With the advent of Halloween, the cold breezes make their way to the towns. How about a mug of cappuccino or hot chocolate while you warm yourself near the fireplace? You might feel lazy and plan to boil milk directly in your Keurig. But wait before you take that wrong step; can you put milk in a Keurig?
How Does Keurig Work?
Keurig has been a pioneer in making single-serve pod coffee makers. The two versatile Keurig product lines, 1.0 and 2.0 models have the same parts. They contain a water tank and a single-serve coffee pod. The pod comprises grounded beans, enough for a single brew.
All you need is to fill your water tank with distilled water and then place a K-Cup pod into the holder of your coffee maker. The needle punctures the pod, and the process begins. The machine also displays the message “Ready to Brew.”
What Happens if You Put Milk in Keurig Coffee Maker?
By putting milk in Keurig, you might encounter any one of these three cases:
Spoiling
Coffee makers are very convenient to use. However, we strongly recommend you not to use the standing water present in the reservoir for more than 12 hours. Because this time is enough for bacteria to grow inside. However, if the water has been in the machine for 4-5 hours, then you can use it.
This won’t work for lactose, since it gets spoiled at room temperature really quick. And even faster inside the coffee maker.
If a question rises in your mind, “can I put milk in my Keurig?” then the answer is no – you cannot pour it into the reservoir of the machine. The reason for that is the temperature inside the reservoir: lactose protein will certainly curdle if not get burned. Besides, it isn’t easy to wash out the cuddle residue.
Burning
The temperature of the machine rises rapidly because of the highly efficient heating coils. The milk in Keurig at that temperature will surely burn and leave behind a strong, sour odor. It will cuddle and turn the beverage bitter.
Scorched Metal
The burnt lactose turns into a curd that gets stuck to the heating element of the machine. The high temperature may scorch the metal. It also forms a solid crust that is difficult to wash. You can scrap it out using a pointed tool, but that’s risky, and a high chance is there you might damage the machine.
Hence there shouldn’t be any doubt regarding can you put milk in a Keurig.
What to do if I Already Put Milk in Keurig?
Follow these steps:
- First of all, turn off your machine.
- Use a screwdriver to dismantle your machine. Keep the manual at a hand’s distance.
- Use a sponge scrubber to scrape off the crust. Be careful; do not damage the internal parts.
- Add a little vinegar and baking soda to boiling water.
- Pour the solution into the water tank and let it rest a while. The crust will soften by the action of vinegar, and later, you can scrap it out.
- Drain out the solution through the internal hose pipe and reassemble the mechanical parts.
- Refill the reservoir with the same water solution. Re-run the machine to clean any residual debris.
- Now rinse out your machine several times to filter out the remaining solution.
What to Do if You Need to Make Hot Milk Straight Out of the Coffee Maker?
Neither can you put milk in a coffee maker, nor can you use milk in a Keurig. However, if you wish to make hot milk straight out of the coffee maker, you have several options:
- Just like K-cup pods, you can use milk pods to brew your perfect mug.
- You can purchase coffee makers that offer separate milk tanks – for example, K-Café Coffee maker.
For Keurig fans, the K-Café Coffee maker helps to heat your lactose-rich solution and make it frothy. It also comes with a separate heater that provides you with foamy coffee. You can purchase it for espresso-based beverages, lattes, cappuccino, and white Americano with milk.
Conclusion
We hope that by now you have understood whether can you put milk in a Keurig or not. Your machine’s reservoir is exceptionally efficient in brewing the best cup of coffee for you. Therefore, next time be careful before using any liquid medium other than water in your device, and if you are in a fix, then implement the steps mentioned earlier.