How to properly use Stella Cappuccina Espresso pot?
January 2, 2010 5:37 PM   Subscribe

How to best use this Stella Cappuccina Espresso stovetop maker?

I'm familiar with stovetop espresso pots, but this one I picked up from the thrift store today has a mechanism for frothing milk as well. I found instructions online that sorta explain it, but they don't say anything about whether or not the milk should be heated first. Is it really gonna get frothy before it's heated--that seems not really possible to me, but what do I know? Or do I heat the milk separately and then add it?
posted by mandymanwasregistered to Food & Drink (5 answers total)
 
Best answer: Yeah, it will get somewhat frothy before heating. It's just pumping air into the milk mechanically; it is not actually a milk steamer. You can do the same thing with any french press as well.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:19 PM on January 2, 2010


Best answer: I use a Mukka pot by Bialetti, which is similar. The steam both froths and heats the milk. I also put some honey in with the milk before putting it on the stove (my wife adds a little cocoa) so it's sweetened without having to stir anything in after it gets frothy and ruin how pretty it looks. Yours looks a little different, but I'm guessing cold milk will work fine.
posted by monkeymadness at 5:54 AM on January 3, 2010


Response by poster: Mmmm, I like the idea of adding something like honey to the milk. Thanks for the info.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 1:52 PM on January 3, 2010


Response by poster: I was having trouble getting the milk hot enough, but I just realized I need to leave it on the stove longer than I would when making just the espresso. Still not really getting froth, but that's not a huge deal.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 2:07 PM on January 3, 2010


Higher-fat content milks are easier to froth (whole, 2%), and make sure you're lifting the plunger entirely out of the milk on each stroke to "capture" air; forcing the air down into the milk is what creates the foam.
posted by bizwank at 12:32 PM on January 9, 2010


« Older Too big for my scanner...   |   Where can Ms. Vegetable buy cheap sarongs in... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.