Customer Reviews

West Bend 88503 3-Qt. Fondue Pot

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are looking for a first or only fondue pot, this would be a very good choice. The advantage of an electric pot is the ability to control the temperature more precisely and easily, which is a big advantage. The design of this set, with the wider open mouth, does classic cheese or chocolate fondue as well as can be expected, and 8 people can easily use this set (fondue with a group requires teamwork, part of the fun). Usually the pots designed specifically for hot oil fondue have a fluted or more narrow opening, to reduce splattering. This set will work for hot oil also, but for only 3 or 4 people (with hot oil each person is leaving two forks in at a time, as opposed to dip & pull with cheese or chocolate), and with a little more clean up maybe.
The pot is easy to clean, and you can put it on the stove to get the contents started and up to temperature, then using the warmer to keep them at temp, a easier way to go. The big disadvantage on electric pots, somehow the cord must go from the center of the table down to the electirc outlet, which never really seems to be an issue. You can have a lot of fun with this reliable and good all around pot.
Fondue pots that work off candle or sterno heat can be more romantic, but much harder to control. This is really a good pot to have or to start with. My wife lived in Switzerland for 3 years, home of fondue. We have several pots, we use this one the most often. Order some extra forks while you are at it. Fondue is great fun.

I spent a month in Switzerland and ate fondue several times. But with the pain of having to clean out the burnt, stuck-on cheese at the bottom of the pot, I came to the conclusion by the end of my stay that fondue was great, but not worth it. When I returned to the States, though, I had a fondue party anyway and bought this nonstick electric fondue pot. No more burnt cheese, and when we're through, the excess cheese just slides right out, leaving NOTHING behind. I couldn't believe it, after the time I'd spent scrubbing burnt-on cheese out of stoneware fondue pots in Switzerland. I wiped it out with a paper towel and it looked totally clean. AND it's dishwasher safe.

I'm rating this product four stars rather than five, because I think the temperature control might be overly sensitive. It always got too hot or too cold, and I could never get it just right. Also, the detachable electric cord is a little too easily detachable--it came loose and stopped heating without my noticing a few times.

All in all, though, a great product. The flame-under-the-pot may be more festive and traditional, but this nonstick electric model is absolutely worth it.

This is a great Fondue Pot. I wanted this one because I am not one that should be using open flames for anything, candles in my house are bad enough! The Pot sits on 2 heat resistant legs so you need not worry about overheating the table or counter top the Pot is sitting on. It is also easily moved from one spot to another since its handles are heat resistant, great for going from eating at dining table to lounging in front of the television. The Pot is also easliy cleaned, just stick it int he dishwasher. If you do not have a dishwasher, I highly, HIGHLY recomend using Dawn Powerscrubber. Spray the magic gel-like stuff on the pot, let it set while you clean up the rest of the stuff, then just wipe it off. I love this stuff!!

The only problem I had with the forks that come with the pot is the coloured tips on 2 came off and were lost. The color tips are for knowing who has which fork. I improvised with some paint.

My other problem has been what one other reviewer complained about, the detachable cord can become detached from the heating element and you do not know this until whatever you are Fondueing has hardened, UGH.

Overal I am quite pleased with this Pot, I use it as often as I can. You don't need guest to make a regualar dinner special.

Normally I'm not into buying single use applainces but I really wanted a fondue pot. This had alot of features I was looking for... First and foremnost it is disheasher safe and the interior is non-stick. Even tho I am not using non-stick cookware anymore I wasnt interested in cleaning up stuck on fondue. I also like the temperature control feature of it being electric... Im not all that crazy about high temp heats with non-stick and I like the even temps so the fondues dont break. This is also a good sized pot for a warmer at a buffet, i havent used it for that, but i can easily see doing that.
All in all I am happy with the purchase and that it came with the forks. It is a bit tricky to set out on a buffet because of the cord...but that is really a minor issue to me... It was a very reasonable price considering it had more uses than i thought.

Looks very nice and sturdy coming out of the box. I liked the idea of the immersible pot for easy cleaning. However, the electrical unit falls off too easily - in fact, the cord is placed so that it knocks itself off. But the worst part is the heat control. Despite Warm, Simmer, and 250 up to 300 degrees, in reality there are two temperatures: hot to the boiling point or OFF. At "Warm," it kept at a constant rolling boil. Basically ruined the fondue and I wasted $13 on cheese, not to mention $40 on the pot.
The instructions were also useless: One section says not to detach the electrical unit until the pot cools. Another says not to move the pot unless the electric unit is detached.
A poorly designed mechanism, and this pot is going back to the store tomorrow.

EXCUSE ME.....PEOPLE...the detachable cord is the best part of the whole thing....!!! It magnetically holds to the leads of the unit..so the cord detaches not allowing the pot to move an inch...which when filled with hot "anything" is one of the best safety features I have ever seen engineeered..So what about if you detach it..if you cant see that it is detached..you certainly don't need to fondue..just stick it back on..Gee whiz!!

I love it! I use it to cook meals with, appetizers (cheeses) and desserts. Once you have your cheese or dessert fondues melted, you will need to turn it off because it gets overly hot and you don't want to burn those items. It works great though and we love using it for everything!

I bought this pot a year ago and have now used it several times.

The positive features:

It holds 3 quarts so it holds enough broth for 4 people to easily cook at the same time.
It has a thermostat.
It is non-stick.
It is easy to clean.
It cooks cheese fondues without scorching****.

The Negatives:

Too big to use for Chocolate Fondue.
The thermostat is very finicky. It is seemingly either boiling or off, but with much fiddling you can get it to keep cheese warm.
The cord constantly falls off.

Overall I think it is worth the money, just be warned it may drive you insane trying to get the temperature to the correct setting, and you will loathe the cord.

If you are in need of a big pot, this is a fair buy. Buy a smaller (1.5 quart) for some appetizer and dessert fondues as this one is way to big.

I received this fantastic electric fondue pot for Christmas last year, and it has gotten so much use since then. It gives me an excuse to eat a pound of delicious cheese, and makes it easy. Its portability is fantastic (I have made fondue in the kitchen, in the living room, and taken it on the bus to make at a party). The nonstick coating works wonderfully for cleanup (no scrubbing or soaking required). Unfortunately the detachable cord (which would be wonderful if I had a dishwasher) can detach while cooking if you're not careful, but that is the only problem I've had with this unit. I would absolutely recommend this.

Got this for my wife for Christmas and she LOVES it!!! We have had no problems with the cord at all, except when my daughter tripped on the cord it just popped off the pot instead of dumping hot cheese all over her and the floor. We have tried cheese and cooking beef, chicken and shrimp in broth so far and it has worked great. Temperature control is good, and easy clean up. Definitely recommend this pot!!