Having emerged more than 50 years ago in Italy, the profession of barista was able to gain popularity in our country as well. After all, making coffee is a whole art that requires skillful hands. The barista has many professional accessories at his disposal. One of them is a pitcher, without which it is impossible to make a real cappuccino or latte.
What is a pitcher
The pitcher is a small stainless steel pitcher. It is usually pear-shaped with a wide base and a narrower neck. The pitcher is made of a thin sheet of steel. Pitchers of different sizes from 200 to 1000 ml are on sale, however, for the convenience of using a pitcher with a volume of no more than 0.6 liters, it will be quite enough. The optimal volume for producing airy foam is about 250 ml.
In the pitcher, the barista froths the milk to prepare coffees that require milk froth, such as cappuccino and latte. The preparation of these drinks requires a velvety, glossy foam with fine, barely perceptible bubbles. Of course, it is impossible to prepare it with the help of one pitcher. The barista's arsenal also includes a cappuccino maker - a special nozzle for coffee machines that supplies steam to the pitcher at high pressure, and a milk thermometer to control its temperature.
How to prepare milk froth correctly
Pour milk into a pitcher. The milk level should be at least 1 cm to the bottom of the spout, but always below the starting point of the spout. This is usually about half the pitcher. The milk should be cold, it is better if the pitcher is also chilled. The milk froth preparation process consists of two stages. The first - directly foaming - helps to obtain volume, the amount of foam increases. At the second stage, the foam is heated, its texture improves, and what is called microfoam is formed. Foaming should continue until the milk temperature reaches 37 ° C.
Place the end of the cappuccino maker in a milk pitcher. The nozzle should be on the farthest wall of the pitcher and enter the milk at an angle. After turning on the steam, it is necessary to move the pitcher so that the milk rotates clockwise. Some coffee machines have a rotary function for the cappuccinatore. If not, then this movement is done manually. The right hand holds the pitcher by the handle, the left hand supports it from below. As the volume of milk increases, the pitcher must be lowered lower and lower, but so that large bubbles do not form. In this case, a uniform hissing sound of the cappuccinatore should be heard, without squealing. It is important to hold the nozzle against the side of the pitcher while the milk is foaming. As soon as the milk becomes warm, you need to move on to the next step, otherwise the foam will turn out to be dry.
Now move the nozzle a little away from the side of the pitcher and immerse it deeper into the milk. The rotation of the pitcher must continue continuously. At this stage, the milk foam is heated to a temperature of no more than 65-70 ° C. Once the pitcher gets so hot that it becomes difficult to keep your hand on the side of the pitcher, the milk foam is ready for further use.
