If you like coffee and are looking to make it better at home, this guide will help you learn how to scald milk for coffee.
Scalding milk is an easy and fun process, but you have to learn how to do it right if you want to make the best coffee at home.
Quick Answer: How do you scald milk?
You can scald milk by heating it to 83 °C (181 °F) using a steaming wand, saucepan, or your microwave. Scaled milk doesn’t have air in it, and it can be used for various recipes.
There are a lot of ways to approach making coffee at home. While percolators and French presses may be the most popular methods for brewing one’s daily pick-me-up, there are plenty of other options for you to choose from.
One special technique that needs to be added to the list is scalding milk for coffee. After reading through this article, you can make better coffee recipes using this technique!
What is scalded milk?
Scalded milk is milk that has been heated to 83 °C (181 °F). It can be heated with a steaming wand, saucepan, or even your microwave. Scalded milk doesn’t have any air in it, unlike foamed milk.
Scalded milk can be used for many recipes, but making coffee with it has been a popular choice.
If you want to make scalded milk at home, it’s best to use dairy milk. You can also use non-dairy milk; read along to learn more about this.
Use milk you like to drink on a regular basis; for example, you can use whole milk (which is my favorite), 2% fat milk, or even non-fat milk.
As you’ll be using scalded milk in a coffee recipe, you want to choose the milk that suits you best.
I prefer to add whole milk to my coffee when trying out recipes. It makes for a rich-tasting coffee that is perfectly balanced.
What is the difference between scalding and boiling?
There is a big difference between scalded milk and boiled milk. Scalded milk reaches temperatures of 83 °C (181 °F), while boiled milk is heated until the boiling point, which is around 95°C (203°F).
The perfect scalded milk will taste amazing in your coffee as it has just the right temperature.
Once it has been poured into your coffee, for example, a Café au Lait, you can almost immediately start drinking your coffee.
It’s a great way to get a head-start on an early morning.
Why use scalded milk for coffee?
You can use scalded milk to prepare excellent coffees at home.
While most coffee shops use a steaming wand on their espresso machines to heat their milk, scalding milk at home can be done using various techniques.
Once your milk is heated, you can use it in various coffee recipes like a Spanish latte, Café au Lait, and Caffè Misto.
But you can also make an Americano Misto, as the photo below shows:
This technique is often used to make a morning cup of joe. Brewing coffee in your French press and then adding scalded milk creates an amazing Café au Lait.
It really is a great way to start the day and doesn’t require that much effort.
How do you know when your milk is scalded?
You’ll know your milk is scalded when it has reached a temperature of 83 °C (181 °F). You can check the temperature with a thermometer.
If you don’t have a thermometer at home, you can eyeball it. If so, you want to keep an eye on it, as you don’t want the milk to start boiling.
I found that it takes roughly 3-4 minutes to reach the desired temperature. This is on medium heat.
If you place the pan on a higher heat, you’ll reach the temperature even faster.
How to scald milk at home
Let me show you how easy it is to make scalded milk at home. Below, I’ll guide you step-by-step on how I scald my milk at home:
- Add your desired amount of milk to a small saucepan, preferably with a handle.
- Place it on the stove on medium heat.
- Now, keep stirring with a spoon or swirl the pan around to keep the milk moving.
- Add a thermometer to the pan so you can easily keep an eye on the temperature.
- Once it has reached 83 °C (181 °F), remove the pan from the heat, and you can start using it for all your coffee recipes!
This is easy, right? I’ve been using this awesome thermometer for a while now, and it has held up really well after being used for such a long time.
If you’re interested in buying one yourself, which I highly recommend, you can check it out here or by clicking below:
Can you scald non-dairy milk?
You can scald any non-dairy milk to use in your coffee. It’s all about heating your milk to the right temperature while using non-dairy milk.
I suggest using the thermometer mentioned above, as it’s much easier.
Be careful when eyeballing non-dairy milk, as you don’t want to boil it. When doing so, it might start to curdle, and this will leave a weird mouthfeel to your delicious morning coffee.
You can scald your non-dairy milk on your stovetop using the same steps I’ve mentioned above, or you can place the non-dairy milk in your microwave.
Using your microwave for this is a straightforward process:
- In a heatproof bowl, add your desired amount of non-dairy milk.
- Place it in your microwave and keep heating it until it reaches the right temperature.
You can then use it to make some amazing coffee, as the milk is heated to perfection. Making Your Dream Coffee at home has never been easier while using this technique.
Conclusion
Scalding milk has been around for a long time but can be quite hard when you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Now that you know what temperatures to reach when scalding milk at home and which milk and milk alternatives you can use, it’s gotten easier to make the most delicious coffee at home!
If you’re interested in trying out a few coffee recipes today, have a look below. I’ve listed a few recipes that taste amazing.
Do you like adding milk to your coffee? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
