Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best melting cheese for fondue? ›

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you aren't sure what to pick, use even amounts of these three. Together are lush and complex. For classic Swiss cheese fondue (meaning one like what you would find in Switzerland), a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses is best.

How Much Cheese Per Person for Fondue? Plan to purchase around eight ounces of cheese per person when serving fondue. An intimate date night meal for two would require about a pound of cheese, while a meal for four would require two pounds, a dinner party with eight guests would need four pounds, and so on.

While the wine is heating, take your grated cheese (a food processor with the grating blade attached makes quick work of it), and toss it with cornstarch to coat. The cornstarch is yet more insurance to keep the fondue from breaking, coating the proteins and fat and preventing them from coalescing.

What is the best melting cheese? Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points - cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options. Which melts better, mild or sharp cheddar? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (more aged) cheddar.

Alternatives: Monterey Jack and colby are also among the best cheeses for melting.

Vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini are delicious if roasted first. Or steam some green beans, pearl onions, and radishes, or a variety of baby potatoes like Yukon Gold, fingerling, red, or purple.

Bread is an excellent choice for cheese fondue because it soaks up the warm cheese and creamy flavors, creating a delicious combination. There are so many options to choose from for this classic side, such as French baguettes, sourdough, breadsticks, bagels, croutons or pretzels.

The Swiss tend to have non-negotiable opinions about what you should drink with fondue. A dry, acidic white wine is the standard accompaniment, most often one made from the chasselas grape, for example a blanc de la Côte from Vaud, or a Fendant from Valais.

When making cheese fondue, always use a thickener. Cheese should be shredded and tossed with flour or cornstarch to aid in thickening and to improve the viscosity of the fondue. A good rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of flour or cornstarch per pound of cheese.

If the fondue has been over-cooked and the cheese is turning into hard lumps then adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice should help to restore the texture. If the cheese has split and looks greasy but not lumpy then adding extra cornflour (cornstarch) will help to re-emulsify the mixture.

Why do you put alcohol in cheese fondue? ›

The fondue pot, caquelon, absorbs some of the direct heat and lets the cheese melt at the correct temperature. The more aged the cheese, the better it melts, and the addition of acid in the form of wine and lemon juice keeps the proteins apart and helps the cheese melt evenly.

When it comes to the best cheese fondue, there is one brand you can trust: Emmi. Both of the best fondue packets we found are made by them and, frankly, they aren't terribly different. You can't go wrong with either, but we found Swiss Knight (see #1) to be just a little bit smoother than the Emmi Original Fondue.

Can I Use Mild and Sharp Cheddars Interchangeably in Recipes? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (older) cheddars, so swapping a sharper cheese in a recipe that calls for mild could result in a greasy, curdled mess.

Melting Factor: Gouda's high fat content ensures rapid melting, making it ideal for fondues. Cheddar, though meltable, is better suited for burgers and casseroles.