10x tips from chefs for an even better cheese fondue

Because cheese fondue is always a good idea, even when it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement. And do you want to know how to make your cheese fondue even tastier? Then it’s smart to take advice from Swiss chefs. Because they’re Swiss, and chefs, and therefore have a whole arsenal of tips (10, to be exact!) for making the most delicious cheese fondue.

Go go Gault&Millau

Gault&Millau, the organization behind the famous restaurant guides, asked Swiss chefs for their secrets to making the national pride that cheese fondue is for them even better. And these were their answers:

1. Use the perfect cheese combo

Namely: Gruyère and Vacherin. They complement each other beautifully and melt well, giving the fondue a balanced aroma. Feel free to vary the aging time of these cheeses, and you can also add Raclette cheese.

2. The bread can be from yesterday

Of course, you can use fresh bread too, but according to these chefs, fresh bread is harder to digest in combination with melted cheese. Yesterday’s bread is better. ‘Normal’ white bread is traditional, but bread with caraway seeds is also fine, as are boiled potatoes, raw vegetables, or firm fruit such as apples or pears.

3. Pour local

White wine naturally also belongs in the fondue. According to these chefs, you should preferably choose a dry wine from the Valais region. Whatever you choose, the wine should not be sweet or too fruity, because the cheese needs freshness as a counterbalance. The wine can definitely be ‘high in acidity.’

4. Melt, don’t boil

The quality of the cheeses is important, of course. But even more important is how you treat them. You need to let them melt, but the mixture must never boil.

5. Season sparingly

A little freshly ground pepper and nutmeg is all you need. If you like, rub the caquelon or pan with a clove of garlic. Some people also add shallots. But the combined flavor of the cheeses is already so rich and complex that it would be a real shame to use seasonings or flavorings that are too strong.

6. Keep stirring

If the cheese fondue splits or you end up with a large lump of cheese in the middle, you’ve probably set the heat too high. Turn down the heat and keep stirring until you have a smooth mixture again. Also make sure you always scrape everything well from the edges and stir in a figure-eight motion so you get a perfectly smooth texture.

7. Through thick and thin

If the melted cheese is too thick, simply add a drop of water or wine. If it’s too thin, make a slurry with a heaped teaspoon of cornstarch in a cup, adding a little water or kirsch until smooth. Slowly add this to the cheese fondue and wait until it has heated through properly; only then will you see how much it helps bind the mixture. Repeat if necessary.

Adventurous, up to a point

Some chefs use champagne instead of wine. Red wine is also sometimes used to make the flavor even more intense. Morels or porcini mushrooms pair well with it, and if you can find wild garlic, you can experiment with that too.

Drink a suitable wine with it

There are plenty of suitable local wines to round off the experience, say the Swiss chefs. Chasselas, for example, which is called Fendant in Valais. They also recommend Heida or Johannisberg.

Gone with the wind

And finally, the chefs say: open the windows while you eat. A fireplace also helps combat the smells, and if that isn’t possible during the meal, ventilate immediately afterward. Even better: eat on the terrace or balcony. You’ll just have to imagine those snow-covered mountains…

Read also:

• A climate-controlled cheese cabinet is a brilliant idea
• They’ve done it again: gold for this Swiss Gruyère, the best cheese in the world
• My husband ordered a cheese board in Japan (and it was a bad idea)

Source: Chef’s Pencil