A Warm, Cheesy Delight: Oil Fondue At Home

Fondue is a fun and interactive way to enjoy a meal with friends and family. Oil fondue, also known as fondue Bourguignonne, is where diners cook their food in hot oil. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to do oil fondue at home, including choosing the right oil, preparing the ingredients, and cooking the food safely.

Choosing the right oil

So, which oils are best for fondue? Here are some great options:

Canola Oil

Canola oil is a popular choice for fondue because it is inexpensive, has a neutral flavor, and boasts a high smoke point. This makes it a safe and versatile option.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is another excellent choice for fondue. It has a high smoke point and a mild flavor that won't overpower your food. Refined peanut oil has a smoke point of around 445°F (231°C), making it a reliable option for hot oil fondue.

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a great option if you're looking for a neutral-flavored oil. It has a high smoke point and is perfect for fondue as it won't affect the taste of your ingredients.

Sunflower Seed Oil

Sunflower seed oil is another neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, making it a good choice for fondue. It's a common option for cooking due to its versatility and ability to withstand high temperatures.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil has a remarkably high smoke point of approximately 520°F (270°C), making it an excellent choice for hot oil fondue. It's a healthy option and has a subtle flavor that won't interfere with your ingredients.

Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil is a great choice if you're looking for an oil with a unique flavor. It has a smoke point of 450°F (232°C), which is ideal for fondue. It also has a slightly nutty flavor that can enhance your fondue experience.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a good option for fondue, especially if you're looking for a more solid oil at room temperature. It has a smoke point of around 450°F (232°C) and adds a subtle sweetness to your dishes.

When choosing an oil for your fondue, it's important to consider its smoke point and flavor. Oils with high smoke points are safer and more suitable for hot oil fondue. Additionally, neutral-flavored oils are generally preferred as they won't overpower the flavors of your ingredients.

Preparing the ingredients

Firstly, select your ingredients wisely. Meat and seafood are typically the stars of an oil fondue. For meat, beef is a popular choice as it is less likely to cause issues if slightly undercooked. Opt for cuts like strip loin or tenderloin instead of fatty cuts. Bison, lamb, chicken, pork, and even game meats like venison are also great options. When it comes to seafood, shrimp, scallops, and salmon are excellent choices. Avoid overly flaky fish like haddock or cod, as they may fall apart.

Once you've selected your proteins, cut them into small, bite-sized pieces. This ensures even cooking and easy handling when dipping into the hot oil. Keep the raw meat refrigerated until it's fondue time. It's important to note that you should avoid overcrowding the fondue pot, so prepare enough ingredients for a few pieces per person.

Next, focus on preparing your vegetables. The options are endless, but remember to avoid frozen vegetables as they can cause the oil to boil over. Wash and thoroughly dry your chosen vegetables before cutting them into small, evenly sized pieces. This ensures they cook evenly and fit comfortably in the fondue pot. Potatoes and sweet potatoes, for example, should be precooked and precut to ensure they cook thoroughly in the oil.

In addition to proteins and vegetables, you might want to include some bread. Bread is a great accompaniment to oil fondue, especially when dipped into the cooked meats and sauces. Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces, and you might even want to toast or fry it for added flavour and texture.

Before you begin cooking, ensure that all your ingredients are completely dry. Any water droplets or moisture can cause the hot oil to splatter and potentially cause burns or spills. This is a crucial safety precaution.

Finally, prepare your dipping sauces. A variety of sauces will enhance the flavour of your cooked ingredients and create a unique fondue experience. You can be creative and mix different sauces to create custom dips. Some popular options include aioli, soy and sesame, lime and sour cream, mustard sauces, horseradish cream, and herb butter.

Remember to prepare enough ingredients to suit the number of guests you'll be serving, and always keep food safety and sanitation in mind when handling raw and cooked foods.

Heating the oil

To test if the oil is hot enough, you can use the bread test. Place a cube of bread into the oil, and if it browns in less than a minute, the oil is ready. You can also use a thermometer to check the temperature. The ideal temperature range for oil fondue is around 325 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (163 to 191 degrees Celsius). It is important to maintain the right temperature, as the oil needs to be hot enough to cook the food properly.

