PowerLix Handheld Milk Frother with Stand

Yes, for the right buyer. The PowerLix Handheld Milk Frother with Stand ranks #2 in our Best Milk Frothers Under $30 list. Its biggest strength: very cheap. The main caveat: doesn't heat milk.

Based on our research it suits budgets under $30 and matcha. It's ranked #2 of 3 in our Best Milk Frothers Under $30 list.

The main trade-offs owners and reviewers point to: doesn't heat milk; needs AA batteries; foam is less fine than a jug frother.

Worth comparing: Zulay Original Milk Frother, Maestri House LunaFro 2.0 Rechargeable Milk Frother and Nespresso Aeroccino4. Each ranks near it in our research for a slightly different buyer.

It's sold on Amazon. Prices and stock change often, so check the current listing before you buy, our link takes you straight to it.

Cold foam is dense, airy foam made from cold milk (often skim or a barista-blend plant milk) without any heat, designed to float on top of an iced drink rather than mix in and melt ice. Regular hot foam, the kind on a cappuccino, is looser and dissipates quickly. Cold foam holds its shape longer because there's no heat causing the bubbles to collapse as fast, and it's typically whisked longer and harder to get a thicker, more stable texture.

A dedicated cold froth mode, like the Nespresso Aeroccino4's, is calibrated to not heat the milk at all while still running the whisk long enough to build proper cold foam density. A handheld frother (Zulay) works fine on cold milk too since it never applies heat in the first place, the technique is just to whisk longer than you would for hot foam, generally 30 to 45 seconds, to build the denser texture. Countertop frothers without a dedicated cold setting (most fixed hot-only models) will heat the milk regardless of what you want, which defeats the purpose of cold foam.