Having a Hot Oil or Hot Broth Fondue Party at Home

Want to throw a fondue party at home?  No problem!  This step-by-step guide will show you how to get ready and ensure your oil or broth fondue dinner goes smoothly!

1. Determine the number of guests.  Plan for 4 people per fondue pot and ensure you have a large enough table for everyone to enjoy fondue safely.  Plan to place your fondue pot in the middle of the table with various plates of dippers and dips around the pot so your guests can easily grab them without having to reach over or around the hot fondue pot.  If your table is large enough, you can even have two pots going!

2. Check to see what kind of fondue pot you have as it will dictate the kind of fondue you can have with it.  The two most important features are the pot itself and the burner.

• If your pot uses a candle light, then it is only good for chocolate or dessert fondue.  These pots are normally smaller and made of ceramic, tempered glass or cast iron.
• If your pot is larger, uses an alcohol or gel burner, has a large opening and a flat bottom, it was designed for cheese fondue.  Some of these pots are also suitable for oil or broth fondue.
• Pots for broth and oil fondues must be able to withstand high heat.  They are normally made of copper, stainless steel or cast iron.  They require an alcohol or gel burner.
• Of course, many electrical pots exist and most are suitable for all fondue types.  Read your user manual for more information. Set it up near a power outlet and ensure the cord won't create a safety hazards for your guests!

3. Make sure you have enough fondue fuel.  Check your burner to see if it requires alcohol or gel for fuel.  Gel fuel can be purchased online but alcohol fuel must be purchased from your local grocery store. You will likely have to refill your alcohol burner once, so plan ahead. See the end of this article for more information on how to do it safely.

4. Use real fondue forks and regular forks.  Fondue forks are used to cook your items into the fondue pot and to transfer them onto your plate.  Dessert fondue forks are shorter and shouldn't be used for oil or broth fondue. Regular forks should be used to transfer food from your plates to your mouth.  You should have one or two fondue forks per guest per pot.

5. Although regular plates can work, it is best to have fondue plates with various compartments.  These plates allow your guests to keep raw meat separate from cooked meat, various dips or even side dishes.

6. Plan to have at least 3 dips for your guests.  You can leave these dips on the table and guests should spoon out a small quantity onto their plates.  Plan for a total of about 125 ml (1/2 cup) of various dips per guest. See the link at the bottom of this article for great-tasting dip recipes.

7. You will need to prepare about 8 cups of broth ahead of time.  If you want a quick broth, I recommend using Lipton's onion soup mix.  It works great for beef fondue.  You will need to heat up the broth on the stove top before transferring it to your fondue pot.  You should make a little extra and keep it warm on the stove so you can top up your pot when the broth level drops.  For oil fondue, it is best to warm it in your fondue pot (to avoid transferring it while it's hot).  It will take a few minutes for the oil to reach the required temperature.

8. You can choose to have vegetables, seafood, chicken, beef, pork or a combination of all these items as dippers.  Make sure to prepare your raw meat into bite-size pieces ahead of time, to keep it refrigerated until your fondue starts and to keep different meats separate from each other.  You should also ensure your dippers are free of water before dipping them into hot oil (to prevent splatters).  You can also prepare a batter for the hot oil fondue.  Here is an idea of how much meat you will need to prepare:

• Meat for oil fondue: 225 g (0.5 lb) of meat/guest, prepared into bite-sized cubes.
• Meat for broth fondue: 225 g (0.5 lb) of meat/guest, sliced thinly.
• Seafood for broth or oil fondue: if you only serve seafood, 180 g (6 oz) of seafood or fish per person.

9. You should also consider serving some side dishes to your guests such as rice, bread, salad, raw vegetable sticks, pickled vegetables, etc.  Many wines can be paired with fondue but drink responsibly!

Best of all, take your time, ensure your meat is fully cooked and have fun!
You can learn more about various types of fondue pots, discover how to safely refuel your fondue burner and find lots of free fondue and dip recipes on bestfondue.com.