The Biggest Mistake To Avoid When Making Fondue

Fondue is a great way to get everyone together around the table for conversation and shared sustenance. Whether it's a cheesy appetizer, a main course of meats and veggies cooked in hot oil or broth, or a rich chocolatey dessert. But whichever type of fondue you've got bubbling in the pot, it is prone to one problem: Too much of that bubbling. Left to boil like that, the fondue can make a huge mess or even end up ruined. Worse yet, there's the potential for injury from the too-hot liquids.

The problem is that those handy fuel canisters that fit neatly under the fondue pot can get a little too hot. Instead of keeping your fondue at a steady, warm temperature, the heat can continue to rise. The longer the fuel burns, the hotter most fondues will get until they are essentially boiling in front of your eyes. So leaving the fuel burning can be a huge mistake. Fortunately, cheese and chocolate fondues will hold their temperature for a good amount of time so it's okay to remove the heat. You can always relight the flame once the fondue starts to cool.

Leaving fondue fuel burning for too long will have different consequences, depending on what kind you're serving. Savory cheese fondue will burn to the bottom of the pot fairly quickly once it starts bubbling. Not only will this make a mess that is a huge pain to clean later, but you'll also lose much of your delicious cheese sauce. It will essentially turn to a burnt crust on the bottom.

Overheating chocolate can also lead to burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the fondue pot. But if the temperature gets too high for too long, you can also end up burning the entire serving of fondue. You'll know it's happening by the telltale smell of burnt chocolate wafting up from the pot. Both cheese and chocolate can potentially cause burns to your skin if the boiling gets out of control and sputters. It's a good idea to put the flame out once you notice active bubbling. You can always restart the fuel later as the fondue cools.

Oil and broth present a different challenge. Since raw meats are generally being cooked, it's important to make sure the fondue stays hot enough. It's a good idea to keep a thermometer handy and monitor the temperature to ensure it doesn't drop and cause a food safety issue, or get so high as to risk burns from the boiling oil or bubbling broth.

Fuel canisters aren't the only option when it comes to keeping fondue hot. As convenient as they are, some alternatives make temperature control a lot easier. One of those alternatives is the electric fondue pot, which will maintain a consistent temperature so there's no risk of burning. Of course, you've got to be a pretty big fondue connoisseur to make purchasing one of these pots worth it. But it will save you from making the mistake of leaving the fuel burning for too long.

For those who eat fondue less often but still want to enjoy a steady temperature without worrying about the fuel overheating the ingredients, a small slow cooker can work extremely well. It might not be as stylish or cute as a fondue pot, but it works with both cheese and chocolate fondues. Just leave it on warm while you dip away — no need to worry about burning anything or having it cool down before you're done.