Steaming Milk for Latte and Cappuccino

I ruined a lot of milk before this clicked. Textured milk is really just air early, then a whirlpool to fold those bubbles into microfoam. Let me walk you through it like I wish someone had for me.

Steps

Stretch milk for the first few seconds, then submerge the tip and swirl until silky. Aim for paint-like texture, not big bubbles.

My two cents

I ruined a lot of milk before this clicked: air first, then swirl. It's not a secret technique — every cafe trains it the same way. I'm just handing you the version that finally made sense to me.