Alcohol also maintains a lower boiling point, which helps the cheese from curdling. So when you don’t use alcohol in making fondue, it’s a good idea to add some lemon juice or a touch of vinegar. Traditionally fondue is made with hard or semi-hard, high-fat cheeses like Gruyère, Fontina, Raclette or Emmental.
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How to get a Smooth Cheese Fondue
To get a smooth cheese fondue, use low heat to melt the cheese. You might be tempted to crank the temperature up because your cheese is not melting quickly… do not be tempted! This was my exact experience attempting cheese fondue for the first time. My cheese broke and became clumpy
So be patient, and continuously stir gently over low heat until the cheese melts.
Cornstarch is added to stabilise the cheese for a smoother fondue. It also helps to thicken the fondue later on. The cornstarch helps the cheese to mesh together with the liquids.
Wine also acts as a stabiliser due to the levels of tartaric acid. Since wine is not used here, add lemon juice! Lemon juice has citric acid to mimic the tartaric acid in wine. Besides lemon juice, you can also use lime juice. I love the lemon juice too since it adds a nice brightness to the otherwise heavy cheese sauce.
What Type of Cheese to use for Cheese Fondue
One of my souvenirs from Switzerland were cheese! Specifically Gruyere (also known as Swiss Cheese) and Emmental. These are known as easy-melting cheese.
You can use any easy-melting cheese of choice! I like using Cheddar Cheese too which has a lot of flavour.
The recommended type of cheese to use would be the block ones, instead of the readily-shredded versions. Those tend to have anti caking agents so it doesn’t clump together in the bag, which also makes it harder to melt. That said, I’ve used the readily shredded versions, and I got great results too. It will melt slower but eventually you’ll get there.
In the video, I used a food processor to quickly and easily grate my cheese! I got granules instead of shreds – but no worries, it works too. I even used the food processor to mix in the cornstarch. It’s my favourite cheese grating hack ever.
The BEST Cheese Fondue – Without Wine!
FAQ
Is alcohol necessary for fondue?
What is a good substitute for wine in fondue?
What is a substitute for brandy in fondue?
What can I use instead of beer in fondue?
Can you use alcohol in fondue?
Wine, in the case of the classic recipe, adds flavor and keeps the cheese from becoming stringy because the wine is so acidic. Alcohol also maintains a lower boiling point, which helps the cheese from curdling. So when you don’t use alcohol in making fondue, it’s a good idea to add some lemon juice or a touch of vinegar.
What can be used instead of white flour?
Instead of white flour, you can use whole wheat flour, add oats to the flour, or add seeds. You have to take into account that some recipes need white flour.
What alcohol is used in cheese fondue?
There are two different types of alcohol used in the Cheese Fondue (Nigella Express p70). Flavour is added from the wine and the Kirsch, they also to and extent reduce the risk of the fondue curdling. However the acid in the wine also helps to stop the fondue from being stringy by breaking up the protein chains in the cheese.
Can you make fondue without wine?
The fondue will be less stable without wine so heat very gently to reduce the risk of curdling and you may get better results by using a mix of harder cheeses (such as Gruyere and even cheddar) and omitting the soft cheeses (such as Brie and Camembert).