Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CFO-3SS Electric Fondue Maker

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Being a fondue lover, when I first saw this new Cuisinart electric fondue maker, I had an "Aha!" moment, and purchased the pot looking forward to a future of only using those smelly little sterno cans for nicely subdued pink outdoor lighting, (yes...I am kidding), instead of heating my food. At first blush, this Item has some great features. Large pot, detachable cord, easy clean nonstick interior, full immersability and variable heating temperatures. Now for the bad news. The pot does not detach from the ever so immense and functional stand, making it a very large pot indeed. difficult to store, almost impossible to refrigerate in newer center split refrigerators that have smaller shelf space....like mine. Tres cumbersome. The cord is extremely short, almost always calling for an additional extension cord. Fabulous if you like that industrial look while dining or entertaining, unfortunate if you don't. The worst flaw? The tendency to heat unevenly dang it! Because the heat is concentrated around the widely spaced heating elements on the bottom of the pot, we have noticed that this is creating marks in the non stick surface and overcooked areas and even burns the cheese at the bottom of the pot. Quelle horreur! Now we see clearly why this pot is non-stick. It has to be if there is even a remote chance of getting the burnt bits off without using dynamite. We tried far lower temperature settings,or even varying the temperature, thinking this would remedy the problem, but then instead of the one true hot, gooey, melty fondue, we ended up with semi-chilled, semi melted cheese lumps. Not as appetizing as you might think. No doubt, a better product for oil than cheese or chocolate. Also, No lid sigh...Well, I guess you can't have everything, but this Cuisinart fondue pot is sleek and pretty and burnt bits or not, at least I'm only using the left over sterno for "candle-lit" baths until it runs out (...yes...I am kidding again). However, I am still looking for a better fondue pot.

If you like fondue, but find Sterno fuel a pain to use, not to mentioned potentially dangerous... you will love this fondue pot... Just plug it in, turn the knob to the setting you desire and put in the make fondue! Couldn't be easier!

While the power cord is rather short, just get an extension and all is right with the world... And for those concerned that someone tripping over the cord could cause a big mess... forget it... The cord has a megnetic connector that holds it to the thermostat, which incidentally unplugs from the pot itself for cleaning, If someone were to trip over the cord, it just comes undone and all you have to do is set it back in place and the magnet reconnects it... Brilliant!

Oh, and the non-stick surface is great... Those old ceramic fondue pots were a chore to clean... Just wipe this one out with a soft sponge with soap and water and your done!

Yes, Fondue is back and this pot could keep it here to stay this time around!

Update 3/19/11:

Since introducing my kids to the joys of fondue for dinner last summer, they've wanted to have fondue for every special occasion. After borrowing a friend's Rival fondue pot, which is similar to the Cuisinart one, we decided to buy a second pot since one wasn't quite enough for 5 hungry people trying to cook two items at once! Since my brother-in-law wanted to get us a Christmas gift, I told him to get the Rival one since it's cheaper (I didn't feel right asking him to spend more money on the Cuisinart since my friend's Rival pot was fine when we used it for chocolate fondue and my Cuisinart for the oil-based meat course). Well, the shrimp and steak stuck to the bottom of the Rival pot once it reached temperature, but it never did with my Cuisinart! It cleaned up just as easily, but it made me wish we'd asked for another Cuisinart. If you are choosing between the two, definitely go for Cuisinart! In the meantime I will be researching how to keep meats from sticking to the non-stick Rival.

Original Review (thanks for all the helpful votes!!):

I got this fondue set as a wedding gift and tried it out for the first time last night. It heats quickly and evenly, and the ability to dial the temperature in .5 stops from 1 to 10 is very helpful. It's a nice large size, so larger fondues for a big crowd are no problem (you could easily double small recipes). We made the chocolate hazelnut fondue recipe that came with the set and it was fabulous! Best of the four recipes we made last night. The removable top has 6 slotted "rests" for the fondue forks, although we didn't need it since we were just dipping. One thing to be aware of is that the cord is pretty short, but if you have a heavy-duty extension cord then that's no problem. I highly recommend this fondue set! It's great as a gift or a self-indulgence!

