Meat Fondue Set: Can You Use It For Cheesecake?

Fondue is a fun and social way to eat, and a great way to get your guests interacting. It originated in Switzerland as a way for families to stretch their resources, but it later became a meal enjoyed by the more affluent. Fondue is a dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce or cooking medium such as oil or broth. While cheese fondue is a popular choice, you can also use hot oil or broth to cook meat, or even dessert fondue for a sweet treat.

If you want to use your meat fondue set for cheese, you absolutely can. However, you will need to be careful to follow the correct preparation and cooking times, as meat and cheese fondues have different requirements.

The best cheeses for fondue

Fondue is all about the cheese, so it's important to use good-quality varieties that melt smoothly. The best fondue is made with creamy, buttery cheeses.

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you're after a classic Swiss fondue, opt for a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses like Gruyere, Swiss cheese, and gouda.

Other great options include:

• Comté
• Emmentaler (a variety of Swiss cheese)
• Raclette
• Vacherin
• Appenzeller
• Cheddar
• Abondance
• Beaufort
• Manchego and Monterey jack
• Young gouda
• Swiss and Gruyère with white wine

For a non-traditional fondue, you can use sodium citrate to make any cheese melt smoothly, so feel free to get creative and experiment with fun combinations!

What foods to dip in a meat fondue

While cheese fondue is a popular appetiser, it is not recommended to put cheese in a meat fondue set. Meat fondue involves cooking small pieces of meat in hot oil or broth. The meat is then dipped into various sauces and piled onto bread.

Meat

• Cubed steak
• Breaded chicken
• Sausage
• Breaded shrimp
• Leftover medium-rare prime rib
• Thinly sliced marinated steak
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• White fish
• Hotdogs

Frozen foods

• Onion rings
• Cheese curds
• Breaded ravioli
• Sweet potato fries
• Tater tots
• Breaded shrimp
• Jalapeno poppers
• Fish nuggets
• Breaded chicken

Vegetables

• Summer squash
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Carrot slices
• Zucchini
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Cubed potatoes
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Summer squash
• Green beans
• Carrot slices
• Mushrooms

Marinade recipes

• Balsamic chicken marinade
• Cilantro lime chicken marinade
• Mustard chicken marinade
• Greek chicken marinade
• Spicy chicken marinade
• Homemade teriyaki chicken marinade
• Korean BBQ sauce
• Red wine steak marinade
• Asian steak marinade
• Mexican fish marinade
• Ginger garlic salmon marinade
• Miso marinade

How to prepare a meat fondue

Meat fondue is a fun and unique way to entertain guests at a dinner party. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to prepare a meat fondue:

Prepare the Ingredients and Equipment:

• Cut your choice of meat into bite-sized cubes. Good options include beef tenderloin, rump steak, chicken, or shrimp.
• Gather various dipping sauces such as horseradish sauce, chilli vinegar, herb pesto, or mustard mayonnaise. You can make these yourself or buy ready-made sauces.
• Prepare some bread and salad to serve on the side.
• Use a fondue set that includes a burner and a pot. You can also use an electric fondue pot, or a pot warmed with candles or sterno.
• Provide each guest with a fondue fork for dunking the meat.

Heat the Oil:

• When your guests are ready to eat, fill your fondue pot halfway with vegetable oil.
• Heat the oil on the stove until it's hot but not smoking. Aim for a temperature of around 190°C. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the oil by throwing in a cube of bread. When it takes about 30 seconds to brown, the oil is ready.

Set Up the Fondue:

• Carefully place the fondue burner on the table, ensuring that it is stable.
• Following the manufacturer's instructions, light the flame and place the pot of hot oil on top.

Cook the Meat:

• Give each guest a fondue fork and instruct them to spear a piece of meat and dunk it into the hot oil.
• Cook the meat according to the desired doneness: 25-30 seconds for rare, 30-35 seconds for medium, and 45-60 seconds for well done.
• Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the oil and dip it into the sauces. Pile the meat onto slices of bread and enjoy!

Safety and Tips:

• Always exercise caution when cooking with hot oil to avoid accidents.
• Don't overcrowd the pot with too much meat at once, as it will lower the temperature of the oil.
• You can also cook raw king prawns in the fondue for a delicious addition.
• For a well-rounded meal, serve meat fondue with a variety of sides, such as cooked vegetables or potatoes.

The history of fondue

Fondue is a Swiss dish that originated as a way to use hardened cheese and stale bread during the winter months. The earliest known recipe for the modern form of cheese fondue comes from a 1699 book published in Zurich, under the name "Käss mit Wein zu kochen" or "to cook cheese with wine". It calls for grated or cut-up cheese to be melted with wine, and for bread to be dipped in it.

In the 1930s, the Swiss Cheese Union promoted fondue as a Swiss national dish as a way of increasing cheese consumption. The Swiss Cheese Union also created pseudo-regional recipes as part of the "spiritual defence of Switzerland". Fondue continued to be promoted aggressively in Switzerland with slogans like "La fondue crée la bonne humeur" ("fondue creates a good mood").

Fondue was popularized in North America in the 1960s, when it was introduced to Americans at the Swiss Pavilion's Alpine restaurant at the 1964 New York World's Fair. It became particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a fun and unique dinner party dish.

Since the 1950s, the term "fondue" has been generalized to other dishes in which food is dipped into a communal pot of liquid kept hot in a fondue pot. This includes chocolate fondue, in which pieces of fruit or pastry are dipped into a melted chocolate mixture, and fondue bourguignonne, in which pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil or broth.

Different types of fondue

Fondue is a dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce or a hot cooking medium such as oil or broth. It is a great dish for socialising at a dinner party while enjoying a variety of delicious foods. It can be as healthy or indulgent as you like!

Cheese Fondue

The classic Swiss cheese fondue is made with a blend of firm, mountain-style cheeses like Gruyere, Emmental, and Appenzeller. Other good cheeses for fondue include Fontina, Gouda, Comté, Raclette, and Vacherin. To make it extra smooth, grate the cheese instead of chopping it, and toss it with cornstarch to thicken the fondue and prevent clumping. A dry, high-acid white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or an unoaked Chardonnay is typically added to the fondue, but it can be substituted with chicken or vegetable stock.

Chocolate Fondue

For chocoholics, a chocolate fondue is a must. It can be made with semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate, and is best served with fresh fruit like strawberries, bananas, apples, and grapes, as well as sweet treats like marshmallows, pretzels, wafers, and crackers.

Meat Fondue

Meat fondue, also known as hot oil fondue, is a fun and interactive way to cook and eat meat. Cubes of meat, usually beef tenderloin or rump steak, are cooked in hot vegetable oil for 25-60 seconds, depending on the desired doneness. The cooked meat is then dipped into various sauces and piled onto bread. This type of fondue usually requires a fondue burner and a pan that can withstand high temperatures.

Broth Fondue

Broth fondue is a healthier alternative to hot oil fondue. Meat, seafood, and vegetables are cooked in a pot of simmering broth, which can be flavoured with ingredients like soy sauce, red wine, garlic, and onion. This type of fondue is a great way to make a hearty and comforting meal.

Creative Fondue

There are endless possibilities for fondue, and creative types can experiment with different ingredients and flavours. Some unique fondue ideas include s'mores fondue, matcha white chocolate fondue, pizza fondue, crab fondue, and even a cinnamon sugar biscuit donut fondue!

Frequently asked questions