{"id":113013,"date":"2020-05-21T14:26:26","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T19:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=113013"},"modified":"2026-01-09T13:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:43:11","slug":"fondue-primer-cheese-broth-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/living\/food-drink\/fondue-primer-cheese-broth-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create the Ultimate At-Home Fondue Date"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re planning an at-home dinner date<\/a> it can be hard to come up with just the right menu. You want something that tastes great, obviously. You want it to feel sort of fancy and luxurious in order to replicate that restaurant feel. And you want something, perhaps counterintuitively, that can be stretched out and not consumed within 20 minutes; good conversation sometimes takes some marinating of its own. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, for your next at-home date<\/a>, why not throw your evening back a half century to the wonders of the fondue pot?<\/span><\/p>\n

Fondue first became popular in the 1960s and 70s, and restaurants centered around dipping various foodstuffs into pots of cheese and other tasty meltables have seen a resurgence in the last decade. The fondue dining experience is certainly nice, but holy crap are these meals <\/span>expensive<\/span><\/i>. At least part of that is due to just how long you\u2019re taking up a table \u2014 by the time you\u2019ve done three courses you\u2019re looking at a 3-hour dining experience. You can copy that menu at home for a fraction of the cost, even when factoring in buying a new fondue pot. <\/span><\/p>\n

My wife and I tried out three courses of fondue \u2014 experimenting with multiple recipes and cooking methods \u2014 and I\u2019ve provided our conclusions and favorite recipes below. <\/span><\/p>\n

The First Question: Which Type of Pot?<\/h3>\n

A classic fondue pot<\/a> uses a flame for heat \u2014 utilizing either specialized fire gel or sterno canisters. The pot itself is usually made of heavy cast iron or ceramic. With these pots, it\u2019s usually recommended that you heat the food on the stove and then transfer it to the pot; a sterno flame doesn\u2019t produce enough heat to get whatever you\u2019re cooking in it up to the right temperature in a reasonable timeframe. It\u2019s more about <\/span>holding<\/span><\/i> the right temperature. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are some benefits to the traditional cast iron pot: it looks really nice on a table (which certainly counts for something), has an unquantifiable nostalgic appeal, and can hold a temperature reasonably well. Going into it, I was sure I would prefer the traditional pot. <\/span><\/p>\n

But, in my testing, the practical drawbacks outweigh those benefits. Using a sterno flame gives you little-to-no temperature control, which is crucial in producing the best possible fondue product. It can work well for cheese or chocolate, which require low temps, but when it comes to using broth or oil for cooking meat, there are just too many temperature problems for it to be an enjoyable experience. I was constantly fiddling with the fire and trying to figure out if the liquid was hot enough. The classic pot produced more stress than tasty victuals. <\/span><\/p>\n

For these reasons and to my own surprise, I\u2019m a big fan of the electric fondue pot<\/a>. No, it doesn\u2019t look as nice on a table, nor is it convenient to inevitably need to use an extension cord to plug it in; but for producing the best final product, it simply can\u2019t be beat. The precision temperature control that an electric pot offers makes it worth it. Making a great pot of food often requires adjusting the temperature as needed; sometimes you need a little more and sometimes you need a little less. The classic pot just doesn\u2019t work real well in that regard. <\/span><\/p>\n

My final verdict: go with an electric fondue pot and don\u2019t look back. <\/span><\/p>\n

Constructing the Meal <\/span><\/h3>\n

While your first thought might be to go all out and make three fondue courses for your special date night, I\u2019d advise against that for a few reasons. First, it\u2019s <\/span>a lot<\/span><\/i> of prep to do three fondue courses in one evening, and not all of it can be done ahead of time. You\u2019ll inevitably be spending a lot of time in the kitchen chopping, cleaning, etc. Second, with just a single pot, it can be difficult to cool it down, clean it out, and swap out the contents in a reasonably timely manner. Finally, by the third course, the novelty and excitement of dipping things in a hot liquid has perhaps worn a bit. My recommendation is to pick two courses for a fondue date night: either the cheese appetizer or main entree, and then definitely the chocolate for dessert; it was undoubtedly the fondue highlight in our testing. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Appetizer: Cheese <\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Cheese. \"<\/p>\n

Cheese fondue is equal parts delicious and dangerous. I\u2019ll warn you that it\u2019s a little too easy to just keep dipping bread into the cheese, and boy does it sit heavy if you\u2019ve had too much. On our first attempt, my wife and I both had too much cheese and had to skip dinner entirely. That said, it\u2019s a great appetizer to start with a little earlier before dinner than you usually would and to pair with something lighter for the main course \u2014 fish and salad, for instance. Plus, the recipe can pretty easily be scaled down if needed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cubed bread is the traditional thing to dip into cheese fondue, but blanched vegetables also do great: green beans, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Also don\u2019t overlook more unique ideas like potatoes\/french fries, sausages, etc. (just be sure to pre-cook those types of things, as nothing will cook in the cheese itself).  <\/span><\/p>\n

One note on the cheese: buy blocks and shred by hand. Pre-shredded cheese has some additives that don\u2019t lend as well to smooth melting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fresh<\/p>\n