This article will cover which of the Aeroccino milk frothers is the best, and why it is the best. We will look at what the best Aeroccino milk frother has to offer compared to the other. It will cover some tips and tricks for using one, how to use it, and what it is.
What does the Aeroccino do?
The Aeroccino is a milk frother made by Nespresso. It is an easy to use milk frother that makes frothed milk with the assistance of an automatic whisk at the bottom of the inside of a hand sized cup shaped machine.
Milk is poured into the cylinder, and with the press of a button, it heats and froths the milk in 1 to 2 minutes. It can also froth cold milk. The inside of the cylinder has lines that measure the maximum milk that’s placed in the frother to make frothed milk. The bottom is for frothing hot or cold milk, while the top line is for warming milk with little to no froth.
Even though most people use the heated milk function for making frothed milk, some do find the cold milk froth of value for making cold macchiato drinks and iced lattes.
The Aeroccino became popular for its easy to use pour and push way of automated milk frothing, making the most time consuming part of making cappuccino, lattes, and macchiatos very simple. It also became one of the best milk frothers because it’s basic function of heating milk seldomly became an issue compared to other milk frothing brands over the years.
It uses a whisk formed out of a plastic piece connected to a circle spring to froth the milk by spinning after the milk is placed in it, and the button is pushed. It functions similar to how a blender would with its blade in the middle, expect there is a spinner there with a spring around it instead.
Some people have even found other uses for it, like making hot chocolate.
The standard temperature of the Aeroccino is around 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Which Aeroccino Is The Best Version?
The Areoccino 3 was a huge success, so much that the earlier versions were forgotten. However, later the Aeroccino 4 was released, and the two types of this version have been compared many times with version 4 coming out on top. There weren’t really any issues per se with how the Aeroccino 3 functioned. It definitely performs its job well, but the Aeroccino 4 became a more convenient milk frother that just simply does what it does, just way better.
This is what makes the Aeroccino 4 better than the Aeroccino 3:
- It is dishwasher safe.
- Aeroccino 3 cannot be placed in the dishwasher like the later version can. If done, there is a risk of electrocution, or worse, an electrical fire. The base of the frother also has to be kept dry at all times when set down. It is a convenience to be able to wash in the dishwasher with the lastest version, especially if it is used on a daily basis instead of having to take it apart and clean it every time.
- It has a handle and a spout.
- The earlier version did not have a handle or a spout for pouring the frothed milk into the espresso like the later version does. This is very helpful when having to consecutively pour the milk froth into another cup with coffee in it. It also makes it easier to create latte art with the milk foam.
- The inner spring on the spinner doesn’t have to be removed.
- This was a big issue for some with the Aeroccino 3. The spring to the spinner inside of the machine for frothing milk had to be removed in order to switch from frothed milk to just warming the milk only.
- Some individuals didn’t know which was which when they used the milk frother. The Aeroccino 4’s spring no longer has to be removed, and can perform any of its functions without removing anything.
- The Aeroccino 4 has more features than the Aeroccino 3.
- The Aeroccino 3 has 3 settings to either froth and heat the milk, froth cold milk, or whisking up hot or cold milk by removing the spring inside to get milk without or very little froth (good for just warming the milk of it is on the warm milk setting).
- The functions were all activated by the pressing of one button in the front. Some people didn’t know about the cold frothing function because the button had to be pressed in for 2 to 3 seconds to activate it, in which the button would turn blue instead of red.
- The Aeroccino 4 can froth cold milk, froth hot milk, warm the milk, and add extra extra froth to the frothed milk. Frankly put, it is a better milk frother. The milk looks like hot whipped cream pouring from the frother when it is pouring on top of the coffee. Also, instead of having one button to perform all four tasks, it has four separate buttons at the base of the frother to press individually for each function.
- The first button on the Aeroccino 4 is for cold milk (it turns blue when pressed), the 2nd button is for making warm milk, the 3rd is for regular hot milk frothing, and the 4th is for extra frothing.
The Aeroccino 4 vs Aeroccino 3 is just simply a better version of 3. It froths better, heats better, it’s easier to clean, and it has more functions with more convenience.
The lastest version even has higher temperatures when it heats the milk with better results. It burns the milk at the bottom a little compared to version 3, but don’t worry, it is not a problem if it does and it is easy to wipe off and clean.
No matter which version you invest in, they are both good and capable of doing what they are built to do. They are one of the top milk frothers out there, and worth having if you are making drinks with milk froth all the time. They are capable of not only being used for making cappuccino, lattes, and macchiatos for espresso, but also for teas too. If you haven’t tried making tea macchiatos before, you should!
Tips for using an Aeroccino
- Make sure the Aeroccino is cool before trying to froth heat milk. The frothing time might be cut short if it is still warm or hot from its last usage. For best results, pour cold water into the frother first and let it sit for a second before using it for heated milk. This will make the frothing time longer, resulting in hotter milk with maximum froth.
- If you are using an Aeroccino 4, think of the 4 settings as if they are/were preset for making specific drinks.
- 1st setting would be for making a cold macchiato or latte.
- 2nd setting would be warm milk.
- 3rd if for cappuccinos and hot lattes.
- 4th is for hot macchiatos.
- Washing the Aeroccino with a little warm soap and water is the best way to clean the inside if you are hand washing it.