Once the oil is heated, you can begin cooking your fondue items. Place a piece of raw food on your fondue fork and carefully lower it into the hot oil. The cooking time will depend on the type of food and your desired doneness. For example, meat can be cooked rare, medium, or well done, and will take different amounts of time in the oil. Always exercise caution when working with hot oil, and ensure that the area around your fondue pot is clear of any flammable materials.

Cooking the food

The cooking process for an oil fondue is similar to a combination of deep-frying and oil poaching. The oil is heated to a high temperature, but because there is a relatively small amount of oil in the fondue pot, the temperature will drop when cold food is added. This means that the food will initially be seared, but will then need to sit in the oil to poach rather than fry.

To maintain the right oil temperature, balance the amount of food added to the pot with the time it has to recover after food is removed. As a general rule, try not to cover more than 60-70% of the pot's surface with food. If you have a mix of room-temperature and chilled ingredients, put them in the pot together. If all the ingredients are chilled, the oil temperature will drop dramatically and take a long time to recover.

When cooking with hot oil, it's important to be cautious to avoid accidents. Any water droplets can cause the oil to spit and potentially bubble over, so ensure that your ingredients are as dry as possible before adding them to the hot oil.

Meat and fish are typically the main components of an oil fondue. Some people like to use chicken and pork, but beef is a better option because it is less likely to cause problems if it is slightly undercooked. When choosing the cut of beef, opt for strip loin or tenderloin rather than a fatty cut like rib-eye, as the fat may not have time to render. Bison and lamb are also good substitutes for beef.

In terms of seafood, shrimp and scallops are excellent ingredients for an oil fondue. Fish can also be used, but avoid overly flaky options like haddock or cod, as they may fall apart. Salmon and tuna are good alternatives.

If you or anyone in your group has allergies, be aware of the potential for cross-contamination. If you are using the same oil to cook a variety of ingredients, be sure to label the different items clearly and keep track of which ingredients have been cooked in the oil. You may want to have a few pots going if there is someone with an allergy present.

When it comes to vegetables, the options are virtually limitless. However, it's important to avoid using frozen vegetables, as they can cause the oil to boil over. If you want to include potatoes or sweet potatoes, it's best to pre-cut and slightly precook them, as they will take a long time to cook from raw in the oil. Waxy potatoes, like yellow potatoes, tend to work better in an oil fondue than other varieties.

Remember to cut the vegetables into small, evenly-sized pieces to ensure even cooking and to allow enough space in the fondue pot.

Cooking time can vary significantly depending on the temperature of the oil, the temperature of the food, the size of the food, and how much food is in the pot. To ensure that your food is cooked properly, choose ingredients that are okay to be eaten slightly undercooked, such as steak, scallops, and vegetables.

As you cook different pieces of food, you will get a feel for how long they take to cook. For example, thin slices of meat will cook faster than thicker pieces, and small pieces of vegetables will cook faster than larger ones. Pay attention to the food as it cooks, and use a thermometer to check for doneness if necessary. With practice, you'll be able to determine the optimal cooking times for the ingredients you enjoy in your oil fondue.

Serving the food

Before your guests arrive, prepare your sauces and place them in little bowls around the fondue burner, along with the meat, bread, and salad. You should also cut up your chosen raw ingredients and place them on a plate for guests to choose from. It's important to ensure that all food is as dry as possible to avoid oil splatter.

When your guests are ready to eat, fill your fondue pan half-full of vegetable oil and heat on the hob until hot but not smoking. You're aiming for around 190°C, but if you don't have a thermometer, throw in a cube of bread—when it takes about 30 seconds to brown, it's ready.

Place the fondue burner on the table carefully so that it's stable, then, following the manufacturer's instructions, light the flame and put the pan on top.

Give each guest a fondue fork for dunking their chosen raw ingredients in the hot oil. It should take 25-30 seconds for rare meat, 30-35 seconds for medium, and 45-60 seconds for well-done. When the food is cooked, rest the fondue fork on a separate plate for cooked food and slide the food off using a regular fork. Do NOT eat food off the fondue fork, as it will still be very hot from the oil.

The fondue pot can get quite cramped with everyone's forks. Try to manoeuvre your fork in a way that doesn't disturb others' forks when placing it in the oil. If your food falls off the fork, it is customary for others to take their forks out of the oil so that the lost piece can be found and retrieved.

Some people believe that if you lose your food in the pot, you must kiss the person next to you—definitely a fun rule to implement on a date!

Frequently asked questions