Nostalgia Electrics CFF-986 3-Tier Chocolate Fondue Fountain, Stainless Steel

by Nostalgia Electrics

• Auger-style fountain - no pump
• Plastic tower
• Separate heat/motor control buttons on back of unit
• Holds up to 3-pound of melted chocolate

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5 x 18 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000J5N1WA
• Item model number: CFF-986
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #1 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Specialty Appliances > Chocolate Fountains
  • #1 in Patio, Lawn & Garden > Grills & Outdoor Cooking > Outdoor Kitchens > Outdoor Kitchen Appliances

Product Description

This fountain features a 3-tier plastic tower with a stainless steel base. It works as good as it looks, carrying melted white or brown chocolate from the base to the top of its tower with a powered auger. Give any event the feeling of a "catered affair" by providing your guests with fresh strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels, and other goodies to dip into the flowing chocolate.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 153 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Hit January 27, 2007

By TriXie

Okay, I guess this must be the "better" version of the Nostalgia line (mine is a CFF-980). I received mine as a gift for Christmas and wondered what everyone else thought about theirs. There were so many bad reviews (on other versions) that I began to get worried mine was a piece of junk too. I wanted to use it for a party next week and so I decided to pull it out and see how bad it really was.

I tried to use water so I didn't have to make a mess(a suggestion from another comment) and it didn't work. Nothing was coming out! I finally broke down and used the chocolate/oil mix. When I first turned it on, the auger clanked really loudly against the tower. I turned it off and checked to see if it was level and it was clearly un-level. After I leveled it properly, the chocolate flowed beautifully.

The clean-up was simple. I heard so many complaints that this thing is very hard to clean. I didn't find that to be true. I took the tower and auger off and soaked it in soapy water while i discarded the chocolate. I took a sponge and cleaned the tower and auger. I used the water sprayer on my sink to get inside the tower. I used a baking spatula to wipe most of the chocolate from the bowl. Then wiped it once with a paper towel and finished by using a soapy sponge. Cleaning the parts took less than 10 minutes (not including drying).

The only thing I suggest is to put a mat or towel under the fountain because dipping into it causes drops of chocolate to land on the table. Also, be sure to follow the instructions! The most important part of the entire thing is leveling it correctly. It took me about 10 minutes to level it properly.

The sound is not bad at all. It is much quieter than I was led to believe. It is quieter than any kitchen appliance I own. I don't even have anything to compare it to. It sounds like a fan blowing...that is the closest thing I can come too. I LOVE IT!

203 of 209 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the price - highly recommened - see video review July 28, 2011

By Tim Durham

Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 2:53 Mins

See my video review for more details and see it run. Like many of you, I found reviews on both sides of the fence. I was really a little nervous getting this because our party was the day after it arrived and "what if it is does not work". Well, this things works great. We did NOT use expensive chocolate. My wife used the regular chocolate chips (24oz) and 3/4 cup of oil. Heated it in the microwave first, then stirred it up and poured it in the fountain base.

This is NOT a high dollar piece of equipment. The base is not a solid stainless steel base, but rather a very thin sheeting of some type wrapped around the plastic base. But come on, this thing was only $50. For the money it worked perfectly and it will likely provide good food entertainment at many other gatherings to come. I did not find clean up to be a big deal. Some folks made it seem like near impossible. I simply rinsed the pieces with hot water to get the bulk of the chocolate off and then washed them by hand. The pieces all fit together quickly and nicely as you see in the video.

I just can't see how anyone could give this a 1 star. If you get a lemon (and they certainly exist), then get a replacement. Someone mentioned that this product was a little loud. You can certainly hear it run (see video) but it just becomes part of the room noise when you get people in the room. When there are just two people standing there watching it run, you think, "wow, that is a little loud" but in any function where this would be used there will likely be quite a few people and they will be talking. They won't even notice the noise.

If you are in doubt, let me help you. Get one, you will be pleased. At least I was!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price!!! December 26, 2010

By BadgerN

Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a big hit at our christmas party and will be a big hit during the new years party as well I am sure. This is an auger style fountain which has a switch for the auger and a switch for the heating element. The heating element does get the chocolate very warm and noticed that after about 4 hours of constant running, the chocolate was starting to thicken. We used "Ambrosia Real Milk Chocolate Coating" which we melted down in microwave and added vegetable oil so that it flowed better in fountain. 2 of the 3 foot pads are screw style adjustable so that you can level it out as needed. The tier's are made of durable plastic so should last for quite ahwile.

Tip: The inner section where the auger is placed is hard to clean with just a wash rag. Suggest buying a baby bottle brush. Also, this is placed on 3 plastic pegs which the holes for the pegs get filled with chocolate. Q-tips seemed to work well for cleaning these.