Steamer

A steamer, in coffeehouse parlance, is basically hot milk with or without flavoring added to it.  A steamer generally requires the use of a steam wand, which is attached to an espresso machine.  Now an inexpensive espresso machine can be had for under fifty bucks and will make you coffee, espresso, all manner of coffee drinks, and steamers.  But maybe you don't like coffee, already own a coffee machine and are unwilling to buy a new one, or you just don't want to buy any appliances right now.  I understand.  I've devoted great thought to the following recipe, meaning I thought it up on the fly one night and it worked and now I'm all proud of myself.

Heat up some water.  You don't want it to boil but you do want little bubbles forming along the sides and bottom.  Put dry milk powder in a mug.  You need 3 tablespoons of powder for 1 cup of water so adjust accordingly to the size of your mug.  Add any flavoring you desire.  The coffeehouse standard is 1 oz (2 Tablespoons) flavoring for 12 ounces of liquid.  I find this too sweet and generally use about 1 Tablespoon flavoring for 12 oz mugs.  My favorite flavoring is honey.  Molasses and sorghum syrup are yummy also.  If you use homemade syrup or coffeehouse syrups (Torani et al) make sure the flavoring goes in BEFORE the hot water.  Many of these syrups curdle if added after the liquid.  Okay, you've got powdered milk and flavoring in your mug.  Now add the hot water, stir and enjoy.  If you've had a coffeehouse steamer, you'll be amazed at the similarity to the real thing.  If you've never had, you're getting something as good or better for pennies on the dollar.

Bonus Tip of the week:  If you drink milk, big tins of powder can be infinitely cheaper than liquid milk.  However, it depends on what you buy, what your family likes, and where you shop.  Here in the US, about the only option available is skim dry milk, packaged by the name brands as well as generics.  Problem is, skim milk is not suitable for young children, which Yeled is.  But, go to a decent sized Hispanic grocery store and you will find NIDO (a Nestle subsidiary if you care about the on going Nestle boycott) and the interesting thing about Nido is that it is dry WHOLE milk.  At Rancho Liborio, the giant (reusable*****) tin costs $12.99 and makes 14 quarts.  Three and a half gallons of liquid whole milk cost around $16 so I'm easily saving three bucks.  Mixed up, it tastes just like liquid whole milk and doesn't have that dreadful reconsituited milk taste you get with the skim version.

Double Bonus Tip:  Cook with your milk instead of drinking it.  Milk goes MUCH further cooked into food than it does chugged down by the glass.