Cheese Fondue Dippers

When deciding on what to dip into a warm, gooey pot of cheese fondue, vegetables are a winner every time.  Almost any vegetable you can think of can become a great cheese fondue dipper. 

Selecting a cheese to complement the vegetables is not difficult.  A good Gruyère, Emmentaler, or cheddar tastes terrific on most vegetables.

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and radishes are favorites that appear in many recipes as cheese fondue dippers.  Asparagus and cherry tomatoes also show up often.  You may also come across recipes calling for artichoke hearts, mushrooms, or red and green peppers. 

Cheese fondue’s name alone should tell you the main ingredient… cheese.  But when deciding which variety to melt and dunk your vittles into, you may wish to know what makes a good fondue cheese. 

Some will say that it is not fondue unless it is lovingly created with Gruyère or Swiss; however, there is no accounting for taste, and now everything from mozzarella to nacho cheese simmers in caquelons all over the world. 

Usually, a cheese with a strong or sharp taste will make the best fondue.  Don’t be afraid of the smell.  This comes with the territory when dealing with sharper cheese.  Those with a flat, less colorless taste will do nothing to enhance the flavor of the food dipped into them.  Appenzeller is a good choice for fondue, as well as sharp Cheddar, Chèvre (a category of goat cheese), Swiss, and of course Gruyère.  There are many more, but this should give you a good idea where to start. 

A wise man once said, “Everything old is new again.”  In the world of fondue, this is quite apropos.  The melted cuisine enjoyed huge popularity in the 1970s, a time when a fondue set was not simply a last resort gift; however, all good things must come to an end, and the excitement declined for two decades.  Well, the new millennium has arrived, and fondue has made a comeback.  Pots are showing up on wedding registries once more and people smile with genuine excitement when unwrapping a gift and discovering a fondue set inside. 

When selecting a fondue pot, first decide on the type of fondue for which it will be used.  One kind is pot is used in serving cheese and dessert fondue, while another is used for fried fondue.