Soy milk is a healthy non-dairy alternative to traditional steamed milk, which has made it popular with everyone, from vegans to hipsters. Whether you like it for the flavor or because you have committed to using non-dairy products, soy milk is a great complement to your cup of espresso coffee.
If you are looking for a way to make your morning brew more exciting, you might want to try steaming soy milk.
Some people claim that steamed soy milk tastes atrocious and ruins their coffee. However, most people who find steamed soy milk unsavory probably do so because they prepared it improperly.
When it comes to steamed soy milk, preparation is key. If you fail to prepare steamed soy milk properly, it will indeed have an unpleasant taste. Here, we will show you how to steam soy milk correctly to have a pleasant experience.
The Basics
Before going over how to steam soy milk specifically, let’s go over the basics and talk about how you would typically steam regular milk. All you need to do is pour milk into a pitcher and use a steaming wand to heat it.
The milk towards the top of the pitcher will froth, which is good! The milk towards the bottom will become heated. Once the milk at the bottom has warmed up and you have a sufficient amount of froth to work with at the top, it’s time to remove the steaming wand.
You will want to avoid overheating the milk with your steaming wand, which could potentially burn the milk—and no one likes burnt milk in their coffee.
Steaming Soy Milk
Now that you know the basics, you will be happy to know that the process for steaming soy milk is remarkably similar to that of steaming traditional dairy milk. Take your soy milk and pour it into a pitcher. Now use the steaming wand and watch the temperature. As it turns out, you can burn soy milk as well, so don’t do that.
If you are still wondering what a steaming wand is, don’t worry. A steaming wand, or a Pannarello Wand, is a standard attachment with most espresso machines. For those of you that have an espresso machine, you should have a steaming wand somewhere on the device, which means you’re in business!
Remember, while steaming soy milk isn’t exactly rocket science, it can certainly be tricky and requires a certain finesse. For example, you need to keep a close eye on the temperature.
You should steam soy milk at 55-60 degrees celsius—anything hotter risks destroying the protein and throwing the acids all out of whack.
Another tip is to prevent your soy milk from being exposed to excess air to ensure that the texture remains silky. If the soy milk begins to curdle at any time, let up on the heat immediately.
You must use cold milk from the fridge. Using soy milk at room temperature will result in an unsatisfactory experience. It’s also a good idea to steam your soy milk in a metal pitcher. Using a glass pitcher can be dangerous if the glass becomes overheated and breaks.
If everything went according to plan, you should have perfectly steamed soy milk that will sit on top of your espresso and blend with the cream.
Why Do People Use Steamed Soy Milk?
Coffee lovers usually use steamed whole-fat dairy milk to make perfectly crafted espressos and other high-end coffee drinks. You can achieve more or less the same effect by steaming soy milk.
The crema at the top of a fresh espresso is part of what makes the drink so enjoyable. Now that you know how to steam soy milk, you should have no trouble cooking some up and creating the perfect espresso to kick off your morning.
Does the Type of Soy Milk You Use Matter?
If you are wondering if there is any significant difference between using different types of soy milk, you are asking an astute question! For the most part, it won’t make that much difference, which is good news for you because that means that you can use any brand of soy milk you want!
Putting It All Together
In summary, steaming soy milk is relatively simple as long as you know what not to do. If you keep the temperature within a range of 55-60 degrees celsius and make sure it isn’t curdling, you should be just fine!
Now it’s time to fire up your espresso maker and try it for yourself!
Happy (dairy-free) Caffeinating!
