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See why.The Best Fondue Pots
Retro? Maybe. But nothing beats a good old-fashioned fondue pot when it comes to serving this party favorite.
Published Feb. 1, 2017. Appears in Cook's Country December/January 2012, Cook's Country TV Season 5: Upscale Meat and Potatoes
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See Everything We TestedWhat You Need To Know
According to Swiss fondue tradition, there are consequences for losing your bread in the bubbling cheese: a man has to buy a round of drinks, and a woman has to kiss her neighbors. But even if you forsake such tradition, there’s plenty of reason to invest in a good fondue pot. Whether you’re fonduing for two or serving a crowd, this hands-on dish is often the centerpiece of the meal, and nothing is quite as disappointing as burnt or barely warmed cheese or chocolate. While you can serve fondue in any vessel (a saucepan is a popular choice), a fondue set has a festive feel, saves the host from having to constantly rewarm the dip, and comes with a set of color-coded pronged forks so guests can keep track of their utensils.
To find the best fondue pot, we threw a fondue party of our own, rounding up five models—three electric and two powered by sterno fuel (sold separately)—priced from about $20.00 to $120.00. We prepared our recipes for cheese and chocolate fondue on the stovetop and transferred them to the fondue pots to keep warm. We also prepared a beef broth fondue (AKA “hotpot”) directly in the pots. Once the fondue was heated through, we invited a team of editors to dip a variety of foods (baguette and apple slices for cheese fondue, pound cake and strawberries for chocolate, thinly sliced beef for broth), in each case using the forks included with the product.
Testers were immediately frustrated by the two fuel-powered models, which we could never seem to get to the right temperature: at their lowest their flames still scorched cheese and chocolate fondue, and at their highest they couldn’t even bring broth fondue to a boil (after about an hour they finally got hot enough to cook the beef, but we’d be cautious with pork or chicken). Electric models, by contrast, had heating elements that cycled on and off and adjustable knobs to regulate the temperature from anywhere between a gentle warm to a rolling boil. Once set, electric models also kept the temperature remarkably consistent. We noted as much when we used temperature-tracking software to chart the temperature of the fondues over 1 hour—fuel-powered models fluctuated by more than 100 degrees, while electric models stayed within a 25-degree range. We also liked the wider crocks of electric models, which at 8 inches wide compared with the 6.5-inch diameter of fuel-powered models, allowed more room for communal dipping.
That said, some electric models had flaws. Two products had ambiguously labeled temperature controls, which left us searching for the manual whenever we wanted to adjust the temperature. One set used a double-boiler setup for cheese and chocolate fondu...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Heating: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleaning: 3 stars out of 3.
This electric model heated every type of fondue evenly and consistently and its wide crock made simultaneous dipping frustration-free. Its temperature controls were clearly labeled with both degrees and type of fondue, allowing us to set the perfect temperature without looking at the manual. Its electronic parts detached so the crock could be washed in the sink, and fondue wiped easily off its scratch-resistant nonstick surface.
Recommended
- Heating: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
It took some fiddling to set the temperature on this electric model’s dial, which used settings labeled 1-10 instead of degrees (settings recommended by the manufacturer were often too hot). Once set correctly, the heat flowed steadily, its metal handles never got too hot to touch, and its wide crock was easy to eat from. Two gripes: its magnetic power cord sometimes knocked off as we dipped, and its nonstick surface was lightly scratched after a few washes.
Not Recommended
- Heating: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
This electric crock heated evenly once we got the hang of fussing with its double-boiler system, but testers didn’t like the constant steam billowing from its water bath, which scalded our hands if we weren’t careful while dipping. Its unmarked dial required frequent adjusting to find the ideal temperature; a problem, since the surrounding metal was often too hot to touch. Its ceramic crock also looked significantly scratched after cleaning.
- Heating: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
Though this fuel-powered model was attractive, its flame was tricky to adjust. While cheese fondue remained perfectly melty, chocolate fondue sputtered and steamed in its double boiler and broth fondue never came to a boil. Testers also begrudged its smaller ceramic crock, which made for crowded dipping and looked scuffed after cleaning.
- Heating: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability and Cleaning: 1 stars out of 3.
This flimsy fuel-powered metal crock was so thin that cheese and chocolate fondue began to scorch almost immediately, no matter how much we adjusted the flame. In fact, we had to stop after just 10 minutes, since the fondue became burnt and inedible. It took 20 minutes of scrubbing to get fondue off the bottom of the pot, and permanent scorch marks still remained. Oddly, broth fondue never came to a boil in this crock.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
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