B&M’s £20 Milk Frother: Easy to Clean and Makes Silky Smooth Drinks

The budget-friendly milk frother creates silky smooth hot chocolate and coffee drinks

While the festive season has concluded, the allure of cozying up with a warm beverage lingers on. Hot chocolate enthusiasts may be familiar with the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser machine, known for crafting rich and creamy chocolate drinks served hot or cold. However, with older models priced at £100 and newer iterations reaching up to £150, investing in one can feel extravagant, especially during tough economic times.

When we discovered that B&M offers a budget-friendly Milk Frother alternative at a significantly lower price, we were eager to put it through its paces, as reported by Emma Gill, the parent editor at the Manchester Evening News. Here is her review of the product:

Promoted as ideal for lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, and hot chocolate, this device is simple to use and has proven effective in reducing the urge to visit coffee shops like Starbucks.

The frother features four settings, allowing you to choose between ‘hot dense foam,’ ‘hot airy foam,’ ‘hot milk,’ or ‘cold froth.’ Selecting the desired setting is as easy as pressing the same button multiple times, making it user-friendly.

For drinks that require foam, you need less milk, as the liquid expands while heating and frothing. This results in milk at the perfect drinking temperature, ready to pour directly into your cup.

Using the ‘hot milk’ setting warms your beverage without creating foam, leading to a pleasantly warm drink without being excessively hot. The standout feature is how delightfully smooth the beverages turn out, with various hot chocolate sachets yielding drinks free of lumps or residue.

The results for coffee were equally impressive.

Since the Hotel Chocolat sachets contain real chocolate flakes, we also tried using a crushed Twirl bar broken into smaller pieces.

Our first attempt was not entirely successful, as the milk heated using the ‘foam’ setting was not warm enough to melt all the chocolate pieces. Additionally, some bits were slightly too large.

However, our second attempt proved successful by first heating the milk with the ‘hot milk’ setting, then adding finer chocolate shavings before opting for the ‘hot dense foam’ function. Just remember to reduce the milk quantity to prevent overflow.

While using real chocolate bars did not yield significant improvements for the extra effort involved, the manual advises against it.

Moreover, when standard hot chocolate sachets – whether Galaxy, Cadbury, or your brand of choice – produce drinks that are luxuriously smooth, keeping it simple is advisable. Plus, it’s more economical.

This frother’s cold froth function will likely be saved for warmer days, ensuring it doesn’t end up stored away collecting dust.

Cleanup is a breeze as well. A quick rinse after use is usually adequate, or alternatively, some warm soapy water if left dirty for a while.

With drinks that are free of lumps, there is minimal residue to manage. The appliance resembles B&M’s Hot Chocolate and Coffee Milk Frother from the store’s Heat and Eat collection, although this Blaupunkt-branded version is available year-round and retails for £20.

It can currently be found in B&M stores.

Key Takeaways

• Budget-friendly milk frother available at B&M for £20.
• Simple to use with four settings for crafting beverages.
• Excellent for home-made lattes, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate.
• Produces smooth drinks without lumps or residue.
• Easy to clean; requires minimal maintenance.
• A cost-effective alternative to expensive chocolate machines.

FAQ

What types of beverages can the milk frother make?

The milk frother is suitable for preparing lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, and hot chocolate.

How easy is it to clean the frother?

Cleaning is straightforward; usually a quick rinse suffices, or use warm soapy water for dried milk.

Is the frother’s performance comparable to expensive machines?

It offers impressive results and is a budget-friendly alternative to high-priced models.

Can I use real chocolate in the frother?

While you can try it, the manual advises against using actual chocolate bars for best results.