Do you fondue?

[MaryAnnDVC]

I saw a fondue set a Linens 'n Things, marked down to $18 from $30 (plus I have a 20% off coupon ):

I always thought it would be fun to fondue, but...what to make? I'm afraid I'll buy it and it will end up in the upper cabinet where I can't reach, and stay there.

 

[chrissyk]

Yes, we fondue like once a week, LOL! My DH is such a good sport about it. That set is decent...I have it. That is a good deal, too. While you are there, buy yourself one of those $12 burner units that you can set on the table and use that instead of the Sterno. The flame from the Sterno just doesn't do it for the oil course. If you're REALLY into it, skip the set and buy a copper fondue pot...I'm considering this option, as the bowl in this set is actually a little lightweight for the oil course...I don't like how it moves around a bit when we're fonduing.

The one other thing that I can recommend is to find a ceramic bowl that you can use as an "insert" for the set, though. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find such a set sold, so you'll have to be creative and find your own bowl. Put water in the metal bowl and use the ceramic bowl as a "double boiler" for the cheese and chocolate courses. This serves 2 purposes...it allows the cheese and chocolate to stay liquid w/o overheating, and it makes cleanup between the cheese and oil courses a snap. You pour the water out, wipe it down, and then put the oil right in the metal pot.

We tend to do our favorite meal from "The Melting Pot" a lot at home...it's sooooo much cheaper to do it at home, and it's easy and fun too! I'll share my "recipes" if you so desire There's really nothing to them! Hope this helps

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

We do fondue Usually chocolate. Sometimes we'll do cheese.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Fondues were in when we got married, '71. I think we got about 5 of them. I don't recall ever using one though, LOL, don't know if we still have any. Get it, Mare, you need it.

 

[CheshireVal]

Fondue is a Christmas Eve tradition for my family (except when we're at WDW!) We usually cook steak in oil... also cheeseballs (cheddar cheese coated in egg and cracker crumbs).

I've also done cheese fondue. Yum!

 

[scarlett873]

We don't fondue at home...but I have thought about getting a set! We just went to the Melting Pot here in town for our anniversary and thought it was wonderful! But oh so expensive...we can sure have a similar meal at home for much less than what it cost us to dine there!

 

[clarabelle]

We do cheese
I have a great recipe with swiss,cheddar and beer.
I cut up Granny Smith Apples, Lightly steamed broccoli, store bought french bread cubes, mushrooms
The kids love it and would love it if we did it once a week
I have a cheap target one with the sterno burner. I have not tried the oil yet
It keeps the cheese plenty hot
I say go for it!!

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I have an electric fondue pot that I got for about $20. I like it a lot better than the traditional pot we have.

 

[Poohnatic]

We fondue, currently about twice a month. My kids absolutely LOVE when we do! I like that once I prep everything, my work is done.

I use a variation of a recipe from Good Eats, and I'd be interested in the Melting Pot recipes.

Our pot is an electric. Not perfect, but pretty good for what we do. We're considering getting a second pot so that we can do court bullion as well as the cheese fondue. We've been looking at the one you're considering, too. It would work better than what we do now. Our old house had an island, and we all sat around it-there were outlets in it. Now we're using an extension cord at our HUGE table-it's a little cumbersome.

I bought italian sausage for DH to cook and he hasn't. I think this calls for a fondue tomorrow night when I'm off!

Suzanne

 

[christinadei]

DH bought me a fondue pot last christmas. we've used it about 5-6 times since then. I love to fondue. Sometimes we do the broth (whatever the real name is for it) with wine/broth/garlic. We always do cheese and chocolate. It's pretty easy. I love swiss, sometimes I use cheddar though. I bring about 1/2 a cup of wine to a slight boil in the fondue pot, add garlic and cheese and we dip granny smith apples, french bread and veggies, usually brocolli. For chocolate, I vary the chocolate, once I used leftover christmas chocolate (you know those little balls and santas) but I usually get some sort of chocolate chips, dark chocolate is my favorite. I add heavy cream if I have it, but usually just use the liquid coffee creamer, vanilla flavor or hazelnut or whatever I have. I usually add a little cinnamon. We dip whatever I have in this. I save leftover cake, brownies, cheesecake, etc. for this. We also use fruit, sometimes cookies.

