Delicious Dippers For Your Oil Fondue

Fondue is a fun and interactive way to enjoy a meal with friends and family. Oil fondue, also known as fondue Bourguignonne, involves cooking small pieces of food in hot oil. The most popular foods to dip in oil fondue include meat, seafood, and vegetables.

Meat options typically include beef, chicken, and pork, while shrimp and scallops are excellent choices for seafood. For vegetables, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, broccoli, and potatoes are popular options. It is important to ensure that all ingredients are dry before adding them to the hot oil to prevent spitting and bubbling.

In addition to the food items, choosing the right oil for oil fondue is crucial. Oils with high smoke points, such as canola, peanut, grapeseed, and sunflower seed oil, are recommended.

Meat

When it comes to meat, beef, pork and chicken are traditional choices for oil fondue. However, any boneless meat that holds its shape when cooked in hot oil can be used. If you're using beef, opt for a tender cut like sirloin, tenderloin or filet mignon, and cut the meat into bite-sized cubes. For chicken and pork, ensure the meat is cooked through, which should take around six to eight minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.

If you want to get creative, try making mini meatballs or stuffing meatballs with cheese. Just be sure to use less binder in your meatball mixture to prevent them from falling apart in the oil, or pre-bake them until almost done. You could also try bacon-wrapped and gorgonzola-stuffed dates, or slices of sirloin.

Plan for about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of meat for every six people. If you're serving both meat and seafood, you may want to reduce the amount of meat to about 8 ounces per person.

Remember to keep raw and cooked meats on separate platters to avoid cross-contamination, and provide different utensils for eating and cooking.

Vegetables

If you want to include potatoes, it's best to pre-cut and precook them slightly as they will take a long time to cook from raw in the oil. Waxy potatoes, like yellow potatoes, tend to work better than other varieties.

Try to include a mix of vegetables to add flavour and nutrition to your fondue. Just make sure to wash and thoroughly dry the vegetables before adding them to the hot oil to prevent spitting and bubbling.

Some vegetables that work well in an oil fondue include:

• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Bell peppers
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Summer squash
• Parsnips

Remember to cut the vegetables into small, evenly-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly and there is enough space in the fondue pot. You can experiment with different combinations to find your favourites!

Seafood

Shrimp is a popular choice for oil fondue. It is recommended to peel and devein the shrimp before cooking, and they should be left whole. Shrimp will take around three to five minutes to cook in the hot oil, and you will know they are done when they have turned pink.

Scallops are another good option, and like shrimp, they should be patted dry before cooking. They will take a little longer to cook than shrimp, and you should remove them from the oil once they are opaque.

When it comes to fish, it is best to choose a firm variety such as tuna, swordfish, or salmon. The fish should be cut into 1-inch cubes, and any bones should be removed. Fish will cook fully in a few minutes, so be careful not to overcook it, as it can quickly become tough and rubbery.

Clams, mussels, and oysters can also be used for oil fondue. They should be removed from their shells and patted dry before cooking.

If you are serving seafood at your oil fondue meal, it is a good idea to have a separate pot for seafood lovers. This will allow them to dip their seafood in tempura batter before frying, creating a crispy crunch. A separate pot is necessary as bits of batter may fall off into the oil.

To enhance the flavour of the seafood, it is recommended to provide a bowl of lemon slices for guests to squeeze over their cooked seafood.

Bread

When choosing a bread for your oil fondue, opt for a crusty variety such as sourdough, rye, ciabatta or a baguette. These types of bread have a chewy exterior that holds up well in the hot oil and provides a satisfying crunch when bitten into. The interior of these breads is also soft and airy, absorbing the oil for a delicious, moist bite.

You can cut the bread into cubes or slices, depending on your preference. If you opt for cubes, you can skewer them and dip them into the oil, allowing them to fry until golden brown. With slices, you can rub them with garlic and offer them as an accompaniment to the fondue pot, allowing guests to tear off pieces and dip them into the oil themselves.

When preparing bread for oil fondue, ensure it is completely dry to prevent oil splatter. You may also want to offer a variety of breads to your guests, allowing them to experiment with different textures and flavours.

So, if you're looking for a classic, versatile option to dip in your oil fondue, bread is an excellent choice that is sure to satisfy.

Cheese

When selecting a cheese for oil fondue, opt for varieties that melt well and have a smooth texture. Some recommended options include:

• Gruyere
• Emmentaler
• Swiss cheese
• Havarti
• White cheddar
• Sharp cheddar

To prepare the cheese for dipping, cut it into bite-sized cubes or slices. You can also get creative and make cheese skewers by alternating cheese cubes with other ingredients like vegetables or meat.

When cooking the cheese in the oil fondue, pay attention to the temperature and cooking time. Cheese can burn easily, so keep the oil temperature at a moderate level and cook the cheese until it is golden and melted. Use a fondue fork or a skewer to carefully place the cheese into the hot oil and remove it when it is done to your desired level of doneness.

Remember to provide a variety of dipping sauces to accompany the fried cheese. Some sauce options that pair well with cheese include:

• Aioli
• Honey mustard
• Barbecue sauce
• Steak sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Teriyaki sauce
• Sweet and spicy Thai ginger sauce

Frequently asked questions