To greatest get pleasure from fondue, you want a fondue set. Sure, shopping for single-purpose cooking instruments and home equipment not often appears prudent. And sure, you possibly can, in fact, soften cheese in a daily pot and name it a day. However — and that is very true in the event you’re denoting a special day like Valentine’s Day — fondue is a kind of culinary tasks that’s deserving of each your cash and cupboard space.
A fondue set features a heating component that ensures the contents of the fondue pot keep melty, thus permitting the dish to turn into your desk’s centerpiece fairly than one thing you need to babysit. The accompanying fondue forks make it attainable to cleanly dip all method of morsels into melted cheese or chocolate, and make the meal an interactive occasion. Whereas a set is considerably of a unitasker, you gained’t be mad at affording your self the flexibility to host fondue-centered gatherings for years to return, whether or not for an intimate date evening or a extra raucous ceremonial dinner. Listed here are a number of choices for doing simply that.
Finest Fondue Set for Al Fresco Eating
Should you and your date want to create a winter-cozy alcove (what higher excuse to cuddle collectively than over a small fireplace?) this conventional fondue set from the Swiss model Swissmar is simply begging to be positioned on an outside picnic desk. The enameled cast-iron pot, a Valentine’s Day-appropriate crimson, rests atop a wrought-iron rechaud (the stand that holds the pot and fondue burner). You’ll have to purchase Swissmar-brand fireplace gel for the fondue burner individually.
Finest Kitschy Fondue Set
Fellow Swiss model Kuhn Rikon makes quite a lot of cookware, and given fondue’s function in Swiss custom, a lot of its fondue units have notably Swiss motifs, reminiscent of this crimson pot emblazoned with the Swiss flag. The total set comes with six fundamental fondue forks, gasoline paste, and a rechaud, together with six matching plates.
For an excellent kitschier Swiss-made possibility, I just like the model’s Capricorn set, which features a ceramic fondue pot and plates, all hand painted with a goat motif, plus 4 fondue forks. It’s a pleasant possibility for individuals who want to combine up their present fondue set-up, as this doesn’t include a rechaud.
Finest Electrical Fondue Set
Whereas conventional fondue units often depend on flame warmth to maintain fondue heat after it’s been melted on the range, an electrical set plugs into an outlet to soften the fondue straight. Cuisinart’s electrical fondue set is constantly effectively reviewed, and comes outfitted with an adjustable thermostat that lets you soften cheese to your exact temperature choice, eight fondue forks, and a useful ring that matches contained in the pot to carry the forks whereas the fondue heats. The pot, when separated from the bottom, can be dishwasher secure.
Finest Fondue Set for Two (or One)
Should you’re much less excited by investing in a celebration showpiece and extra within the occasional intimate fondue evening, a space-saving miniature fondue set is interesting. This tapas fondue set from Boska, a Netherlands-born model that sells cheese equipment, comes with solely two fondue forks and makes use of a tea mild to heat the small, rectangular pot — that means that you’ll have to do the intense melting on the range beforehand, however that you just and your date can get near dip into the diminutive pot.
Finest Funding Fondue Set
Like its iconic Dutch ovens, Le Creuset’s enameled cast-iron fondue units are heirloom high quality, and priced as such. The engaging pot (which is offered in just a few completely different colours) rests on a sturdy rechaud and the wood-handled fondue forks are properly shade coded so nobody will get blended up at your fondue get together.
Finest Fondue Set for a Main Splurge
The French cookware model Mauviel makes a fondue set in its signature copper. The “thick copper development” guarantees to carry as much as melted cheese, chocolate, and scorching oil, and likewise makes for a sublime ceremonial dinner centerpiece.
The perfect locations to purchase cheese on-line
If the cheese part at your native grocery retailer is missing, concern not: A lot of notable cheese retailers ship. Listed here are just a few of our favorites.
Murray’s Cheese: Along with its extensive choice of fondue-appropriate, Alpine-style cheeses, Murray’s makes its personal fondue combine.
Saxelby Cheesemongers: Based by the late Anne Saxelby, the store makes a speciality of American-made cheeses, so that you’ll discover Alpine-style choices from home makers like Jasper Hill Farm.
Zingerman’s: The Michigan deli has a formidable choice of each American-made and European cheese, together with an extra-aged vintage Gruyere.
iGourmet: This supply for gourmand meals sells many, many regional cheeses; its Swiss choice consists of Gruyere, Appenzeller, and Emmental, together with a ready-to-serve fondue combine.