Fondue pots keep cheese, chocolate, and other ingredients melted and warm, a fun way to gather around the pot and dip bread, fruits, meats, and vegetables with family and friends.
Don’t Judge a Fondue Pot Gift By Its Cover
The Cuisinart® 3-quart Fondue Pot was a gift. And like you’re probably thinking right about now, sharing melted cheese with others in a method that takes the sin of “double dipping” to the next level is basically a pot of breeding germs. Then, I got to thinking how much we used to love the fondue-themed restaurants where we did just that (and survived the germs) in addition to the fun we had participating in a chocolate fountain at parties. I quickly changed my germaphobe thoughts to ooey, gooey melted cheese and chocolate in the privacy of my own home, shared by my closest friends and relatives.
What is a Fondue Pot?
The main feature of a fondue pot is that it’s designed to provide consistent heat without burning the food that is placed inside. Besides the main fondue warming unit, there is a removable insert that holds the food when in use, then easily removes for cleanup.
You can use a fondue pot for parties or simply everyday savory meals and sweet snacks. For example, serve melted cheeses and oils for dipping bread, vegetables, and meat as appetizers or cook meat dishes that are cooked in oil or broths. When it comes to dessert, melting chocolate to dip fruit, marshmallows, cookies, and cake pieces, is much neater than the splashing chocolate mess when using a chocolate fountain.
Features of the Cuisinart® Fondue Pot
The Cuisinart 3-Quart Fondue Pot (CFO-3SSP1) features a nonstick insert and has lots of great features and even includes the special dipping forks. While mine was presented to me as a gift from a family member, the price was $99.95 on the brand’s website, Cuisinart.com.
What’s in the box:
:: 3-quart stainless steel pot
:: Sturdy electric base
:: 8 color-coded, extra-long fondue forks
:: Fondue ring for resting forks
:: Instruction booklet with recipes
I personally think the color-coded tips of the forks is so smart, makes it so much fun to share the melted foods with guests. Each person gets to pick a fork in a specific color and use it for the entire fondue experience. The handles of the forks stay cool so the heat from the cheese or chocolate fondues stays on the prongs of the fork.
Cuisinart Fondue Pot features and specifications:
:: Stainless Steel color and sleek design
:: 3-quart capacity – Ideal size, not too big or too little
:: Non-stick interior for easy clean-up and dishwasher-safe
:: Electric power so no open flame or fuel cans needed
:: Adjustable temperatures offer eight settings for melting, warming, or boiling
:: Provides 1,000 watts of power
:: Limited 3-year warranty
:: Weight – 5.5 lbs.
:: BPA Free
Cuisinart Fondue Pot is More Than Just For Cheese and Chocolate
I must point out that the Cuisinart Fondue Pot is versatile and can be used for more than a simple melting of cheese or chocolate. The fact that I can adjust the temperature allows me to use it as a mini-chafing dish when serving soups, chili, and side dishes as well. While the fun of it is dipping bread in cheese, more than the fun is the practical fact that the food you place inside the fondue pot stays warm for hours. That is a huge benefit when hosting a social gathering and you can’t fit another food item inside your oven to warm it up.
Better Than Melting Cheese in a Pot on the Stove
If you’ve recently melted cheese or prepared macaroni and cheese on the stove, you know that the cheese typically doesn’t stay evenly melted in the pot and the macaroni and cheese gets stuck to the pan’s edges. That doesn’t happen with an electric fondue pot as it does with a stove top or an open flame fondue pot model. I give credit to the consistent 1,000 watts of melting power and adjustable temperature for a perfect smooth cheese consistency that seems to happen in just minutes and it stays that way for the duration of the “dipping” fun.
Size, Quality, Design, and Storage of the Cuisinart Fondue Pot
While the set comes with 8 dipping forks, I’d say that based on the size, this fondue pot comfortably serves 4 to 6 people if you’re making it a centerpiece on a dinner table setting. If it’s part of a buffet setting, many more people can enjoy dipping foods in it.
I appreciate the sturdiness of the Cuisinart Fondue Pot. The base, interior pot, and even the dipping forks are quality made. I also appreciate that it’s not too big and bulky to store inside our kitchen cabinet. I personally like the design, so most often we just leave it on the countertop. My advice: Always leave the fun appliances out so you remember to use them.
Clean-Up After a Long Night’s Gathering
One piece of advice is that no matter how tired you are after a gathering at your home, you don’t leave the fondue pot insert uncleaned. If you’re not planning to run the dishwasher that evening, you MUST at least soak the baked-on cheese or melted chocolate overnight. While the dishwasher makes clean-up of the pot’s insert easier, every now and then we need to soft scrub the insert to be sure we got all the remnants off the stainless steel. To clean the unit’s base, just wipe with a damp cloth.
Diverse Uses For This Fondue Pot
This fondue pot can be used for much more than just melting cheese or chocolate. They can be used for cooking soups and other dishes, frying chunks of meat in oil, and simply keeping a variety of foods warm while serving.
We’ve been expanding our uses of the fondue pot to melt and blend different types of cheeses. Here are some of the fun foods we’ve been enjoying in the fondue pot:
:: Melt caramels to dip apple slices, pretzels, or pour caramel sauce on ice cream
:: Asian soy sauce broth fondue to cook carrots, peppers, onions, and other vegetables
:: Oil fondue (known as Bourguignon fondue) for frying pieces of beef in the heated oil
:: Soup fondue like broccoli cheddar, ideal for dipping bread
:: Dipped Rice Krispie treats and pound cake slices in melted milk chocolate
:: Dipped strawberries and bananas in a mix of dark and white chocolates
:: Blended melted gruyere cheese with garlic and wine
:: Spiced up a Mexican queso fondue by adding some jalapeno peppers
We didn’t try this, but a friend told us that she uses her fondue pot to keep mulled wine warm during her family gatherings. The uses are endless and we will certainly keep adding fondue fun experiences to our get-togethers.
Helpful Hint: Always keep a slotted strainer spoon by the fondue pot to rescue fallen foods in the fondue pot.
Go Ahead and Melt, Dip, and Swirl Your Food
If you want to spice up family and friend gatherings, the Cuisinart Fondue Pot can add a bit of unique fun to the meal. And since I’m looked upon as hostess that is continuously adding gadgets to my kitchen, this fondue pot is one addition that guests can’t get enough of. In fact, someone recently suggested I buy a second fondue pot so I can serve both melted cheese and chocolate at the same time.
My only con is that I feel the power cord is not long enough to accommodate some areas of our entertaining spaces. And using an extension cord with a heated pot of cheese is not an ideal solution for me. Aside from that I love this Cuisinart Fondue Pot. It was a great gift that I truly appreciated.
