Artestia Electric Fondue Pot Set with Temperature Control Knob, Included 1QT Ceramic Chocolate Cheese Melting Pot with 2.6QT Stainless Steel Meat Fondue Pot, 8 Color-Coded Forks, Serve 8 Persons

LOVE the thought that went into designing how the pieces fit together so effectively! Including that the electrical connection spot is on a component that doesn't need a full dip & soak washing! It heats up quickly and fairly evenly, which is great. However, it seems to stay at that higher heat level longer so watch out for burning. The pot itself is a breeze to wash; unlike most fondue pts I've experienced in the past. So that's quite refreshing! My only negative comment has to do with the connection spot for the wall plug to go into the receiving portal on the base. It is still only connected by magnetics . . . and ones that feel falling apart from each other, just like every other electronic fondue pot I've ever seen/used in my 65 years. I sure hope something better will be developed soon!

We have owned several fondue pots over the years and right now this is my favorite, but I’ll have to admit it has been a trial and error or learning experience. I am recording that experience here to save others some trouble. Our previous fondue was a larger Cuisinart pot that was just too big for cheese fondue for two as the cheese was so spread out in the wide base of the pot that it was not deep enough to dip the bread properly. The ceramic insert on Artestia pot is just right in this respect. The second reason I chose this fondue pot was the double boiler idea. With the Cuisinart the cheese would boil for a few seconds and then start to cool until the heater clicked on again and then it would boil again. I wanted something that would apply a more consistent even heat, not a heat that was either on and the fondue boiling or off. In my first attempt at cheese fondue with the Artestia, I put water at the minimum mark in the steel pot and expected that the hot water and/or steam would adequately melt the cheese in the ceramic insert during the preparation period. Not so, and I had trouble getting the wine hot enough to melt the cheese – it only got to about 140 °F. I will mention right now that the manual says to prepare the cheese fondue in a separate pot and just use the Artestia for serving. In that case this minimum hot water approach would likely work OK. My second attempt had the water level nearer the max level and with the ceramic pot in place, it floated. And when the water started to boil, it pumped a couple of cups of boiling-hot water out unto our table. Not good. I reduced the water level but was convinced that there must be a better way as if the water boiled, it would continue to spit out hot water. Of course, I had read the very helpful review where it was suggested that using mineral oil in the metal pot was the better double boiler approach, but in my case, I went for canola oil. I started with the level about halfway between the min and max marks. Again, the ceramic pot floated just above where it should rest on the metal pot. The problem now was that if I pressed down at all on the ceramic insert, e.g. stirring the wine cheese mixture, it now pumped hot oil on the table. Again, not good! I reduced the oil level to just above the minimum mark and things went very well after that and the fondue was delicious and at just the right temperature/consistency. I will mention that this setup has a lot of thermal mass and that if the fondue starts to boil, turning down the control has little immediate effect as the oil is still hot and transferring heat to the insert. The trick is to not get the oil too hot in the first place and know that setting on the dial. I’ll also mention that if you start with cold cheese, it makes the preparation process more difficult as you will be tempted to apply excess heat to get the cheese to temperature and melt into the wine. Again, I will mention that the manual calls for cheese fondue preparation in a separate pot on the stove that is transferred to the Artestia for serving when ready, but I, like many here, I suspect, would prefer to a single pot to minimize cleanup, hence these experiments. I plan to simply keep the canola oil in the metal pot between uses and found a pot lid that fits well over either the metal pot or ceramic insert.

I’ve owned this set for 4 years now and have not been disappointed. It’s been used multiple times for 2 and 3 course fondue dinners over the years. Off the bat I’m going to tell you that a 3 course is much more work unless you purchase a second inner crock or separate dessert fondue set altogether. If you’re looking to smoothly transition into 3 courses, you won’t do it. Going from cheese to main course is a breeze. Pull your crock out, dump the water, quick wash and dry and add your broth or oil. Never had problems with holding temperature or burning. Everything is easy to clean. I know people have complained of the cord being short and magnetic. The magnets are a safety feature that have personally never come loose unless the cord was pulled (once again…safety), nobody wants hot broth, oil, cheese or chocolate on them. The short cord is not a big deal, I use an extension cord. The size is good for 4 - 6 adults and really is a good value for the money. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good quality fondue set.

I bought this fondue pot because I could tell that it would be just the thing for a cheese fondue. I've used electric fondue pots, but those can be challenging to dial in the right temperature. Too hot, and it will scald the cheese, not to mention that the cheese bubbles like crazy. Not hot enough and the cheese doesn't flow enough (we use slightly dried bread chunks for the cheese). My method is not to use water for heating the ceramic insert. I use mineral oil instead. Mineral oil is a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons. It won't degrade with heat. It can be re-used again and again. It gives a more even heat. Water will tend to burp and bubble near the temperature that the cheese needs to be. So, here's what I do. Add mineral oil to the stainless steel container, just slightly above the "minimum" mark. Begin heating the oil, using a food thermometer to watch the rise in temperature. Right around 200, place the ceramic bowl into the stainless steel bowl. Let it heat up a bit. Add the cheese dip. I found that 200-210 is more than hot enough for the cheese, and the cheese won't bubble. The setting on the dial is around 2 o'clock, maybe slightly toward 2:30. This works for me. The oil will NOT boil at these temperatures. It gives a very even heat throughout the meal. Keep in mind that this oil is ONLY used to heat the ceramic dish. DON'T use it for cooking, though. Mineral oil is safe for human consumption, but cooking with a good vegetable oil is the best (meat, fish, shrimp, etc). After you're done, let the oil cool to room temperature, then put it back into the mineral oil bottle. I recommend this fondue pot for cheese fondues, especially with my method of using oil vs water as the heating media. I bought my mineral oil from Amazon. A gallon is very low cost, particularly since you can use it again and again.

Well made, heats up quick, and has good capacity. The ceramic insert is easy to clean, cheese doesn't really stick to it. I like being able to switch to broths for a second course easily. It meets my needs perfectly!