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An appliance is arranged for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank. Such appliance includes an air incorporation device that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in such body of liquid during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; and a steam supply arrangement

An appliance is arranged for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank. Such appliance includes an air incorporation device that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in such body of liquid during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; and a steam supply arrangement having a steam outlet that is arranged to be immersed in such body of liquid during frothing for incorporating steam thereinto. The steam outlet and the air incorporation device are arranged to be at spaced apart locations in such body of liquid during frothing so as to form steam bubbles at the steam outlet separately from air bubbles that are being formed by the air incorporation device.

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1. An appliance for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank, comprising: an air incorporation device that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in the body of liquid during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; anda steam supply arrangement having a steam outlet t

1. An appliance for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank, comprising: an air incorporation device that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in the body of liquid during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; anda steam supply arrangement having a steam outlet that is arranged to be immersed in the body of liquid during frothing for incorporating steam thereinto,wherein the steam outlet and the air incorporation device are arranged with sufficient spacing between them in the body of liquid during frothing to allow steam bubbles to form at the steam outlet separately from air bubbles formed by the air incorporation device, and to avoid mixing the steam and air before incorporation into the milk containing liquid. 2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the steam outlet is associated with valve means for controlling characteristics of or delivery into the liquid of the steam bubbles, wherein at such delivery, the steam outlet has an opening that has a cross-section of up to 0.7 mm2. 3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the valve means is a one-way or non-return valve and the characteristics of the steam bubbles that are controlled include bubble size, with the steam outlet cross-section having a size of 0.1 to 0.65 mm2, 0.2 to 0.55 mm2 or 0.25 to 0.45 mm2. 4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the air incorporation device comprises an agitator or a stirrer. 5. The appliance of claim 4, which has an operative position in which the steam outlet is located below or at a side of the agitator or stirrer. 6. The appliance of claim 1, which is associated with a reservoir module that has a frothing tank for containing the body of liquid, with either or both of the air incorporation device and the steam supply arrangement being optionally secured to the reservoir module. 7. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the air incorporation device comprises a stirrer secured to a bottom of the frothing tank and the steam outlet is located at or adjacent the bottom of the frothing tank. 8. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the frothing tank has a central vertical axis, the air incorporation device has an agitator in the tank off-centered relative to the vertical axis, and the steam outlet is optionally off-centered relative to the vertical axis and agitator. 9. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the frothing tank is arranged to contain during frothing the body of liquid with a moving upper surface, and wherein: the steam outlet is positioned in the frothing tank below the moving surface at all time during frothing, with the steam outlet optionally having a position that is user-adjustable so that the position of the outlet is below the surface; orthe steam outlet is associated with a safety valve for allowing the exit of steam via the outlet only when the outlet is located below the moving upper surface. 10. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the steam arrangement comprises a duct that is connectable to an external steam generator, with the steam generator optionally associated with a hot beverage machine. 11. The appliance of claim 10, wherein the steam arrangement comprises a steam generator and a steam passage for guiding steam from the steam generator to the steam outlet, the steam generator being located at a periphery or bottom part of the reservoir module and giving into the steam passage that extends over a tank upright wall and down along the upright wall inside the frothing tank to the steam outlet, the upright wall optionally being associated with a movable cover member that delimits a section of the steam passage for guiding steam over the upright wall or that gives access to a water receptacle of the steam generator. 12. The appliance of claim 6, further comprising a support base which is electrically connectable for powering the appliance, the reservoir module being separable from the support base for cleaning the reservoir module or dispensing therefrom frothed milk-containing liquid. 13. The appliance of claim 12, wherein: the support base comprises at least one of a steam generator and a drive module for actuating an agitator in the frothing tank; orthe reservoir module has a cavity for containing at least one of a steam generator and a drive module for actuating an agitator in the frothing tank. 14. The appliance of claim 6, which is arranged to be user-configurable for incorporating air and steam simultaneously or sequentially during a frothing of the body of liquid, with the air incorporation device being optionally associated with a resistor heater for heating the body of liquid. 15. An appliance for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank, comprising: a reservoir module comprising: a tank having a bottom part and at least one upright wall for containing a body of a milk-containing liquid which is to be heated or frothed therein; anda steam supply arrangement comprising a water receptacle and a water heater for producing steam adjacent to the tank and a passage for guiding the produced steam into the body of liquid within the tank, the passage extending over the upright wall into the tank; and optionally a movable cover member on the upright wall that delimits a section of the steam passage for guiding steam over the upright wall or that provides access to the water receptacle;an air incorporation device that includes an agitator or stirrer and that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in the body of liquid held in the tank of the reservoir module during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; anda steam supply arrangement having a steam outlet that is arranged to be immersed in the body of liquid in the tank during frothing for incorporating steam thereinto,wherein the steam outlet and the air incorporation device are arranged such that there is sufficient spacing between them in the body of liquid during frothing to allow steam bubbles to form at the steam outlet separately from air bubbles formed by the air incorporation device, and to avoid mixing of the steam and air before incorporation into the milk containing liquid. 16. The appliance of claim 15, wherein the steam outlet is associated with valve means for controlling characteristics of or delivery into the liquid of the steam bubbles, wherein at such delivery, the steam outlet has an opening that has a cross-section of up to 0.7 mm2. 17. An appliance for frothing a body of a milk-containing liquid contained in a frothing tank, comprising: a support base and reservoir module that is separable from the support base and that is arranged for containing a body of a milk-containing liquid which is to be heated or frothed therein, wherein the support base comprises: a steam generator with a water receptacle for producing steam adjacent to the reservoir module, the steam generator being associated with a steam passage for guiding the produced steam into the reservoir module; anda drive arrangement for driving an agitator located in the reservoir module;an air incorporation device that is arranged to dip or to be immersed in the body of liquid held in the reservoir module during frothing for incorporating air thereinto; anda steam supply arrangement having a steam outlet that is arranged to be immersed in the body of liquid in the reservoir module during frothing for incorporating steam thereinto,wherein the steam outlet and the air incorporation device are arranged such that there is sufficient horizontal spacing between them in the body of liquid during frothing to allow steam bubbles to form at the steam outlet separately from air bubbles formed by the air incorporation device, and to avoid mixing the steam and air before incorporation into the milk containing liquid; andwherein the appliance is arranged to be user-configurable for incorporating air and steam simultaneously or sequentially during frothing of the body of liquid. 18. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the reservoir module or the support base is assembled to a movable cover member that delimits a section of the steam passage or that gives access to the water receptacle. 19. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the drive arrangement includes means for magnetically driving the agitator. 20. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the steam outlet is associated with valve means for controlling characteristics of or delivery into the liquid of the steam bubbles, wherein at such delivery, the steam outlet has an opening that has a cross-section of up to 0.7 mm2.