Creative Uses For Your Fondue Pot: Beyond Cheese And Chocolate

Fondue is a fun and social meal, but fondue pots can be used for much more than just melting cheese or chocolate. They can be used for cooking soups, deep frying, keeping food warm, making tea or coffee, and even improving your complexion with a DIY facial. Fondue pots are versatile and can be used for a variety of different dishes, making them a great addition to any kitchen.

Make soup

Fondue pots are extremely versatile and can be used for many purposes other than making fondue. Here are some ways you can use a fondue pot to make soup:

Heating up Soup

A fondue pot can be used to heat up broth or frozen homemade soup. Simply pour the liquid and other ingredients into the pot and wait for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat setting. This is perfect for enjoying a warm bowl of soup during the winter months.

Preparing Hot Pot or Shabu-Shabu

Fondue pots are ideal for preparing Asian-style hot pots, such as Mongolian Hot Pot, Shabu-Shabu, and Steamboat. Fill the pot with water or broth, add vegetables and meat such as beef, mushrooms, pea shoots, and tofu. You can enjoy a communal dining experience with friends or family as the hot water cooks the ingredients.

Keeping Soup Warm

Fondue pots can also be used to keep food warm before serving. If you're cooking for guests and need to keep appetizers or main courses warm while other dishes are being prepared, a fondue pot can maintain the temperature of your soup until it's ready to be served.

Cooking Other Soups

In addition to heating and keeping soup warm, fondue pots can be used for cooking other types of soups as well. For example, the Emile Henry Fondue Set is a lightweight ceramic pot that can be used on an induction hob for cooking soups and stews, just like you would in a regular pot.

So, the next time you're looking to make a warm and comforting bowl of soup, don't forget that your fondue pot can be a versatile tool in your kitchen!

Deep fry foods

A fondue pot can be used for deep-frying foods, such as onion rings, calamari, mini donuts, tempura, or latkes. To do so, fill the pot with oil, ensuring the level is as low as possible to avoid hot oil splatter. Fry small batches of food at a time, keeping a close eye on the temperature to prevent burning yourself.

• Choose the right oil: Opt for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut, grapeseed, or sunflower seed oil. Avoid olive oil as it has a low smoke point and a strong flavour.
• Don't overfill the pot: Fill the fondue pot no more than halfway with oil. The oil will expand and bubble when heated, and overfilling can lead to a dangerous mess.
• Dry your ingredients: Ensure your ingredients are dry before adding them to the hot oil. Any water droplets can cause the oil to spit and potentially spill over.
• Choose the right ingredients: Meat and seafood are popular choices for deep frying. For meat, consider using strip loin or tenderloin instead of fatty cuts. For seafood, shrimp and scallops are excellent options.
• Be mindful of allergies: If there are individuals with allergies present, consider using separate pots of oil to avoid cross-contamination.
• Manage oil temperature: Allow the oil to heat up for 10-15 minutes before testing its readiness by placing a piece of cubed bread into it. If the bread browns in less than a minute, the oil is ready.
• Balance cooking: Don't cover more than 60-70% of the pot's surface with food to maintain the right oil temperature.
• Safety first: Hot oil can be dangerous, so always exercise caution and supervise children when using a fondue pot for deep frying.

By following these tips, you can safely enjoy deep-fried foods cooked in your fondue pot.

Keep appetisers warm

A fondue pot can be a great way to keep appetisers warm while hosting a dinner party. When cooking for guests, oven and stovetop space is often limited. If you've got a main course cooking in the oven and vegetables warming on the stove, a fondue pot can be a great way to keep appetisers and other small bites warm until you serve them. You can also fill your fondue pot with extra dips, sauces, or self-serve chilli for those Super Bowl party hot dogs.

Fondue pots are designed to keep food warm and melted, so they are perfect for keeping appetisers warm. They can also add a bit of flair to your dinner party setup. If you're using an electric fondue pot, just be sure to secure the cord so no one trips over it.

