Get your guests involved in the cooking with a fondue party.
Fondue is a traditional Swiss form of cooking that involves a communal pot of hot cheese, oil or chocolate in which you cook or dip your food. It is a great alternative to conventional cooking and is great fun for a group of people to enjoy together. Everyone can cook as much or as little as they like and customize their meal to their own preference. However, there are a few general safety precautions to be aware of because of the use of a flame, hot liquid and raw food.
Instructions
Preparation
1. Chop a variety of meats and vegetables into bite-sized pieces and set them aside. If you're having a chocolate fondue, use chopped fruit instead.
2. Prepare several flavors of dipping sauce for the cooked meats if desired.
3. Place the fondue pot in the center of the table and assign two to three fondue sticks per table setting. Each stick has a different color, which will help you identify your food when cooking. Fill the pot with your choice of oil, cheese or chocolate.
4. Fill the fondue burner with bottled gel fuel or insert a gel fuel cartridge. Replace the burner lid so the air holes are open. Using matches or a barbecue lighter, ignite the fuel. Carefully rotate the lid of the burner so the air holes are slightly closed, but not completely. This is how you adjust the temperature.
Cooking
5. Once the oil, cheese or chocolate is heated through, you can begin cooking. Adjust the temperature as needed throughout the process.
6. If using oil, place a piece of meat or vegetable on the end of a stick and place it in the pot. Cheese and chocolate fondues are only for dipping; raw meat cannot be cooked in them. Monitor the items you've placed in the pot and remove them once they are cooked through.
7. Once finished, rotate the burner lid until all air holes are completely closed to extinguish the flame.
Tags: cheese chocolate, burner holes, rotate burner, your food