When it comes to the best milk frothers, it's no secret that Hotel Chocolat's Velvetiser holds the top spot. We even gave it a rare five stars in our full review, that's how good it is! However, for just over £100, its price point isn't as inviting as the beautiful cups of steaming decadence it produces.
As always, T3 is here to suggest alternative products to higher-end models, especially for those looking to save a few pennies. I've recently been trying out two alternatives to the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, and I'm excited to share with you my thoughts.
The Instant Brands Milk Frother Station and ProCook Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker have both launched within the last few months. With this in mind, I've explored the features, design and performance of both frothers, hoping to come to a conclusion on which is the best alternative. Keep reading to find out my thoughts, and to decide which one you should buy.
Instant Brands Milk Frother Station vs ProCook Milk Frother: price and availability
Both the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station and ProCook Milk Frother actually have an extremely similar price point, with both models coming in at £69.00 and £69.99. The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser has an RRP of £109.95, so it's not far off being double the price of the others.
Summary: The Instant Brands Milk Frother Station is £69.99 whereas the ProCook Milk Frother is £69, making their price points extremely similar.
Instant Brands Milk Frother Station vs ProCook Milk Frother: features
When it comes to features, the two models aren't too dissimilar either. The Instant Brands Milk Frother Station has a choice of three temperature settings (cold, warm, hot) and three froth settings (stir, foam, extra foam), perfect if you're quite particular about how you like your hot drinks. For example, I really enjoy a froth on a coffee but not a hot chocolate, so it was great to have the choice.
The ProCook Milk Frother only has four settings: extra frothy, frothy, hot chocolate and iced. Whilst there's no exact temperature setting, it still has everything you need for a variety of different drinks.
The Instant Brands model also automatically turns off when the temperature and froth level is reached, which is a nice addition. ProCook's frother also turns off when it's finished, with a buzzer indicating the frothing is complete. This makes both models a lot safer to use, avoiding anything overspilling or getting too hot.
Summary: whilst the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station has more settings, both models have the necessary features to make a variety of drinks. Both frothers turn off once frothing is complete.
Instant Brands Milk Frother Station vs ProCook Milk Frother: design
The Instant Brands Milk Frother Station is able to froth up to 500ml of milk, whereas ProCook's model only goes up to 400ml. 100ml might not seem like a lot, but it's probably the difference of one small coffee. However, despite having a smaller jug, the base of the ProCook Milk Frother is a lot bigger than the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station, giving it more of a bulky look.
Both frothers have a stainless steel and dishwasher safe jug, complete with a whisk and plastic lid. I found both jugs really sturdy to hold, and the handles didn't get too hot either. I liked that the ProCook model had a swivel base, making it a little easier to use when placed on the kitchen countertop.
Another difference is that the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station has an LED touchscreen, whereas ProCook's model is controlled via a button. This gave the Instant Brands model more of a premium feel.
Summary: the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station has a larger capacity than the ProCook model, but only by 100ml. Saying that, the ProCook model has a larger and bulkier base. Both have a stainless steel and dishwasher safe jug, and the ProCook model has a swivel base. However, the Instant Brands feels a little more premium due to its LED touchscreen.
Instant Brands Milk Frother Station vs ProCook Milk Frother: performance
After testing them out on similar settings, I soon realised that the two milk frothers worked in a very similar way as well. The ProCook Milk Frother frothed its milk a little quicker, taking about 3 minutes in a total. The Instant Brands model took about five minutes altogether, but this varied on whatever temperature setting you had it on.
When using both models to froth cow's milk, the difference between them was very small. The Instant Brands' milk felt a tiny bit smoother than the ProCook's milk, but this is me being extremely picky. When trying oat milk and almond milk, the Instant Brands model was able to froth more than the ProCook model, so if you drink plant-based milks, it's probably an easy choice to make.
Summary: both models work in an extremely similar way when frothing. The ProCook model is a little faster, but the Instant Brands model felt a tiny bit smoother. The latter was also able to froth plant-based milks a little better, so opt for that one if you're vegan or dairy-free.
That being said, both frothers produced some really delicious drinks and I was impressed with them in individual ways. If I had to choose, I'd say I prefer the Instant Brands Milk Frother Station, mostly due to its variety of settings and sleek look. However, this doesn't mean the ProCook Milk Frother is a bad alternative, and I would say there's a very fine line between them both.
Interested in more? Check out our comparison guide to the ProCook Air Fryer Health Grill vs the Ninja Woodfire Electric BBQ Grill and Smoker.
