Who doesn’t love cheese or chocolate? These two ingredients are the way to the hearts of almost everyone on earth. And I personally love them both a lot.
The mouths of most of us will water at the thought of a bowl of hot cheesy goodness gliding down our mouths, filling us with ecstasy. That’s what fondue is, a bowl of cheesy French goodness.
While the term fondue covers many other things, such as chocolate fondue too, the term fondue generally refers to a warm sauce that you can dip and devour.
How to Make Fondue Without A Fondue Pot?
To make fondue without a fondue pot use a thick-bottomed pan, tea lights, or a hotpot. Fondue making requires a set of ingredients along with specific tools. These tools include a fondue pot. The functioning of the pot ensures that the contents of the pot are fully warmed during the meal. However, this does not mean you can’t enjoy a warm fondue meal without a fondue pot. You just need to devise a way to ensure that the pot’s contents stay warm for a long time. This can be easily done by using a thick-bottomed pan, tea lights, or even a hotpot.
What Is a Fondue?
The word fondue has grown into an umbrella term covering any kind of sauce-like food in which dippers such as pieces of bread are dipped and then eaten.
Originally, the word fondue referred to a Swiss melted cheese dish. This dish was made by melting cheese in different types of wines and alcohols.
The wide array of flavors from the alcohol and various types of cheeses used gave fondue a unique taste that paralleled no other. Typically, cheese fondue was served with bread.
Nowadays, chocolate fondue is the rave. It refers to the melting pot of chocolate. It is made with different types of chocolates to give the fondue a depth of flavor.
It is of utmost importance that fondue is served while still hot. The fondue needs to maintain its sauce-like or liquidy texture throughout the meal so that dippers can be easily dipped into it.
However, the nature of cheese and chocolate causes them to become a thick viscous mess once cooled. To maintain the liquid consistency of the fondue, it is important that the pot in which the fondue is served is kept warm at all times.
This is where a fondue pot comes into play.
What to Use Instead of a Fondue Pot?
A fondue pot comes with its own heating system. The bottom part of the pot contains a heat source that keeps the fondue warm throughout. The heating system may be electric or based on fuel.
The whole idea of using a fondue pot is to ensure that the item inside of the pot stays warm throughout the meal. If the cheese or chocolate fondue cools down during the meal, it loses all of its appeal, and related stuff cannot be easily dipped into the sauce.
While searching for a substitute for a fondue pot, your aim should be to search for a pot that can keep your sauce warm for a long period. For this, I would suggest a thick-bottomed pan.
If you do not have a thick-bottomed pan, you can always add some tealights under your regular pan so that it keeps the contents of the pan warm.
You can set up a slightly elevated stand and light a few tealights underneath the both to provide the fondue with the heat it needs.
A hotpot can also work here if it can keep the fondue warm enough.
Honestly, you can use any pot or utensils for the fondue as long as you manage to keep the fondue inside of the pot hot and liquidy enough.
What to Serve With Cheese Fondue?
There is this thing with cheese; it goes well with everything and anything. To accompany your cheese fondue, you can add things like bread, potatoes, vegetables, meatballs, sausages, chicken tenders, and even fruits, and you name it!
You can also grill or roast the vegetables a bit to bring out their earthy flavors and enjoy them with the cheese fondue.
Older, dried bread, a day old or so, goes really well with the cheese fondue. I always bake or purchase different types of bread to enjoy with my cheese fondue.
As said above, cheese goes well with everything, especially bread!
What to Serve With Chocolate Fondue?
Chocolate is the way to even the most rigid of hearts. For dippers with chocolate fondue, you can let all your chocolate dreams go wild. Cookies, crackers, cereals, meringues, marshmallows, brownies, cakes, the list goes on and on.
And how can I forget everyone’s all-time favorite fruit – strawberries? The combination of chocolate fondue and strawberries is to die for!
Conclusion to How to Make Fondue Without a Fondue Pot
A fondue is a delicacy, typically made with cheese or chocolate and served with a variety of dippers.
The fondue needs to be kept warm in a fondue pot throughout the meal to ensure that the consistency of the fondue is on the thinner side and can be easily dipped into. You can easily prepare fondue without a fondue pot as long as your pot is well heated or has a makeshift heat source.
Frequently Asked Questions to How to Make Fondue Without a Fondue Pot
What Can You Make in a Fondue Pot Apart from Fondue?
A fondue pot is not at all limited only to fondue. If done expertly, you can utilize your fondue pot to make an endless list of dishes. From preparing the beef stew to baking a loaf of bread, a fondue pot can do it all.
Can You Prepare Cheese Fondues in a Metal Pot?
A metal pot can be used to prepare cheese fondues as long the temperature is kept at the lower end to ensure proper cooking of the cheese. Typically, metal pots are more suitable for meat and seafood fondues. However, if done correctly, you can also prepare cheese fondues in a metal pot.
What is Fondue Fuel Made Up Of?
Fondue fuel is usually made up of methanol and ethanol. These alcohols are comparatively safer to use indoors. Furthermore, they do not have a very strong or irritating odor that would cause discomfort to the people living in the house.