CuisinoxPolished Stainless Steel Hand Pump Cappuccino Milk Frother, 27 oz, 5" high

I have been using a cappuccino milk frother like this that is about half the size. This size isn't really necessary if you're making cappuccino milk froth because the smaller size makes plenty and probably makes more than you'll need -- even for four or five servings. I thought I might want the larger size, though, because I put skim milk in it instead of whole, add some Splenda or Stevia powder, and a touch of vanilla, and pour the froth into a very large (think 12- or 14-oz) plastic cup and put it into the freezer. An hour later or so I scoop it out, add berries or fuit, and I have my version of nonfat ice cream. Not for everyone, I guess. But I like it.All this only explains why I wanted to check out the large size.I have a friend who also is watching her weight. She tasted my milk froth ice cream and decided she wanted to do that also. The joy of these hand pumps is that it only takes a minute to make this, and no batteries are required. And the frother will last forever with no maintenance at all. No electricity to worry about. No batteries to leak and destroy the thing. And I actually might burn 3 or 4 extra calories using my own energy to pump up the froth.Anyway, my pal usually has a holiday open house, so I was debating whether to keep this, or take it to her as a little gift instead of the traditional bottle of wine.Well, when the package arrived my decision was made for me.While the stainless steel frother was undamaged -- it had been properly packaged for shipping -- and in fine condition inside a plastic envelope, the original product box it came in was old, worn out, and battered beyond belief. It looked like it had been in the basement for 40 years and endured the ravages of dust, rats, four or five household moves, and a random tornado here and there. (Maybe, in fact, it had, actually). I can't think of any other reason a box would look like that. It was really disgraceful. I never would be able to give a gift in a box like that. Take it out of the box and just wrap the item? Tacky.So, I guess I'll keep it for myself. I could order the smaller one for her.Maybe it's best that way. This way she will have to start with the small, personal-sized one, and work up to making this dry-froth milk ice cream in bulk.One word -- or maybe 200 words -- to anyone who wants to try my recipe: When you put the froth into the freezer in the large plastic cup, the top part freezes really fast -- say, in 10 or 15 minutes or so. But while it's all cooling down, some of the bubbles burst and part of the froth reverts back to liquid form and sinks to the bottom. So, in place of "stirring the pot on the stove," I end up going to the freezer and "stirring the frozen slush." I go back every 10 or 15 minutes to give the batch another stir. The end result -- if I can resist eating it that long -- is a snowy confection that is sort of like dipping your spoon into a new spring snowfall. I put little colored sprinkles in it sometimes instead of blueberries. Sometimes little mini chocolate chips (except that's sort of a waste of calories since frozen chocolate doesn't really have a taste and this goes down too fast to taste the chips), Sometimes I add a small sprinkling of shredded, sweetened coconut, but my favorite add-ins are either a tablespoonful of sliced almonds (yum!) or small diced watermelon, or sliced strawberries. (Think poor man's Pinkberry.) So, maybe it's good that I'll be making more for myself -- eat one now, save one for later. But I will have to use extra self-control not to eat the whole thing.Come to think of it, I could wait until after a television boxing match or a football game and then rescue my hubby's empty Dreyer's ice cream bin, rinse it out and dry it thoroughly, and then pour this froth mixture into that. A Tupperware container might also work, or an empty Whole Food's clear plastic deli container (they also use those plastic containers for bulk dried grains and nuts).In using the plastic cup method, the unstirred bottom part freezes really hard, but if you keep stirring it every so many minutes as I explained, you can avoid that. Or, if you forget and the milk does end up settling and freezing hard, after you scoop out the top froth and set it back into the freezer, you can nuke the hard part in the microwave for 10 or 11 seconds and that softens it enough to eat again.Or, if you're impatient with the whole check-and-stir process, after you've scooped off the top dry-frozen froth, as long as the bottom liquidy part as not yet set up to freeze, you can re-pump that bottom liquid again and turn THAT into it's own froth.One last thing, if you want a really smooth texture which also is a little creamy (and a little less super frothy) you can add about 1/4 tsp of guar gum, or maybe a trifle more, to the milk mixture and before you pump the air into it. IT doesn't froth up as well, but the taste is smoother when it's frozen. ALSO -- if you're thinking of using sugar instead of Stevia or Splenda, NEVER add sugar BEFORE frothing. The sugar -- even if it's well melted and dissolved -- impedes the frothing process. Instead, wait until the froth is half frozen and then sprinkle in the amount of sugar you want while stirring. This will add a nice crunchy texture -- like sweet bursts of flavor. (However, I wouldn't know about that since, well, you know, I'm on a diet and NEVER use sugar. ;-).Truth to tell, I suppose my fretting about the dilapidated box it came in is rather pointless since I've now talked myself into keeping the large-size unit. I wrote this for future generations who might get some benefit from the idea of using a hand-pump milk frother, not only for Cappuccino, but also for a tasty frozen dinner treat. It seems rather sacrilegious to hijack an Italian gourmet product and turn it into a rather low-brow (eat-as-you-go) American diet aid. [My Italian friend who sent my my first hand-pump Cappuccino frother would die if he read this!)Anyway, the whole thing is probably moot anyway. This was the ONLY store offering the large-size frother, and it was their last one. So, beggars can't be choosers and I'm glad, after all this, that I have it.However, should you ever find another large-sized milk frother, you'll now have two ideas as to how to use it (the first being to actually make real cappuccino froth to serve on top of cappuccino or cocoa for 10 people or more after big, family holiday dinners.)So there.Bon appetit!