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

LOL, I have one of the huge sets, but the only time it gets used is at my military spouse meetings. I have no clue why we never seems to use it at home since we love fondue.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Get it, Mare, you need it.

Dan, Dan, Dan...have you been talking to my husband? That's something he would say, with the emphasis on NEED. Men are snots!

Now I'm getting psyched about buying it! It will probably be a good "starter" one, and if I ever progress (altho, I tend not to progress in anything kitchen-y), then I'll move on to bigger and better ones!

Would love recipes!!!

 

[chrissyk]

For the cheese, we do:

Beer base (a little less than 1 cup...adjust to suit)
Minced garlic - we do about a teaspoon...again, adjust to suit
80% sharp cheddar/20% swiss - about 2 cups or so...add more if it looks to liquidy
A few dashes of mustard powder
A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Serve with bread cubes, diced green apples, and veggies

For the oil course, we use Canola oil, filled about 1/2-way up the pot. We season thinly sliced filet steak with cajun seasoning. We also slice Anadoule (sp?) sausage for this course. I make green goddess filling and tempura batter to make the stuffed mushrooms that you can make at "The Melting Pot" also.

We usually just melt straight chocolate for the chocolate course, but you can also mix in heavy cream, flavorings, liqeur (sp?), etc. Serve with fruit, cut up cake, brownies, etc.

 

[Poohnatic]

For our cheese fondue:
*equal parts cheddar, gruyere and irish gold (erin gold, kerry gold), shredded and sprinkled with corn starch
*about a cup of wine or hard apple cider
*3 tablespoons minced garlic
*3-4 turns of pepper and salt, and a liberal sprinkling of curry

We put the garlic, salt and pepper in and heat the pot, then add the wine when it starts to sizzle. Add the curry, then put the cheese in a handful at a time.

We serve it with french bread, diced ham, broccoli, asparagus, apples, brats or sausage and sometimes shrimp.

Our chocolate fondue is about 6oz semisweet chocolate chips, 1 oz of our favorite dark chocolate (scharffenberger), about 4 oz of heavy cream and about a teaspoon of vanilla. We find that if you use cheap chocolate and add a little bit of the good stuff, it makes it so much better.

Marshmallows, pretzels, brownies, caramels, bananas are what we have. One time, we had donut holes in the house and the kids loved dipping those!

Suzanne

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

We only do desserts and cheese at home. I don't do the oil at home. My favorite and the easiest is to take a quart of heavy whipping cream and a package of Nestle toll house chips and melt it all together. Then we dip angel food cake, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, apples, pineapple, marshmallows, you name it in there. The kids absolutely love it!
I prefer the electric pots over the ones with the tea lights in it. You can control the heat better, IMHO...
And I love the Melting Pot! Stupid me didn't realize it was such a big chain! We go about twice a year for Valentine's and for my birthday. Love it!!!

 

[MandM-Mom]

I need a fondue pot!!!! All this talking about it has got me wanting to try it!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

We fondue-yumyum!

 

[caitycaity]

yes - we fondue all the time. i actually have two fondue sets and special fondue plates.

 

[clarabelle]

EASY CHEDDAR SWISS FONDUE

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 675 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cheese Appetizers

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 c Cheddar cheese, shredded
-(500mL)
2 c Swiss cheese, shredded(500m)
1/4 c All purpose flour (50mL)
1 1/4 c Dry white wine or beer
-(300mL)
3/4 ts Salt (3mL)
1 pn Garlic powder
Crusty French bread cubes

Combine cheddar and Swiss cheeses in a bowl. Sprinkle
with flour; toss lightly to coat.

Heat wine, or beer, in a medium saucepan until
simmering but not boiling; reduce heat to maintain
temperature. Gradually add the cheese mixture, by
small handfuls, stirring constantly after each
addition until cheese melts (mixture will appear
curdled at first but smooths our as more of the cheese
mixture is added).

Stir in salt and garlic powder. Transfer to a fondue
pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes for dipping.
Makes about 2 3/4c(675mL)

 

[agotta]

We have 2 or 3 sets and usually only fondue on special occasions or with guests. We normally do cheese with apples, bread, italian sausage...

I have the most heavanly chocolate fondue from the Godiva website. We do chocolate with poundcake, strawberries and banannas. Yummy!