Customer Reviews

Swissmar FE1002 AlpenGlow 11-piece Electric Fondue Set

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

 

 

I wanted an electric fondue pot because I didn't want to have to deal with buying the gel fuel. Finding one that would heat evenly, and wasn't too wide was proving to be a problem. With the wide ones the cheese wouldn't set properly and cooking was uneven. This pot is cast iron so it cooks evenly, also nice is that you can cook on the stove first and then move it to the warmer. You can cook broths, cheese and dessert fondues in here as well, some pots don't allow for that option. The fake flame may be a little over the top but all in all this is a very good quality fondue pot, we have used it several times already and will get much more use out of it.

Everything worked out of the box, so that was good. The glow light is fun. The forks that came with the set were not extendible however and did not have any color markings at the end to keep track for each person. Amazon could not get us the correct forks but gave us a discount for our trouble so we deemed that workable.

Heating time takes longer than I would like, and max temperature is not as hot as I would like, especially with the broth. It helps to preheat on the stove but that kind of takes away from the fun a little.

Maybe a second set in the future to enjoy going from main to dessert without having to clean in between.

The chocolate residue is more difficult to clean up than anticipated.

Makes great chocolate fondue, haven't tried anything else yet. Well made overall, the heavy cast iron pot can preheat on the stove and heats evenly. The funky flickering light adds a little fun.

After looking at Fondue sets in the stores I decided to give the Swissmar a try. It is more substantial than many of the pots that I saw. The one with this set is heavy cast iron and can be used directly on the stove before transferring to its heating plate. I works great!

We have been looking for the perfect fondue setup for a while, most systems dont work on high heat from oil or they are very difficult to clean and dont last. This unit has it all, the cast iron pot is easy to clean and pre-heat. the splatter shield is dishwasher safe and protects the base from oil dripping. the three heat levels are choclate, cheese and oil. Unit is perfect.
Side note: this is not the fault of Swissmar, but the box I erecieved from Amazon was already opened and the forks that were included were not original but a cheap set with the color markers removed and only a single fork end rather than the mini-double pictured on the box. Getting a replacement.

The fondue itself works fine. Instead of extendible forks, however, we received standard ones that don't even have colored caps at the ends. Called customer service and had to deal with people who are closer to robots really. They didn't seem to understand that we only had issue with the forks. This call center represented Amazon very poorly in my opinion. They hung up twice on us while waiting. Amazon might as well have an automated system whose only response is to send the entire product back and hope you get luckier on what is sent back as a replacement.

Sorry for the one star rating. I haven't even tried the unit yet, and anticipate that it will be good. I'll post after I use it tomorrow (New Years Eve!). I am writing because I read a copule of reviews referring to the cheap fondue forks received without colored tips, non-extendable, etc. I purchased my unit from the store (Ended up being the same price as purchasing it here, even with the tax). This unit is brand new, in box. I opened it up to find the same cheap forks that folks are referring to. Luckily I have a really nice set from my other fondue set - one needing the gel fuel which I am tired of. Happy New Year all!