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.
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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!
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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.
Honest reviews on Trudeau 0823004 Electric 11-Piece 3-in-1 Fondue Set
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"
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Trudeau 0823004 Electric 11-Piece 3-in-1 Fondue Set
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.
