Meat fondue with oil, fat or broth – here's how it works!

Fondue is a great meal if you want to enjoy a nice evening with a few friends and actually spend time WITH them. As a host, you don't have to constantly stand in the kitchen cooking; everything can be prepared perfectly in advance. Here is a guide on what you need and what you should keep in mind:

Equipment for a fondue

For fat or broth fondues, you need a fondue pot made of copper, stainless steel, or cast iron, which usually narrows a bit at the top with an attachment. Most also come with a splash guard with notches where you can hang the fondue forks nicely. If you don't want to buy your own fondue pot right away, you can also use a nice cooking pot.

In any case, you need a rechaud, which is equipped with a burner for methylated spirits or safety burners for fuel paste. The second version is definitely recommended. If both are too tedious or dangerous for you, you can of course choose the electric version, although the flame usually provides a bit more coziness.

Furthermore, you naturally need the fondue forks. The rule here is: the 2-pronged ones are for meat fondues, the 3-pronged ones for cheese fondues. Although you can of course use the same ones for cheese fondue. The ends of the forks are marked with different colors so that everyone can easily find their own again. If you also want to cook vegetables, fish, or other things that fall apart easily, it is best to use fondue strainers or cooking baskets.

The equipment is rounded off with fondue plates. These are available in all colors and shapes; the only distinctive feature is several compartments for the sauces.

Oil or fat fondue

Fondue with oil or fat is probably the best-known and most popular. Here are a few tips to make the oil or fat fondue a success:

• There is a selection of fats; you can use deep-frying fat or odorless and tasteless vegetable oils (sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, pure coconut fat, or clarified butter). Never use cold-pressed oils, butter, or margarine. At high heat, these can catch fire!
• Only fill the pot halfway with oil or fat so that it does not boil over.
• Oil splashes can be prevented with half a raw potato in the fondue oil. This reduces splashing and prevents it from boiling over too quickly.
• Heat the fat in the fondue pot to approx. 180 degrees Celsius before eating. To determine the right temperature, hold a wooden spoon in it. The fat is hot enough when small bubbles form on the spoon.
• If the temperature of the fat becomes too low or too hot while eating, you should take a break. If it is too low, the meat will not become crispy brown and will absorb too much fat.
• Therefore, take the meat or vegetables out of the refrigerator about ½ hour beforehand so that the fat does not cool down too much.
• Also, do not put too many forks in, as this will cool the fat down significantly; actually, 4 forks are intended per pot. However, I always take 2 forks per guest, otherwise it takes a little too long for me.

Meat

The meat should be of first-class quality because it is cooked in a short time and should be nice, juicy, and tender. You can count on about 200 g of meat per person, a little more for big eaters.

• Beef: Filet, roast beef, or meat from the hip are suitable here. It can be slightly marbled with fat, which gives it a great aroma and makes it juicier and crispier. Extra tip: Marinate it in oil about 4 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator; then it will be nice and tender.
• Pork: is very suitable for fat fondues; schnitzel, filet, loin, or neck can be used here. Here too, it becomes nice and tender if you marinate it in oil beforehand.
• Poultry: I also like to use this for fondue. The tender meat of the breast or leg is suitable for chicken, poulard, turkey, as well as duck.
• Veal: is particularly tender and low in fat. You can also use filet, leg, or loin.
• Lamb: is a matter of taste, but is excellent for fat fondue as it requires high cooking temperatures. Go for chops or filets. Extra tip: Prefer meat from young animals; you can recognize this by the light red color.
• Game and game birds: is often wrongly shunned for fondue. Why not try a boned saddle of venison, a rabbit filet, or the best pieces of wild boar or fallow deer? For game birds, breast and legs are recommended again.
• offal: also not everyone's cup of tea, but fried in fat they are something delicious. How about chicken liver, veal kidneys, calf's liver, or calf's heart?

