Milk not frothing with the French press technique

Question

Basically I'm trying to recreate the technique of aerating milk by pouring milk into a French press and oscillating the piston through the liquid. I've been using cold milk, and, the issue is my milk is simply not frothing.

What could be the possible reasons why my milk is not frothing?

Answer 1

I'm not familiar with frothing milk with a French press, but if you use a mechanical frother you need to warm up the milk to about 60-65 °C so the foam bubbles will remain intact.

In my experience the easiest way to do that is using a microwave, but you have to figure out the right power settings and timing, depending on your container, and volume and initial temperature of the milk.

Answer 2

I have used French press for frothing for quite some time and this is what I do

1. Heat the milk (optional)
2. Add Milk to the French press. Ensure the french press has enough milk if you have a large french press since little milk will not result in enough agitation and might not create froth
3. Move the lever up and down in quick succession at least 15-20 times holding the top of the french press in position.
4. Take the top off and pour in the mug

Heating milk definitely adds more froth IMO (Not sure of the reason). Also the froth is usually not even and has larger bubbles as compared to a frother.