This is all you could ever want in a Fondue pot. So much so, I bought two of them! It heats up quickly, cools down quickly and absolutely nothing sticks. As another reviewer stated, "Goodbye Sterno!" Works equally well with cheese, meats and seafood.

I researched this product as well as others that were comparable and a little cheaper. So far, it has been great. The fondue pot is durable and the forks are sturdy. I used it for a dinner party and it went over very well. The instruction manual is easy to read and includes recipes, cooking tips, and cooking temperature recommendations. Although the recipes don't include a serving size, I would estimate it to be about 6 because there was a little too much left-over for a serving for 4 people. It was easy to clean and dishwasher safe. I would completely recommend this product to anyone looking for an entry level fondue pot.

We gave our new Cuisinart electric fondue pot a trial run last night. AWESOME!!! I love this thing. Prepped the whole meal in the fondue pot without transferring from the stovetop, great temp control, easy clean up, no cheese solids/oil separation, plus it looks really nice.

Another nice thing was that, after 1/2 hour of prep, my wife, our 18 month old daughter, and a friend who was visiting from out of town and I sat down around the Cuisinart pot at 6:30 PM and stayed dipping, nibbling and visiting for nearly 2 hours. My normally hyper daughter engaged with us the entire time. She really liked watching the bread being dipped in the pot. This is how family traditions get started.

The Cuisinart cookbook suggested a real "duh, that's brilliant" idea. My other recipes have me adding a cornstarch/water mixture to the cheese to help thicken it. Cuisinart suggests tossing the cornstarch (and dry mustard) with the shredded cheese before adding it to the simmering wine. Beautiful blend without lumps.

This is an fantastic product. Our older, sterno flame fondue pots are headed toward the rummage sale pile.

Ok, so I read all the reviews and almost didn't buy it because some said it didn't regulate it correctly. Well i had a fondue party last night for 15 people and i bought 2 of these cuisinart pots! I did make the fondues on the stove and transfer them to the pots once they were done, but i found they had excellent capacity and worked perfectly. I did a cheese fondue, a chocolate fondue and a caramel fondue and I kept them around 2-3 temp level as suggested in the directions for maintaining temp. If it started to bubble too much, turned it down. Just like any cooking, you have to watch the pot. But they worked Amazing. They heated up as soon as you plug them in, which was perfect for transferring so there was no lag time. the consistency was great on all the fondues, and it stayed that way for hours. You just have to stir it every once in while,just like on the stove. Chocolate and cheese are particularly finicky. And if you don't stay on top of them, and you get a burn patch, it will kill your whole batch. But that has nothing to do with the pot. That's the cook!. I'm a chef and my instructer from culinary school was there too and we were both thrilled with how easy they were to use & clean .

I've owned six different fondue pots over the years. This one is hands down the best. Cuisinart has addressed every problem I've had with previous fondue pots.

Lets start with the pros:
-All stainless construction. Even the feet, handles, and fork resting ring are completely stainless steel. This thing is quality.
-Breakaway magnetic power plug: this is a safety thing. If someone runs into the cord, you want it to break away without upsetting the hot oil/cheese.
-High precision temp control: some pots have only a few presets for temperature. this pot allows you to select in between the dial tick marks.
-Electric element: Electric pots are the way to go. They give you temp control (unlike the flame pots), and they get hot enough to do oil fondue. Pots using the fuel/fire thingies do not get hot enough, and do not stay hot enough to do oil fondue.

And for the Cons:
-I would prefer a slightly larger pot, this can get cramped with 5 people, and don't even try having 6 forks in it at once.

A+, best fondue pot I've ever bought.

I received this Cuisinart Fondue Maker last year for my birthday and used it for the 1st time during a small get together. What a great product! We started with a store bought package of fondue cheese mix and it melted perfectly and was delicious. After that I quickly and easily cleaned out the pot to get it ready for the main course. We cooked chicken and steak in a chicken broth flavored with garlic and an assortment of spices that I had on hand. Everyone loved the meal and it was a fun and enjoyable experience. I highly recommend this item. My only concern that I had was that after cleaning up the fondue pot after the broth, I noticed a mark in the non stick surface at the bottom of the pot where the heating element is. I don't think this is a problem, but wondered if any other users experienced this.

Works great, I really like the adjustable thermostat. Easy to clean!! I love mine & am thinking about getting a second one.