Frequently Asked Questions

Well, as usual, many roads lead to Rome. Sometimes you hear stories about the cheese mixture splitting and the meal being a big disappointment as a result. Once watched a man from one of the big Swiss cheese companies prepare a Fondue: He literally threw all the pieces of cheese (yes, not even grated!) into the Fondue Caquelon, including some Kirsch, white wine, herbs, etc. It worked perfectly and tasted delicious!

And with readymade Fondue it’s even easier. Success guaranteed!

Here are some hints on how to prepare a Fondue:

  • Rub the inside of the fondue pot with a peeled clove of garlic (and add more garlic if you wish!)
  • Put the grated cheese and all the other ingredients into the cold Fondue pan
  •  Heat up the Fondue pan slowly while constantly stirring the melting cheese mixture until it is hot and very smooth
  • Light the Fondue burner and place the Caquelon on top
  • Start to dip your bread into the Fondue mixture and… relax, share and enjoy!
Before ordering from “The Fondue Box” we will ask some questions to ensure that we deliver the right equipment. A ceramic Fondue Caquelon will not work on an induction hob! Generally, if you melt the Fondue cheese in a normal pan, preheat the ceramic Fondue Caquelon with very hot water and then transfer the Fondue mixture into it once fully melted. Place the Fondue Caquelon immediately on the stand above the burner provided. You can immediately start to enjoy it!
On the rare occasions that the cheese mixture splits and fragments of cheese start to swim in your Fondue pan, do not panic! Try this: Adding extra cornflour (corn starch) will help to re-emulsify the mixture: Mix a tablespoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water and stir this into the Fondue a little at a time, until the Fondue mixture combines again.
Well, the chance is that you did not allow enough time to melt the Fondue cheese slowly and you have possibly overheated the cheese.

This is almost like asking someone what religion they are?

Depending on where they grew up, every Swiss person has their favourite! The taste all depends on the mix of cheese you use.

Appenzeller Cheese, for example, is from the lovely eastern part of Switzerland where the green meadows of this very attractive dairy farming area mean that the cheese has a strong smell and a nutty or fruity flavour. More mature Appenzeller cheese has a more tangy taste.

The popular Gruyere cheese comes from the western, French speaking part of Switzerland. It is similar to Appenzeller, a hard cheese and it is also the perfect fit for a tasty Fondue. Young Gruyere cheese is quite soft and only becomes stronger tasting once it has matured for several months.

Both Appenzeller and Gruyere cheeses come from typical pre-Alpine areas where cows graze on the most delicious fresh grass!

Emmentaler: Many people like to mix Emmentaler cheese into their Fondue mixture. Be aware that too much Emmentaler cheese can make the mixture “rubbery”! The Emmental area is in the west central part of Switzerland with Cotswold-like rolling hills and steep valleys. Emmentaler cheese is a semi-hard cheese which, depending on it’s maturity, can taste from smooth and buttery to nutty, fruity, and full-flavored. Lots of people ask how the big holes get into the Emmentaler cheese? Well, it has nothing to do with mice or wizards hiding in the Emmentaler hills!! Find out more via this link

Summary: Basically, you can mix almost any cheese with any other cheese. But as a rule of thumb, a hard cheese mixed with a softer cheese always works well.

What about “”Moitié-moitié” Fondue ?

The “Moitié-moitié” Fondue is a speciality made with Gruyère and Vacherin cheese. “Moitié-moitié” simply means “half and half” – and the mixture consists half of Gruyere cheese and half of Vacherin cheese,which leads taste-wise to a very well balanced flavour. Click here to find a complete recipe for a “Moitié-moitié”

A normal portion per person per meal is about 200gr Fondue cheese.
This is a very delicate question! The people living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland tend to eat Fondue during the colder months, whereas in the French speaking part of Switzerland the people enjoy Fondue all year round.
We source “Fondue Box” cheese from small and in many cases family-run dairies in the Swiss Alps. We know the suppliers personally and occasionally visit them.

Oh Dear..… this is serious trouble! There are unwritten rules in Switzerland regarding losing the bread off your fork ! These are as follows: If a man loses his piece of bread, he has to buy the next round of drinks. If a woman loses her piece of bread, she must kiss the people next to her!
Now this rule might have to be changed under Covid19! On the other hand, knowing that French people like to kiss all the time they might just ignore the rule, as French people often do….!

At the end, there will be a nice dark crusty cheese layer at the bottom of the Caquelon. Scrape it off carefully and enjoy these crusty remnants – some Swiss people swear this is the part of the fondue they enjoy the most!!

Once the Caquelon has cooled down fill it with cold water and leave it to soak overnight. Next day you can easily scrape off it all with a wooden spatula.

Well, this is an area we are not intending to go into at the moment..but never say never…! Chocolate Fondue is generally more appreciated by children in Switzerland.

If there were enough people requesting it, we would certainly look at it being part of our product range.

Basically you should go by the date shown on the packaging. However, readymade Fondue has white wine and kirsch in it, which means you can generally store a readymade Fondue in the fridge for a much longer period of time than is indicated on the packaging  (3months). You can even freeze it and can be kept many months (6 monts)!