What an amusing and delightful way it is to heat up the kitchen using your own fondue set! Let's face it, most foods taste better when garnished with cheese. But there's nothing better than having your favorite foods dowsed in a warm, melted cheese. The typical variety of cheese fondue includes Swiss Emmentaler and Gruyere cheeses. Other popular choices include cheddar, Gouda, and nacho cheese. Nacho and cheddar covers an extensive variety of cuisines that can be dipped into them, therefore they tend to be the most widely uses cheeses for non-traditional fondue. Cocktail wieners and pineapple chunks are best paired with nacho and cheddar. Potato wedges, broccoli florets, breads and baby carrots are good with both cheeses as well.
Cubed and shredded cheeses that are high fat are best for melting. Cheese is the last ingredient added when making fondue. When preparing the cheese, make sure not to overheat it; continuously keep an eye on it and do away with the flame if needed. It should not be boiled, for this can ruin your mixture. Fondue is not intended to be clumped and clotted. Most customary recipes use white wine or beer. One must be very careful when selecting quality ingredients. You should pick a dry variety of wine and there is no reason to splurge on an older bottle as a new vintage will do just fine. The acid is responsible for the thickness of the fondue and makes a smooth, creamy texture while avoiding the development of strings; but, limit the use of wine for too much can lead to thickening and may counteract the real purpose of it. You do not want to stir the fondue too much while it simmers because this can lead to stringing. Starches can also prevent the cheese in the fondue from gelling.
Occasionally, it can be a subtle course to discover the finest blend of starch and wine. Any excess of one or the other will cause separation, giving an oily and runny consistency. Limiting the use of wine and removing starch altogether can help, though the absence of starch reduces the fondue's creamy texture. Fondue is served using a fondue pot or caquelon. It is placed over a flame source like burners or candles. Make sure to adjust the heat to keep the cheese simmering. Remember, boiled cheese is gelled cheese. A fountain is a great way to trickle your food with a waterfall of fondue; much similar to those used in serving chocolate fondue. Like a cone, it has several layers on top of the other; it gets wider as you go downhill. A pump is designed to roll the cheese from bottom to the top, as well as the sides, covering everything that is dished in its stream. All these will add more to the enjoyable taste of this cheese fondue recipe!