In addition to keeping appetisers warm, fondue pots can be used for a variety of other purposes, such as making soup, deep frying, making tea or coffee, and even improving your complexion by steaming your face. So, if you're looking for a versatile kitchen appliance, a fondue pot may be a great option.

Make hot drinks

Fondue pots can be used to make hot drinks such as tea or coffee. If your coffee maker is not working, you can boil water in the fondue pot and add instant coffee or a teabag.

You can also use a fondue pot to heat up broth or frozen homemade soup. Pour the liquid and other ingredients into the pot and wait 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat setting, before serving.

Fondue pots can also be used to make your home smell good. Pour water and vanilla extract into the pot, set it on low heat, and let the aroma waft around the room. Alternatively, you can use essential oils such as lavender or lemon.

Prepare Shabu-Shabu or Hot Pot

Shabu-shabu is a Japanese hot pot and a popular style of nabemono, or Japanese hot pot, featuring paper-thin slices of tender meat and fresh vegetables cooked together in a large open pot. The main items required for shabu-shabu are a large Japanese pot called a nabe and a way to cook the meal tableside. For home cooking, a portable burner or hot plate works, while many shabu-shabu specialty restaurants have induction heating (IH) cooktops built directly into their tables.

The traditional broth for shabu-shabu is a simple dashi made from kombu seaweed, with no additional flavors added since the meat and vegetables are dipped in sauce before eating. However, it’s becoming more popular for restaurants to offer shabu-shabu with flavoured hot pot broths such as kimchi broth, tomato dashi, and even soy collagen broth.

To prepare shabu-shabu, fill a donabe (or any large pot) two-thirds full with water. Add kombu (dried kelp) and soak in water for at least 30 minutes. Cover the nabe pot and allow the broth to come to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer for cooking. During the meal, try to keep the broth at a low boil to prevent overcooking.

Then, add vegetables to the pot and cook briefly to add flavour to the broth. Harder vegetables like carrots will take longer to cook, while leafy vegetables tend to cook more quickly. Next, cook the meat and seafood, swishing the pieces lightly through the broth or submerging them briefly. Cook only enough meat at a time for one or two bites, rather than trying to cook everything at once. Shabu-shabu should be enjoyed like fondue, with the ingredients cooked over the course of the meal.

Remove the cooked meat and vegetables from the pot and dip them into the various sauces. Generally, ponzu is used for vegetables and sesame sauce for meat, although this can be varied according to one’s own personal tastes.

Hot pot is another Asian-style meal that can be prepared in a fondue pot. Popular in nearly every Asian country, there is Chinese hot pot, Japanese hot pot (shabu-shabu), Korean hot pot, etc., each with its own unique twists and slightly different designs in the actual pot.

Asian hot pots are a communal meal. A small group of diners gathers around a table filled with raw meats and vegetables. In the middle of the table is a hot pot filled with steaming broth. Dinner guests pick up individual foods using fondue forks and dip them into the broth to cook.

The beauty of a hot pot meal is that you don't have to cook anything ahead of time. All you need to do is prepare the ingredients. This typically involves nothing more than selecting and chopping meats and vegetables so they are easy enough to skewer with a dipping fork.

For speedier cooking, cut the meat into paper-thin slices, no more than 1/4-inch thick. For easier cutting, partially freeze the meat. You can also ask your butcher to cut it for you.

When serving a combination of meat with vegetables or tofu, cook the meat first to flavour the broth more quickly. Super-absorbent fresh mushrooms, transparent noodles, and tofu (bean curd) are all good choices to serve along with meat, as they soak up the broth quickly.

Unlike fondue, which often uses oils to cook meat, Asian hot pots typically use a broth. Chicken and vegetable are popular options, though you can also use a beef or lamb broth. You can either buy broth or make it yourself. It's also common to add a little extra flavour, such as dark soy sauce, to the broth.

To prepare a hot pot, boil water or broth in your fondue pot and add thin slices of meat and vegetables. Beef, tofu, mushrooms, and pea shoots work particularly well. You can sit around the communal pot with friends or family while the hot water cooks the ingredients. Use skewers or chopsticks to remove the food, dip it in sauce, and enjoy!

Frequently asked questions