Dried or burnt-on milk can be a real pain to clean off your milk frother. And, whilst these increasingly popular devices help give us our frothy-coffee-fix, not many of us relish cleaning them.
What’s more not every milk frother is cleaned the same way. For example, electric and stovetop frothers can suffer from burnt on milk. The problem is this can’t simply be scrubbed away because it can damage the non-stick lining found on many frothers of this kind. Whereas handheld frothers can get dried on milk stuck to the whisk head which can be tricky to remove.
Milk has a propensity to weld itself to our milk frothers because it contains sugar (lactose) and protein (casein) that can caramelize into a sticky paste.
But, not cleaning your milk frother thoroughly introduces problems. The worst of which is a build-up of bacteria and nasty odours on the frother itself. This can even taint the taste of your drinks – yuck!
In this guide, we’ll cover cleaning EVERY kind of milk frother. We’ll also show you the best methods we know to help make keeping your milk frother sparkling clean simple and easy.
Cleaning A Handheld Milk Frother
Handheld milk frothers are, by far, the easiest to clean. Compact units such as the ever-popular Aerolatte can be cleaned one of two ways.
The first is immediately after use. A careful wipe with a soapy sponge and rinse in warm water will quickly leave your milk frother sparkling.
The second way is just as easy, and a little more fun;
Step 1
Fill a cup or small glass with warm water and a little washing-up liquid (a drop or two is all that is required).
Step 2
Place the whisk head into the water and switch on your milk frother. Leave it running for 10-15 seconds then switch off and remove.
Step 3
Empty the glass, give it a quick rinse and fill with clean water (no soap this time). Place the whisk of your frother back into the water and again turn on for 10-15 seconds and remove. This will clean away any soap residue. Although a rinse under the tap will do just as good a job.
Cleaning An Electric Milk Frother
Popular electric frothers such as the Dualit 84135 or Vonshef can be cleaned fairly simply and generally all-electric frothers follow a similar cleaning process:
Step 1
To begin, unplug the milk frother and remove the main jug from the base of the appliance.
Step 2
Remove the whisk and clean it by carefully washing it under a running tap with a soapy, non-abrasive sponge. Once clean, dry thoroughly.
Step 3
Remove the lid from the milk frother and carefully wipe this with a soft wet sponge. Milk can sometimes get behind the rubber seal found on many lids. If this can be removed carefully do so and wipe the seal itself. Then dry the lid and seal thoroughly before re-attaching the seal to the lid.
Step 4
Lastly is cleaning the main milk frother housing. This should never be submerged in water. Instead, careful wiping with a wet, non-abrasive sponge should be all that is required. Many electric milk frothers feature a non-stick coating which should make this easy.
But, if you find there is some stubborn, stuck-on burnt milk you can clean it one of two ways.
- The first is to place a little water inside the milk frother and leave it to soak for 5-10 minutes. After which the burnt milk can be wiped away.
- The second is to use a small wooden or plastic spoon to carefully scrape away the milk. You should NEVER use a metal spoon since this will damage the non-stick coating.
Once finished give the housing a quick rinse out, again being careful not to get the main body of the unit wet, and dry.
Step 5
The main housing can be carefully wiped with a soft, damp sponge and then dried. Cleaning chemicals can sometimes tarnish the chrome or brass finish found on some appliances so using these should be avoided.
Cleaning A Stove Top/manual Milk Frother
Manual milk frothers such as the Bodum are one of the easiest to clean. Some can be placed in their entirety into a dishwasher. And, because they have no electrical parts, they can even be washed up like any of your other crockery or cutlery.
If you plan on washing a stove top frother manually we recommend:
Step 1
Remove the plunger and mesh from the jug and wash. This should be washed using warm soapy water and then rinsed under a running tap. This will allow you to not only remove all the soap suds but also ensure you have cleaned away all of the milk. The mesh needs to be dried thoroughly after washing since some are made of metal and can rust if left damp.
Step 2
Clean the jug using a soft soapy sponge to wipe away any milk deposits. For stubborn burnt-on milk soak for 5-10 minutes before wiping away. Once complete dry thoroughly and replace the plunger.
