Customer Reviews

Trudeau 0823004 Electric 11-Piece 3-in-1 Fondue Set

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The Trudeau electric fondue pot is a triumph of form following function. Being electric it is very convenient to use and arguably safer than "sterno" units. It is versatile and can be used with cheese, meat or dessert fondues. Compared to others presently on the market, it has the distinct advantage of being the only one truly designed for all three types of fondue.

I tested the Rival and the Cuisinart. Both use direct heat technology, which is fine for oil or broth based fondue which require high heat. However, when you cook cheese or dessert you have use a low heat setting. Both units cycle between "on" and "off" at various intervals trying to keep a steady temperature. This creates either rapid boiling or fast cooling. Making a cheese or chocolate fondue with the Rival and Cuisinart is doable, but be prepared to be stirring the pot a lot to prevent scorching the food. The Westinghouse seems to be the same design as the other two, but I have not tried it.

As for the Trudeau it has several nice features. First, the pot is separate from the heating base. This means you can heat the pot in the kitchen and bring it to the table when ready. The heating surface is teflon coated for easy clean up. The unit is also more "upright" than the other electrics which takes up less space on your table, while looking darn good too. IMHO.

However, what gives the Trudeau its distinct advantage is the unique double boiler system where, when making cheese or dessert fondue, you fill the chrome pot with 20 ounces of water and insert a stoneware crock into the pot. The arrangement allows for even heating at lower temperatures which is essential for cheese and chocolate fondues.

For oil or broth fondues, the chrome pot sit atop the direct heat of the heating base as you would expect. Six better than average fondue forks are included along with a fork holder for the chrome pot to keep the forks from sliding around. Another nice feature is the patented electric plug which eliminates the guesswork of knowing which way to insert the plug into the base.

If you want one fondue pot to serve all your needs, this is the one to buy.

Never thought I really liked Fondue until I went to the Melting Pot for dinner on my birthday. Quite expensive so I decided to try it at home. After much research I picked this pot because of its dual bowl system. You can do cheese, chocolate and broth. This pot kept all of our courses hot enough without scorching. Nicely sized for our family of four. I would buy this pot again if I needed to!

This fondue maker is Fantastic. My wife and I make cheese, chocolate and wine-based fondues and, with the included double - boiler, it does not scorch and keeps a good constant temperature. It heats up quickly and provides an excellent dining experience.

Let me be the voice of reason to counter all the glowing five star reviews on here. I've been using electric fondue pots at home since my first visit to the Melting Pot over ten years ago. The West End, Rival and Cuisinart models are virtually the same, with identical Pros and Cons. For those pots, all the magnetic cords come off if a piece of dust settles onto the device. The heating element is of the on/off variety that makes cooking cheese fondues "challenging" to the say the least. But not impossible. On the plus side those models are large, do broth fondues VERY well, have a temperature gauge for precise heating and double as fryers with ease.

Now on to this fondue pot, the Trudeau.

PROS:
- Even heating. The ceramic insert elevates the cheese fondue experience to a 100% replication of your memories at the Melting Pot. It is the main standout of this device.

- The magnetic cord stays attached much more securely than the other models. If you accidentally tap your fork against it, it WON'T detach. That's a good thing.

CONS:
- Very small when compared to the other brands, about HALF the size, especially when cooking cheese fondues and using the ceramic insert.

- No temperature gauge whatsoever. Just a red bar. Guesswork required.

- Very cumbersome to transport. I didn't realize this at the time of purchase, maybe I misread something, but this fondue pot comes in THREE pieces: The heating skillet base, the metal pot liner (for broths), and the ceramic inner liner for cheeses. So if you start cooking your fondue in the Kitchen and want to move it to the living/dining room, you're in for a complicated series of trips. Also, there are NO HANDLES on the actual heating base, only on the metal broth liner - and those are small and metal at that. Good luck moving the base without burning yourself. The other models like the Rival and Cuisinart are one piece devices with plastic handles. Pop off their cords and away you can go.

- The STICKER. If you've read the other reviews on here, yes, the complaints over that blasted sticker are extremely valid. Its round, about three or four inches in diameter and attached directly to the surface of the skillet style heating base unit. Its not one of those "easy peel" plastic stickers either. It comes off in micro-millimeter bits, leaving a lot of glue residue on the hot plate. Which WILL stink like heck when you turn it on the first couple of times.

- Price. Is this REALLY worth TWICE the price of the other models? You have to decide that for yourselves, but if I had this purchase to make again I would not have spent over $50 for this product. Three stars = "It's Okay"

I bought this for my girlfriend's birthday along with some fondu cookbooks. The Melting Pot is a favorite restaurant of ours and this set helped us get a similar experience from the comfort of our own home.

