Fondue sets are the classic Christmas present that gets used on Boxing Day and then lives at the back of a cupboard for a decade. I get why people are wary.
But a dark January Saturday with a pot of molten cheese, some crusty bread and a couple of friends round is a genuinely good evening, and it’s barely any cooking. So whether one is worth having mostly comes down to buying a set that’s nice to use rather than a flimsy one that annoys you the first time.
Why I’d go cast iron
Cheese fondue is fussy. Let it get too hot and it splits into a greasy mess. Let it cool and it turns into a solid lump. A heavy pot that holds an even, gentle heat makes the whole thing far more forgiving than a thin stainless one sitting over a flame.
That’s why I’d point people at the MasterClass cast iron fondue set. You get a black enamelled cast iron pot holding 1.2 litres, a stand, an adjustable burner and six fondue forks with colour-coded tips so nobody pinches anyone else’s bit of bread. The burner takes gel fuel or methylated spirits. The forks go in the dishwasher, the pot is hand wash only, and MasterClass gives it a 5-year guarantee.
1.2 litres is plenty for four people as a main, or six picking at it after dinner.
How to actually make it work
A few things the instructions tend not to mention:
- Melt it on the hob first. The burner is there to keep things warm at the table, not to melt a kilo of cold cheese from scratch. Get it smooth in a saucepan, then pour it into the warmed pot.
- Grate the cheese and toss it in a little cornflour. That’s what stops it going stringy and splitting. A mix of Gruyère and Emmental is the classic, but a good mature Cheddar with a splash of cider works fine for a more British take.
- Keep the flame low. If it starts bubbling, turn the burner down. Stir in a figure of eight every time you dip.
- Buy fuel before the night. Gel fuel and meths are both easy to get from hardware shops and supermarkets, but not at 7pm on a Sunday. Only refill the burner once it’s out and cooled.
Chocolate works too
The same pot does chocolate fondue, which is the one kids get excited about. Keep the burner right down, or skip it and rely on the pot’s own heat, since chocolate burns easily. Strawberries, marshmallows, banana and chunks of brownie all work. If you’d rather keep the chocolate in mugs, here’s the best milk pan for proper hot chocolate.
If you host, even a few times a winter, I’d get one. It’s one of the least effort dinners you can put on a table, and it feels like an occasion. A solid cast iron set also doubles as a nice serving pot for warm dips.
If you live alone and rarely have people over, probably not. It really is a sharing thing, and nobody wants to do fondue for one.