In my latest previous frother, reviewed on September 5,2011, I stated that I hoped the frother would last 4 or 5 years. It lasted 4 months. This is the problem with glass (Bodum) frothers around our house. Annoyed with losing that one so soon, I resorted to ordering this one. Stainless steel...hah...let someone try breaking that one. I've only used it about 4 times so far. The performance is approximately equivalent to Bodum frothers I've used for the last 15 years. One difference I do note is that the screen on the frother is slightly coarser than the Bodum, thus the bubbles aren't quite as fine and don't last as long as the bubbles on the Bodum. It does capture the froth better than the Bodum, thus it doesn't overflow as bad, requiring a wipe down of the outside. Because its steel it can't go in the microwave, which is the only disadvantage I see. At the moment I'm trying to figure out a pitcher to heat in the microwave and store the milk/creamer in the fridge. Once I have that, I think I'll have found a permanent solution.Tips on frothing:I use more milk than they say, probably about a third the volume of this frother.The fatter the milk, the better the froth (oil froths better). We use a combination of 2% and fat free, plus some flavored coffeemate flavored (liquid) creamer.If you want to make the equivalent of the expensive Starbuck's coffee, then make the froth like I mention above, but use the standard (stainless) stove top espresso maker to make the coffee (the 8 or 6 cup model). Use natural/demara sugar, it has a better flavor. Cut the espresso and froth about half and half with a suitable amount of sugar....capuccino for a lot cheaper than 3 bucks a cup. For coffee I prefer LaVazza (Italian). If you're lucky enough to live in Florida, there's a ton of decent excellent espresso coffees for cheap (pick any Publix). If you're somewhere else, Starbuck's Italian provides good consistent flavor (but not cheap).Careful not to overheat the milk, you can cause it to boil over, and it makes it harder to handle....oops...you're on your way to your next frother or pitcher.Typically we keep the frother (now pitcher) loaded (about half filled) and set to go in the fridge. We usually heat more milk than we need and just keep it in the fridge between cups of coffee. It will hold there without a problem. We just add more for the next cup of coffee (once a day, twice a day on weekends). It keeps and I don't think bacteria gets a chance with nuking once a day. You should probably put your milk pitcher through the dishwasher once a week or so.

Would recommend to anyone!Lots of fun to use while foaming up the milk.It is all stainless steel and well built.One Con being the edge of the cup is sharp enough to cut hands when cleaning, would be nice to round off the edge for future models

I have owned this thing since 2015 and used it only a couple times. It did alright at frothing my milk, but I wasn't feeling it due to the effort vs. reward.Well, finally I decided to try again and see if I could actually get some good froth. Turns out, that in the time it takes to make the coffee I can easily make the best home milk froth I have ever accomplished.Here is how simple it is.1)Pour your desired amount of COLD milk in, keeping in mind the volume will increase 3-4x due to the frothing. The secret here is to not heat the milk, and that is why it never worked for me in the past.2)Plunge away for 30 seconds or so. You will start to feel the pressure increasing as the milk froths. Feel free to check halfway to see if you have a good froth, it won't hurt anything3)Pour everything into a measuring cup or something else microwave safe (or just heat it on the stovetop in a pot of boiling water if you are anti-microwave)4)Microwave for 45 seconds to a minute(skip for stovetop method)5)Using a spoon to block the froth pour some of the thinner milk into your coffee6)Spoon on the desired amount of rich, thick froth that lasts as long as your coffee willI am extremely happy with this purchase now. I am currently enjoying a french press brewed dark roast, with a bit of maple syrup, some milk froth that still holds after 10 minutes, and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.I have used the little gadgets that look like a little metal halo, expensive super automatic espresso machines, and even manually shaking it to try and get a good froth in the past. Nothing beats this simple device, it is just as good as any of the expensive coffee shops produce.Again, use COLD milk when you froth, heat it up after. You will never go back.edit 03-27-2021 - updated info to mention the suggestion of using a double boiler method to heat it up gently. It does a great job if you want to put in that extra effort. Essentially you put the container (without the lid) into really hot water to gently heat the milk up the the temp you want. Works much better than the microwave and is worth the extra effort if you are picky on your details.

I was looking for a sturdy, gadget free manual milk frother that would whip up my milk for my delectable much needed latte in the morning. This product delivers!! Without fail, it whips up my milk to a dense consistently that stays that way from the very first sip to the very last. It is easy to use and it washes up beautifully in the dish washer although I prefer to hand wash it, whipping up the soap bubbles like I do with my milk. I recommend it to anyone looking for a frother. My mother in law was so impressed with it, she even got one.

Stainless steel exterior which is great. Internal components are cheaply made. Had to return the first order due to the plastic collar being in pieces from delivery. It works really well and I get great cappuccinos, I just wished the operating internal components were better quality. I'm not sure how long it will last long-term.

My original review explained some moderate shortcomings but since then I have had a serious cut caused by this unit while simply reaching inside to clean it and leaving my pinker finger outside the cup hanging over the lip. This lip has a serious sharp edge and though it can't be fully seen in my photo as a flap of skin is hiding the depth of the cut, it cut through the tender screen between my fingers to the tendon and have yet to see the long term affects of the injury. Feel pain through finger under warm water now.When I scrape my nail over this edge it removes nail the same as when I check the sharpeness of my ice skates!This should be sanded down before shipping! Previous Review on other issues...There is a separate small peice that mounts in the hole in the cap to keep the plunger shaft centered and sealed from the milk. Was wondering why it was sloppy and leaking milk and found the nut on the underside completely loose. Because there is nothing on the top side to hold on to in order to tighten it you need to jam in onto a tapered item like the tap I used into the hole in order to do so. I also added a lock nut which should have been installed from the factory otherwise I could see this continually coming loose with all the action on it.