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We made some fondue the other night, and instead of being a nice smooth dippable fondue texture, it came out grainy and lumpy. What went wrong?

Here's the recipe that we used:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3/4 cup Dark Ale or Other Beer
  • 1 cup Emmenthal Cheese, Shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese, Shredded
  • 1/2 cup Appenzeller Cheese, Shredded
  • 1 tbsp Corn Starch

Slice garlic in half, rub in fondue pot. Warm beer without boiling. Mix cornstarch and cheeses. Stir cheese into beer, one handful at a time, allowing to melt in-between additions.

Aaronut
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KatieK
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4 Answers4

2

I suspect that your cheese curdled.

This happens to me if I overheat the mixture- especially in the presence of acid. (I don't have any experience with using beer.) The cornstarch is there as a safety net to prevent this but obviously it is not infallible.

Turn down the heat and try adding a little more corn starch- it may not get back to perfect fondue but you may be able to pull it back to edible.

Sobachatina
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Your family will notice if you try to "Pull it back to edible" (that sounds disgusting). Maybe use something a little more acidic next time, like a dry wine, or just a touch of lemon (not much!) if you insist on using beer. It does sound like the heat was a little too high though if you're getting the infamous ball-o-cheese fondue, so turn the fire down, keep stirring (I once heard that stirring in a figure 8 pattern helps immensely), and don't feed your family that nasty crap you made while you were learning. Just kidding love!

Emeril
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Swiss guy taught me that the best way to avoid this is to marinate the grated cheese in the wine a few hours before making the fondue. Never had a grainy fondue since I started doing this!

Nils
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Do not prepare the fondue on the burner, use the stove where you can regulate the heat according to your needs.

Dissolve the corn starch in some liquid. Bring the wine, beer or whatever to a light boil and stir in the cornstarch slurry – this will avoid any lumps from the cornstarch.

I haven‘t tried beer (the original is with wine, which is already acidic). I do, however, add some lemon juice (they say the acidity helps to get a nice texture). Beer is less acidic, so you might need some more lemon juice.

When your mixture is ready, turn down the heat (you just want to melt the cheese) and add the grated cheese in portions while stirring constantly. Have some patience and don’t overheat – it will melt eventually. Do not go beyond an ever-so-slight simmer.

When the mixture is ready, transfer it to the burner and begin the ceremony right away.

user149408
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