments sake we're making a hot chocolate) - 15g of dark cooking chocolate ...
blindingphil 16.03.2007 (07.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kenwood Frothie Maker
Advantages: Quick, Easy to Use Disadvantages: Obvious design fault, noise
...kitchen where I found the Kenwood Frothie Drinks maker. She loved it and used it all the time.
Like the many others on here - I'm a sucker for a kitchen gadget so this was promptly put on my wishlist. At nearly 40 pounds this is no cheap gadget but for the luxury of frothy coffees and hot chocolates I felt I deserved it!
Christmas came and I couldn't hide my excitement when this little baby showed up. It was simply designed and came with easy instructions ... ...on the machine were clear - 1 for heating, 1 for mixing.
Within a few (noisy)minutes I was producing fantastic coffees and feeling very proud of myself.
That evening I was clearing the kitchen and readying the gadget for the next days use. The jug simply comes off the base unit and washes (not in the dishwasher though). So humming carols (had had too much caffeine by that point!) I set about washing, drying, and replacing the goblet back on the ...
Crossweasel 25.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Kenwood Frothie Maker
Advantages: easy to use, easy to clean Disadvantages: you go through too much milk
...in her kitchen was the Kenwood Frothie.
She showed me how it worked, the recipe book and how to clean it. I wanted one, but at nearly £40 I knew I couldn't afford one and my husband would say what a waste of money.
I knew that one day I would have one even if it was a year later.
1 month down the line I saw one in my catalogue and ordered it, I couldn't wait till it arrived and to get frothing!!
It is very easy to use,
1 put in your liquid (usually ... ...mix
3 press froth and pour
easy as 1 2 3.
It heats up and stops when it comes up to the correct temperature so no watching or timing needed. It has suction feet so sticks to the work surface so it won't fall off.
To clean just rinse out or fill with hot soapy water. Do not immerse in water though because of the electrical parts at the bottom.
It comes complete with recipe book, so you can make, Hot Chocolate, coffee, Milkshakes, fruit punches. ...
princess11 16.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Kenwood Frothie Maker
Performance
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Advantages: Instant hot / cold milky drinks all day Mmmmm Disadvantages: Too noisy, cooked milk a pain to clean, mine broke on day 5
I bought my KenwoodFrothie Drink Maker because the price of lattes in town are anything from £1.50 upwards. At first it was brilliant and the kids in particular enjoyed milkshakes - However one morning it just would not work and I ended up chucking it in the bin. I can't be doing with all this posting about of damaged items. So my relationship with this machine lasted an amazing 5 days :(
My experience would not stop me from recommending it however - I obviously got a duff one. The fact that you can have hot choc or frothy coffee on the go all day is sooo cotinental and great for when visitors come round. They just go into the kitchen and help themselves. You can add sugar to the machine or add it afterwards to suit individuals taste. ...
Advantages: Yummy frothie coffee Disadvantages: cleaning it is a bit of a pain
I got this as a christmas present but hadn't used it until recently. The machine is great. It's really easy to use, pour in the cold milk, add coffee and push the button, the machine runs its course and at the end you have a lovely hot frothy coffee! There's a lot of options for different drinks too, I've made milkshakes and smoothies as well There's a heat and froth or just a froth button so you get the option of hot or cold drinks. The machine can be a bit difficult to clean, the milk can stick to the bottom of the jug and you can't fully immerse it in water to wash it because the base is electrical so you have to use the long handles brush to scrub it out. Also if the coffee has been made really frothy then it cant pour out the spout. ...
Advantages: Mixes cold and hot drinks, enough for the whole family; heats evenly Disadvantages: Machine is a bit noisy
This frothiemaker is excellent. It heats up enough drink (for example, hot chocolate), for a family. Or you can have cold drinks such as milkshake.
We just add enough milk and some hot chocolate powder, and it will heat it all up within a few minutes. So everybody's hot chocolate is ready at the same time, and is warm enough. If you have cold drinks, they can be mixed too. Everything is mixed evenly.
The only negative is that some people may find that the machine is a little noisy.
The machine, made by Kenwood, feels of good quality, very durable, and easy to clean, although it can't be put in the dishwasher.
Comes with a free recipe booklet, with some good suggestions.
This is an excellent machine, which I would definately recommend. ...
