For this article, experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and more than 20 at-home testers tested 15 handheld and countertop milk frothers. We chose the frothers based on models that performed well in previous tests as well as those from popular brands with strong reviews. In the Lab, for all models, we produced hot froth using the highest foam setting (often used to make cappuccinos) or speed. We frothed whole milk, an option known for its silky mouthfeel, and almond milk, which is difficult to froth and therefore a good indicator of a frother's abilities.
Depending on the model's options, we also tested other settings, such as less foam (often used to make lattes) or flat (for steamed milk with a very thin layer of foam) or just heating (for warm milk and hot chocolate) to determine whether the frother was versatile for different coffee drinks.
We noted the time it took to froth if it ran on a pre-set cycle, or we frothed for one minute if it did not. We took the temperature of the frothed milk immediately after frothing to ensure that the milk was warmed without being scalded (an ideal temperature for warmed milk is about 140˚F). We tasted the milk by itself to assess whether it tasted scalded and with coffee to evaluate the mouthfeel. We noted the volume after holding for five minutes to check stability. We also assessed the noise level and the intuitiveness of the controls, and we considered the ease of cleanup for each.
In addition, we sent each model to two home testers, who were given two weeks to use the frother before completing a survey. Not only did this give us insight on real-world usability and performance, it also provided feedback on additional milks, such as 2 percent and oat milk. We weighed our external testers’ feedback when making our final selections.