When it comes to fondue, that doesn’t apply: cheese is cheese. With the help of a ready-made mixture, everyone can put cheese fondue on the table. However, in order to create a unique experience, the following points should be considered first.
Tip 1: Beware of ready-made and cheese mixes
Supermarkets and dairies have a wide variety of fondue products: from ready-made cheese mixes to real cheese, where you can make the whole mix yourself. Each variation has advantages and disadvantages.
In a ready-made mix, you have little control as the cheese is already ready, along with the wine and seasonings. Plus point: It’s quick to prepare and you won’t make too many mistakes.
With a cheese mixture, the combination of cheese has already been specified. But you can play with wine and spices. The tedious job of grating cheese is no longer necessary.
You have the most control if you make the fondue by hand and you can choose your own cheese, seasonings and wine. However, some experience is also helpful here, as most things can go wrong.
Tip #2: Choose the right cheese
A classic fondue called the famous Moité-Moité consists of half Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP and half Gruyere AOP. These spicy-salty cheeses make a good base.
You can add some Emmental cheese to the mix for a strong, aromatic taste. If you want something even more spicy, an Appenzeller is recommended. Tilsiter and Sbrinz are also popular in some areas.
For a brand new experience, you can experiment with a spicy and slightly sweet blue cheese, gorgonzola or a spicy pecan camembert.
However, when choosing cheese, you should pay attention to the compatibility of melting degrees of different cheeses. Otherwise, you will not achieve the homogeneous consistency, which is important for a creamy fondue.
Tip 3: Consider the age of the cheese
It is also recommended to use young cheese for fondue instead of very mature cheese. Young cheese has different melting properties than cheese that has been ripe for a long time. It’s best to use cheese that hasn’t matured for more than six months or has less than 45 percent fat.
Tip 4: The right seasoning
Traditionally fondue is flavored with garlic, pepper and nutmeg. You can also add onions, cumin, paprika, green peppers, herbs and even curry to spice up your fondue. A pinch of cherry is recommended for an extra bit of zing.
Tip 5: Grate the cheese
Grating cheese can be a chore, but it’s essential. Grated cheese melts faster so it can mix better with the wine.
Tip 6: The right amount
For a four-course cheese fondue, you’ll usually calculate the correct ratio with 800 grams of cheese, four deciliters of white wine, and a tablespoon of cornmeal or other starch. For a non-alcoholic version, apple juice can be used instead of wine.
Tip 7: Wine
White wine in fondue should be dry and sour. The acid gives the fondue the right consistency and classic taste.
Tip 8: Mix with care
It is best to use a wooden spoon for mixing. This means that the caquelon is not damaged. It is also important to mix the mass throughout the pot. If you just mix it in a circle, you risk a tight lump in the middle. In order for everything to mix homogeneously, you can imagine the wooden spoon movement of an eight as a reminder.
With fondue, it is important not only to mix it well, but also to keep stirring it constantly. Even while eating, you should always stir something while inserting the fork. Otherwise, the cheese will quickly become crusted and the mass will harden.
Tip 9: The right fondue set
It’s useless without a real fondue set. Fondue cannot be prepared in a regular pot and eaten with a knife and fork. You need fondue forks, a rechaud and a caquelon.
It’s worth investing in a high quality caquelon. A cardamom made of cast iron, ceramic, or clay is sturdy and retains heat for a long time. This ensures that the fondue cream stays longer.
Tip 10: Right side dishes
Traditionally, it is bread dipped in fondue. Ideally, you should use multi-crust bread, as this intensifies the flavor. Pieces don’t fall off the fork that easily because of the crust.
For example, in addition to the classic fondue bread (cumin bread), rye bread, hazelnut bread, St. Gallen, Ticino bread and even bagel bread are also suitable. An alternative to bread, potatoes also taste great with cheese.