Artestia Swiss Design 1500W Electric Fondue Pot Set for Melting Chocolate Cheese Pot Sets with Temperature Control for Oil Broth Fondue Party, 8 Colored Fondue Forks

We have owned several fondue pots over the years and right now this is my favorite, but I’ll have to admit it has been a trial and error or learning experience. I am recording that experience here to save others some trouble. Our previous fondue was a larger Cuisinart pot that was just too big for cheese fondue for two as the cheese was so spread out in the wide base of the pot that it was not deep enough to dip the bread properly. The ceramic insert on Artestia pot is just right in this respect. The second reason I chose this fondue pot was the double boiler idea. With the Cuisinart the cheese would boil for a few seconds and then start to cool until the heater clicked on again and then it would boil again. I wanted something that would apply a more consistent even heat, not a heat that was either on and the fondue boiling or off.In my first attempt at cheese fondue with the Artestia, I put water at the minimum mark in the steel pot and expected that the hot water and/or steam would adequately melt the cheese in the ceramic insert during the preparation period. Not so, and I had trouble getting the wine hot enough to melt the cheese – it only got to about 140 °F. I will mention right now that the manual says to prepare the cheese fondue in a separate pot and just use the Artestia for serving. In that case this minimum hot water approach would likely work OK.My second attempt had the water level nearer the max level and with the ceramic pot in place, it floated. And when the water started to boil, it pumped a couple of cups of boiling-hot water out unto our table. Not good. I reduced the water level but was convinced that there must be a better way as if the water boiled, it would continue to spit out hot water.Of course, I had read the very helpful review where it was suggested that using mineral oil in the metal pot was the better double boiler approach, but in my case, I went for canola oil. I started with the level about halfway between the min and max marks. Again, the ceramic pot floated just above where it should rest on the metal pot. The problem now was that if I pressed down at all on the ceramic insert, e.g. stirring the wine cheese mixture, it now pumped hot oil on the table. Again, not good! I reduced the oil level to just above the minimum mark and things went very well after that and the fondue was delicious and at just the right temperature/consistency.I will mention that this setup has a lot of thermal mass and that if the fondue starts to boil, turning down the control has little immediate effect as the oil is still hot and transferring heat to the insert. The trick is to not get the oil too hot in the first place and know that setting on the dial. I’ll also mention that if you start with cold cheese, it makes the preparation process more difficult as you will be tempted to apply excess heat to get the cheese to temperature and melt into the wine. Again, I will mention that the manual calls for cheese fondue preparation in a separate pot on the stove that is transferred to the Artestia for serving when ready, but I, like many here, I suspect, would prefer to a single pot to minimize cleanup, hence these experiments. I plan to simply keep the canola oil in the metal pot between uses and found a pot lid that fits well over either the metal pot or ceramic insert.

This was a gift for my family member. She enjoys it. I liked all the features and that the heat element was covered away from young family’s children fingers! Excellent purchase.

I bought this fondue pot because I could tell that it would be just the thing for a cheese fondue.I've used electric fondue pots, but those can be challenging to dial in the right temperature. Too hot, and it will scald the cheese, not to mention that the cheese bubbles like crazy. Not hot enough and the cheese doesn't flow enough (we use slightly dried bread chunks for the cheese).My method is not to use water for heating the ceramic insert. I use mineral oil instead. Mineral oil is a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons. It won't degrade with heat. It can be re-used again and again. It gives a more even heat. Water will tend to burp and bubble near the temperature that the cheese needs to be.So, here's what I do. Add mineral oil to the stainless steel container, just slightly above the "minimum" mark. Begin heating the oil, using a food thermometer to watch the rise in temperature. Right around 200, place the ceramic bowl into the stainless steel bowl. Let it heat up a bit. Add the cheese dip.I found that 200-210 is more than hot enough for the cheese, and the cheese won't bubble.The setting on the dial is around 2 o'clock, maybe slightly toward 2:30. This works for me.The oil will NOT boil at these temperatures. It gives a very even heat throughout the meal.Keep in mind that this oil is ONLY used to heat the ceramic dish. DON'T use it for cooking, though. Mineral oil is safe for human consumption, but cooking with a good vegetable oil is the best (meat, fish, shrimp, etc).After you're done, let the oil cool to room temperature, then put it back into the mineral oil bottle.I recommend this fondue pot for cheese fondues, especially with my method of using oil vs water as the heating media.I bought my mineral oil from Amazon. A gallon is very low cost, particularly since you can use it again and again.

I have used many many fondue setsToo many to remember. ..So far I've only used this one for making Swiss cheese fondue. Haven't made cajun fondue, burgundy fondue or chocolate fondue yet.But for Swiss fondue, it is PERFECT. It doesn't overheat the cheese so you don't get a hard crust to clean away. The cheese is at the perfect temperature to enjoy. A safe disconnect electric plug makes it way safer than any model I've used before.Way way less dangerous than either any of my old alcohol burner fondue set or my old school electric sets.

I bought this as a gift for my granddaughter. She had been wanting a fondue pot for awhile. When I found this one on Amazon it was perfect. But when she opened it on her birthday the ceramic pot was broken. So I am returning it for another pot. She can hardly wait to use it n I’m sure it going to work great.