The double boiler for the cheese and chocolate is perfect. The cheese stayed nice and evenly melted through the entire time we were eating it. The chocolate melted quite well, but our recipe wasn't that good, so it got very tacky. I don't believe that was the fault of the pot.

For the main dinner course, we discarded the small fork holding ring. It was too crowded with the ring and many of our meats were impossible to get out. You also can't really get in there with a rescue spoon when the ring is on. Without the ring, the forks are more tipsy and might fall out if they get tangled. This is the only reason the review looses a star.

As mentioned by everyone, the cord is VERY short. You will need an extension cord unless you have an outlet on the table. The magnetic disconnect worked very well and we had no issues with it.

This is a fantastic product. The only thing I would wish for would be a slightly larger version that could comfortably serve more people.

We (family of four with two teenage children) have been 'fondue-ing' yearly for 16 years with sets that use sterno or the gel fuel. I finally broke down and ordered this electric version after reading the reviews. The problem with the flame pots is the inconsistancy you get in the heating of the oil/broth or water(for chocolate/cheese fondue). It was either too hot or not hot enough; not to mention the worries with the flame. It would take us all night to get through our meal. This electric pot is FANTASTIC. We used it Christmas Eve to make both cheese fondue and oil for beef and chicken. The responsiveness of the heat was amazing and made the experience much more relaxed and enjoyable. I also like the ability to heat the water/oil directly in the pot rather than preheating it on the stove and then having to transfer into the fondue pot. We will fondue more than once a year with this one. I will most likely buy another one so we can fondue with more than four people at a time. The magnetic attachment of the cord did not cause us any problems.

This is a great fondue pot. Being new to doing it at home (but loving it out at restaurants), I was a little confused when reading fondue recipes. But be assured, this little pot and its heating unit can do it all! Many of the recipes call for you to start the broth, etc, on the stove and then move it to the pot. You do not have to do it with this pot! I still start my cheese fondue on the stove for a faster melting experience and then transfer it over, but meat cooked in a wine broth and chocolate melted in the ceramic pot was a breeze! The meat was fully cooked through, and tasted just as good, if not better, than at the restaurants! This is a perfect size pot for the two of us here, and made for a fancy and romantic New Year's dinner.

My only complaint, which is why this review is only 4 stars instead of 5, is the break away power plug. Any small movement and it breaks away. We do not have an outlet near our table, so I plugged it in via extension cord. I have to do fancy things to keep the slack of the cord up, otherwise the weight of this short cord pulls the power source out of the pot. Even plugging it in the first time, it barely stays in. It needs to have a bit more of a snap or feeling that the plug is securely in, because right now, it pops out at the slightest movement. Other than that, this is a great pot and I highly recommend it!

I researched tons of fondue pots and I was prepared to spend $100 for a quality product. I finally chose this one for much less and it is an excellent product. It is beautiful, too.
You can find great recipes online and if you look up Melting Pot fondue recipes and look around, you can find a full three course. I had the Melting Pot beer cheese fondue first and the oil-less red wine and broth for my main course. It was delicious!
One of the great things about this product is that, since you have the separate ceramic bowl, you don't necessarily have to clean the pot in the middle of the meal. First, I made the broth and left it to simmer on the stove. Then I told everyone to get the veggies out while I began to make the cheese fondue. Meanwhile, I had water heating in the steel fondue pot, with the empty ceramic bowl on top. Once the cheese melted, I poured it into the ceramic bowl, which was already hot. Everyone loved it! Since it is not direct heat, the cheese remained evenly heated. The only draw back is that it was hard to get the cheese to a comfortable temperature, but I'm sure with a little practice and patience, I'll get it right.
After that course, I just took potholders and lifted the ceramic bowl out, put it in the sink, again using the potholders, dumped out the water in the silver bowl, and poured the broth from the stove in. Viola! Ready for the next course. This time, again, the drawback is that it is hard to get the right temp, but I think this would be true with any pot; you just have to learn the proper setting and be patient. With practice and practice, we'll get it right!
I think that it would be a pain to try to have three courses, since you would have to clean the cheese course to get to the chocolate. This product is the only one that I found that even offers two CONVENIENT options.
Order with confidence.

This is the only electic fondue pot I've found sized for two people. I like the way the base is a hotplate so you can submerse the bowl when you wash it. Has a ceramic insert for cheese and chocolate so its a double boiler. Have only used it for deep fry oil so far, heated fairly quick. Maintained temp pretty good. Over all looks good, seems well made and I'm happy so far. Cheese fondue is next.

Made cheese fondue which turned out great. Dreaded the clean up but it was easy. After letting the ceramic bowl cool, I wiped out the hardened cheese and then placed the bowl in the dishwasher. That was it. Yes, we had to use an extension cord to warm the pot. The variable temperature know is the best part of controlling the fondue mixture.