Whether it is for your hot chocolate, your latte or even general cooking, the frother is an essential tool to give your drinks a much better texture! The frother is generally used to make foam milk which makes the beverages smoother and allows you to layer the milk on top of the drink. This is what baristas do and you can now easily do it yourself. The body of the frother is made of tough plastic and the metal mixing rod is made of sanitary stainless steel. The frother does not come with the two AA batteries required to power it. The instructions for the batteries are engraved on the side of the frother and that's all you need to make it work. The frother does not go in the dishwasher. We suggest washing the metal part by hand which is generally very quick!