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Page Contents:
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-Enameled Iron
-Ceramic
-Stainless
-Dessert / Chocolate
-Plates & Bowls
-Forks
-Recipe Book
-Fuel
-Replacement Burner
Related Pages:
-Mongolian Fire (Hot) Pot
-Skewers
-Fondue Instructions
-Fantes.com Main Page
Fondue
Fondue, an ancient Swiss dish, is easy to prepare, fun to serve, and
enjoyable to eat. The fondue pots presented here are for the traditional
cheese, meat and dessert dishes. Veggie fondue is a different story, though
you can creatively use it as a dip.
Cheese and dessert fondue are best prepared in a ceramic or iron
pan, to maintain a more gentle heat needed to prevent scorching. Use a steel
(enameled or stainless) pan with care.
Authentic cheese fondue uses a Swiss cheese (like Emmentaler or
Gruyere), melted in Swiss wine. Since cheese contains fat, and wine is
basically water, which don't normally mix well, be sure to use a natural and
well-aged Swiss cheese, or a combination of cheeses, including some
cheddars, that will melt smoothly for best results.
The wine should be dry. You might add a little fresh lemon juice
to achieve the necessary acidity.
Crackling is normal in ceramic fondue pots, which may appear to be
cracked.
Before using your new ceramic or iron pot, break it in by filling
it with a mixture of half water and half milk, and boiling for 15 minutes.
Meat fondue is best prepared in a steel (enameled or stainless) or
iron (enameled or raw) pot. The pot should have a notched top metal ring, in
which the forks fit, to protect you from possible spurts of oil. If the pot
does not have a ring, use as little oil as possible. Do not use a ceramic
fondue pot for meat; they will not withstand the high temperature required
for oil.
Oil can be heated in the fondue pot on the stovetop, before
placing it on the fondue burners. Heat to 375 degrees F, just below the
boiling point.
Dessert fondues basically entail melting sweet things in which to
dip other things. Like strawberries in chocolate. When dipping in chocolate,
towel dry what you're dipping, to keep the chocolate from seizing.
Alcohol will burn about 90 minutes with 3 oz. of fuel. Alcohol
burners contain a gauze pad to absorb the alcohol and help prevent it from
accidental spillage. Use only denatured alcohol, don't overfill, and don't
add fuel while the burner is turned on or while still hot. When cooking is
complete, extinguish the flame with the burner cover. Alcohol presumably
burns hotter than paste fuels, and is preferred for cooking meat and broths
in a fondue.
Paste, or gel, burners look similar to alcohol burners, but don't
have the gauze pad. They take a paste or gel container, or you can just pour
the paste or gel right into the unit. With less spillage potential, they're
a bit safer. Like alcohol burners, don't add fuel while the burner is turned
on or while still hot. When cooking is complete, extinguish the flame with
the burner cover.
Candles provide a very small amount of heat, and are useful in
keeping chocolate and other heat-sensitive foods warm and liquid.
Wash ceramic and iron pots by hand, in soapy water. Use a gentle
brush or plastic scourer if necessary.
Vegetable fondue usually requires gently cooking the vegetable,
usually in butter, until reduced to a pulp, that is, until it becomes
fondue. This type of fondue is generally served in a dish by itself, in
gravy, as a condiment or topping for other foods.
Our recommendations. Having sold thousands of fondue sets on the
web and in our store, we recommend the enameled iron ones if you're looking
for a top quality set. In trying to visualize an item, use the dimensions we
give; and call us if you're not sure, so we can help you decide. |
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