I have stock steam arm for Anita.
I wipe it with dry rag as soon as I remove wand from steaming pitcher.
I remove wand when milk is approx 160F

I can't possibly wipe it off any quicker, is there better approach, have others battled this?

the milk really bakes on and it is a pain to get off

Use a damp rag or sponge to clean the arm. A dry rag doesn't work nearly as well. Even with a damp rag, sometimes milk will accumulate in the area between the tip and the straight part of the wand, in which case you will have to scrape it off. It's kind of a pain to clean off dried on milk, so it's better to really make an effort to wipe the whole thing clean after every use.

For some reason, the stock Anita steam arm seems prone to getting milk buildup in the area between the tip and the straight section. When I switched to the bigger La Spaziale arm on my Anita, it became much easier to clean. I think there's just a smoother transition between the straight section and the steam tip, which makes cleaning easier.

I am considering a upgrade to the no-burn steam arm. I would guess this would drastically help my problem, however, if anyone who has this (http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...section3/noburnarm) can confirm it does help with milk scalding, that'd be great.

I have the ChrisCoffee no-burn steam arm upgrade on an Alexia. I believe that the "no-burn" name means it does not burn your hands when postioning the arm (at least in part). It can still "burn" (overheat) milk. And the larger round tip can still become hot enough to build up some congealed milk (although less than the smaller stock Alexia/Anita arm and tip). So you still have to wipe with a wet cloth - for me a dry cloth never cleans the tip very well.

ChrisCoffee also sells an adapter for the no-burn arm upgrade that allows you to use the smaller more "manageable" 10mm female threaded tip currently on your Anita:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...tssection3/adaptor

The gasket in the adapter adds an extra seam that can collect congealed milk, but I have fixed that by permanently sealing together the tip to the adapter to make the seam as small as possible.

I have found that using the adapter with the regular Alexia/Anita 10mm female threaded tip works better for steaming than the admitly easier-to-clean smoother finished tip that comes with the no-burn steam arm (which is too hard for me to control in steaming). I find it is still fairly simple to clean the tip, the metal doesn't get as hot, and it is easier to position the arm without fear of burning your hand.

The no-burn arm should be easier to clean, and it also steams much faster than the stock tip. As the other poster stated, you can also use the adaptor and a tip with smaller holes to slow down the steam action, though I believe this may reduce the effectiveness of the "no burn" feature. I believe it's better to just learn to use the more powerful steam action of the stock no burn tip. Once you get used to the greater steam power, you'll wonder how you ever lived with the slow steam action on the stock arm.

I have the Andreja Premium with the no-burn arm. I did "downgrade" to a slower steam tip using the 10mm adapter, and I find it much easier to get microfoam now. I only steam 4oz of milk at a time in a 12oz pitcher, and the stock no-burn tip practically blows the milk out of the pitcher and introduces fairly large bubbles. The smaller steam tip introduces air more gently and brings the milk up to temp in less than 30 seconds.

The milk does not stick to the no-burn arm, but it does stick to the replacement tip. A wet microfiber cloth works much better than a dry one. I do miss the easy cleanup of the stock no-burn tip.

I would strongly recommend getting the Steam Arm Gasket if you purchase the 8mm to 10mm adapter. The lower O-ring that comes with the adapter is not very strong. If you don't tighten the adapter just right, steam pressure will tear the O-ring -- happened to me on the first day. The teflon gasket is practically indestructible and sits more flush with the tip. Chris really should ship the adapter with the teflon gasket instead of the O-ring.

One oddity using the adapter and slower steam tip... the steam is wetter when first opening and closing the valve... I do this a couple of times to clear moisture before steaming. Whereas the no-burn setup doesn't sputter at all, and the steam turns on and off more "crisply."

portamento wrote:
The milk does not stick to the no-burn arm, but it does stick to the replacement tip. A wet microfiber cloth works much better than a dry one. I do miss the easy cleanup of the stock no-burn tip.

Thanks for the confirmation , and other tips.

Rybolt wrote:I can't possibly wipe it off any quicker, is there better approach, have others battled this?

the milk really bakes on and it is a pain to get off

A small glass of ice water . . . "slide" the milk pitcher off, and "slide" the water on. Later, just wipe off the steam wand, and blow some steam out . . .

zin1953 wrote:A small glass of ice water . . . "slide" the milk pitcher off, and "slide" the water on. Later, just wipe off the steam wand, and blow some steam out . . .

Worked like a charm Thanks

Fascinating, I would never have thought of ice water. I would have assumed the rapid temperature change would cause the milk to adhere... I'll have to give it a try.