Hey!

This week Lild is offering several fondue pots. Are they OK for a beginner (I haven't done a fondue in my life) or it's better to expend some money and get something better?

I had a ceramic lidl pot for 3 years - loved it and was gutted when I dropped it....

If it's for cheese fondue (rather than for meat / Chinese fondue), I do suggest getting one that is non-stick. They're soo much easier to clean. That's been my own experience, at least.

Does a non-stick still form the Grossmutter?

I can't speak for the lidl set, I bought a cheap pot from Obi that was on special. The pot itself is great, the stand is very basic and the burner is flimsy.
When compared to the nicer ones I've seen, it seems it's the accessories (stand, burner, forks) that are better, not the pot itself.

Ceramic ones of good quality do not stick.

Tom

from what I gathered in the flyer, they're all OK to use. Ceramic ones are sturdier and lead the heat better, the email one might be prone to chip, but has the benefit of being used as an additional cooking pan as well as, if it slips your fingers, at most it will be dented and might still be used, whereas the ceramic pot......


As for the 'Grossmutter'/'Schwiegermutter'/'belle-mère' or 'Bödeli', that forms in all caquelons, unless you use one of those aluminium plates between the rechaud and Caquelon, they're exactly to prevent forming the crispy bottom.

Again, if you are a fan of that, as we are, then a ceramic Caquelon is better, as the email would get scratched when oone wants to indulge inthe crisy yummyness that forms on the bottom of the Caquelon.

Then in regards to cleaning, rinse first the chunkiest gunk out, then fill Caquelon with water and a squirt of dishwashing soap and let stand over night.

It is as easy as that!

In fact moi, the Swissie, will go and purchase a new Caquelon there this week.

FTFY!

And the important is to FILL it, and not SOAK it!

Tom

I also have a cast iron one that I got from a promo from Appenzeller chease many years ago, but I normally use that for chinoise.

Tom

Thanks. I wondered about that. When I first moved here to CH, we just used the pot / set that my Swiss husband already had, and that thing was a pain in the bootay to clean. So then I finally bought a non-stick one and love it.

We usually use a couple tea light candles under ours now (unscented). It creates enough heat so that the fondue doesn't become too thick and stays warm but also helps prevent it from burning.

You have to clean the pot??

The burnt bit at the bottom is the best, we scrape it off and eat it at the table

They'll be fine but take a close look at them and the stands to see if the quality is ok for you. They don't appear to be especially cheap so you could also look elsewhere. It's important to get a decent burner but they're mostly all the same.

Well, by the time we get to the bottom, we're usually so full that we feel like we're about to explode, so we're afraid to take just one more bite.

I still remember the first time I ever ate fondue here, just after I moved to CH. It was at a dinner party that friends of my husband were giving (first time I ever met them). The fondue was sooo good that I just kept eating and eating, casually while sitting at the table. I spent the rest of the party wishing I was dead, I was so full and absolutely miserable because of it. I learned my lesson the hard way.

I think you better turn yourself in before the Kantonspolizei Appenzell finds out...

I made fondue long before moving to CH and having an actual fondue pot.

Of course, I do own one now... Not from Lidl, but as far as I my experience go Lidl has cheap but good quality stuff.

Question for the experts..
We have an auberge near us with magnificent fondue bourguignonne.. Home made sauces, great meat etc.

We re-create it at home sometimes but the difference is the meat spits and splatters hot oil when we do it at home, it doesn't in the resto..

The resto has a little thing like a cork floating in the oil, is that what helps? What is it? I keep forgetting to ask them.

I can't think of any other reason for the difference, I mean it's meat and hot oil otherwise.

Maybe the meat you use is too wet.

Tom

... and/or the oil is too hot. What sort of oil are you using?

I use peanut oil for fondue and deep frying.

Tom

Well we pat the meat dry and it sits for a while on the table while we prepare the oil.. I used peanut oil also last time. Heat wise, I heat it on the cooker until I can drop a little bread in and it bubbles.
Then just use one of those disposable gel burner things. If anything I'd think it's hotter at the resto, they use a gas flame. like a single burner camping stove.

I might just steal the floating thing next I'm there

Meat that hasn't been aged will have a much higher water content, patting it dry may not be enough.

Tom