Das Fleisch wird in mundgerechte Stücke geschnitten und es sollte möglichst trocken sein, sonst spritzt es zu stark. Gewürzt wird das Fleisch erst NACH dem Braten, da es sonst hart und zäh wird. Anrichten kann man es entweder auf einer großen Platte, oder je nach Sorte auf Tellern oder Schüsseln verteilen. Verziert mit Petersilien- oder Rosmarinzweige macht es gleich einen hübscheren Eindruck.
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Fish

For a fat or oil fondue, all fish with firm flesh are suitable, such as tuna, salmon, salmon trout, cod, redfish, ling, or turbot. You can also use all shellfish here (e.g., shrimp, squid rings, scallops, sole fillets, sardine fillets, crab, etc.). When buying, make sure the fish is very fresh and then transport it home to the refrigerator very quickly. The fish should only be cut into bite-sized pieces shortly before cooking.

Extra tip: Drizzle it with a little lemon juice; this makes the meat a bit firmer.

Fish has a shorter cooking time and only tastes really good when cooked through. You can arrange the fish very nicely on dried lettuce leaves with a few lemon slices. And it becomes really professional if you place an even larger plate with crushed ice under this plate. Or you can put it on smaller plates again by type (and then the larger ice plates underneath).

Vegetables

Only firm vegetables should be used here, such as mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, celery, potatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, or onions. Otherwise, it can happen that the fat splashes too much or even overflows.

Extra tip: To prevent the potatoes from turning brown, dip them briefly in salt water. To shorten the cooking times for the vegetables, blanch them beforehand in boiling salt water, then dry them well (this can be done very well in the oven; simply spread the vegetables on the baking tray and let them dry briefly at 100 degrees Celsius), otherwise it will splash too much during the fondue.

Soup/broth fondue

Here, too, are a few tips to make the fondue a complete success:

• You can use various soups or broths for this fondue, starting from chicken soup to veal or beef soup to vegetable broth. It is up to everyone whether they use an instant broth or a homemade soup; both are possible.
• Bring the broth to a boil on the stove in the fondue pot first and then place it directly on the rechaud.
• However, the soup must not boil too vigorously, otherwise it will reduce too quickly. But it must not be too cool either, otherwise the cooking process will take too long.
• Finally, you should definitely taste the soup. Every guest should receive a cup or a soup bowl of it. Extra tip: You can refine the soup with cognac or sherry, and you can also add a few soup noodles or glass noodles.

Meat

All types of meat as for the fat fondue apply here, only it is cut into thinner slices so that it is done faster.

Extra tip: To be able to cut the meat into nice, thin slices, put it in the freezer for about 2 hours. To make the meat for the meat fondue particularly tender and tasty, soak it overnight in a cloth soaked in brandy.

Fish

The same types of fish and shellfish as for the fat fondue apply here. Only you can also take more tender types of fish like plaice or sole. For this, you then need these cooking baskets or fondue strainers, as these types can fall apart more easily.

Vegetables

This is used abundantly in soup fondue. Here, too, these fondue strainers or cooking baskets are recommended. With this variant, some types of vegetables do not need to be pre-cooked; these are, for example, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, spring onions, shallots, zucchini, leeks, or bell peppers. Carrots should be blanched in salt water beforehand. For asparagus, it is also recommended to blanch the thick pieces – but not the heads, as they are very tender anyway.

Side Dishes

For oil fondue or soup fondue, bread and, if you like, salad are served. But the be-all and end-all are the delicious Sauces! You should serve at least 3-5 sauces with every fondue, which also vary in taste. So feel free to experiment with mild, sweet, spicy, hot, or exotic sauces, because this way you can always give the fish, vegetables, or meat a different note. Of course, not all sauces have to be prepared yourself; there is a very large selection of ready-made sauces. The sauces should definitely be brought to the table cold, so always prepare them in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until shortly before eating.

Good luck and have fun sizzling!

Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at

Read also: Not stuffy at all – fondue party