If you're a cheese lover, you'll surely love fondue, a typical Swiss dish and a true national symbol. For the Swiss, gathering around the table to eat fondue is a cultural moment to share with family and close friends. Trying the original can be a bit difficult ( unless you're in Switzerland, of course ), and it seems the Swiss jealously guard the recipe. However, some gourmands have found a way to replicate it quite faithfully at home. We imagine them as a group of people who, despite not particularly liking the Swiss, wanted to try fondue so much that they found this method to cook it without its preferred instrument: the caquelon .
If you're not a beginner, you'll already know what kind of food it is: melted cheese to dip into bread, meat, and raw vegetables. Or, chocolate if you want to piss off the Swiss.
For those who are lazy, the short version on how to make fondue without a set:
- The solution is to cook in a bain-marie. Place two small pots on the stove, one inside the other, with the larger one filled halfway with water.
- Choose any cheese and ingredients you want to add. Fill the upper saucepan and melt over medium-high heat.
- Stir frequently to prevent it from thickening or forming lumps. You can serve it while still hot, with the saucepan of boiling water to keep everything warm.
Caquelon: convenient but not essential
Of course there are great advantages to using the caquelon : but not everyone outside of Switzerland has one. Its bottom is very thick which prevents the melted cheese from burning when it is placed on top. réchaud , or the burner included in the set. The formation of a crust on the bottom, however, is essential for protecting the fondue.
Fondue step by step
Despite this, using a special caquelon is not necessary. You can also make fondue using a bain-marie:
- Get two saucepans, one larger and one smaller. We chose a Janet 2.0 saucepan And a Fast Induction saucepan. We recommend them!
- Place them inside each other, filling the one in contact with the hob halfway with water.
- Light the fire.
- Choose your favorite cheese according to your favorite recipe.
- Grate it or chop it into pieces, then add it to the saucepan on top.
- Melt over medium-high heat until everything becomes creamy.
- Stir to prevent it from thickening until cooked through.
- Serve it while it is still hot, without removing the hot water from the other saucepan.
The best tools
Short answer: ours. Discover the Mamù pans that are perfect for a bain-marie fondue . Long answer: um, no need to say anything else, we've already told you everything, right?
