OK how many of you like chocolate? How about chocolate fondue with nice ripe fruits? This is such a simple and wonderful alternative after a meal instead of a heavy dessert.
It can be a pain though to go hunting for those tea light candles, set up the fondue kit, melt your chocolate without burning it, pouring it into the fondue dish, etc. That is when I change my mind because suddenly it feels like too much trouble. Well someone came up with a really neat idea and I was asked to review this great new chocolate fondue product: the Velata fondue warmer.
What makes this fondue warmer different? It is electric! Yep, you plug it into the wall outlet and turn on with the dimmer switch a 25 watt light bulb. The heat generated by the light bulb is ideal to keep your chocolate melted and the heat put out is consistent so you can’t overheat and cook the chocolate. When you are done turn off the light bulb and unplug.
I also received with the warmer two Belgium chocolate pouches. These are designed to go in the microwave and then be poured out by the spout into the silicone. Just put the cap back on for any unused portion. The chocolates come in 4 different flavors: milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate and caramel milk chocolate.
This is a totally innovative idea, but actually my favorite part is the silicone dish. Silicone is a great material that gently diffuses heat evenly. Silicone goes in the microwave and the dishwasher for easy preparation and clean-up. Although sturdy, the dish is flexible too. After enjoying our fondue I simply placed the dish in the fridge and let the chocolate harden. Then I bent the dish a bit and I could pop out the chocolate in a solid block to store for reuse (or just eat it like a chocolate bar).
We went with a more eclectic choice of fruits and goodies to dip: with cactus pears, peaches, bananas and marshmallows. I so would do the cactus pears again! And what do you think of the cute mousse(!?!?) my friend Raquel made with the marshmallow lol? I like the concept of the pouches, but honestly I was not a fan of the chocolate. They were overly sweet and did not taste like fine chocolate. I did not use the whole pouch so the next day I cut up the pouch to take a look: the chocolate was unusually brittle.
When using the chocolate pouches alone in the dish you will find the consistency quite thick. If you want to thin it out add a bit of milk or cream like you would with a homemade chocolate fondue recipe. I could pass on the chocolate pouches but do love the fondue warmer a lot and am so happy to add it to my kitchen appliance arsenal.
The fondue looks delicious! The silicone dish really does sound very handy since you can chill the leftover chocolate in it and pop it right out. Loved the mouse. 🙂
Fondue is such a company thing and I love doing it with friends. Your mouse is so cute and chocolate, well, who can resist chocolate?
Oh, boy, do I love the cleanup ease of this fondue pot..what a great invention! Sorry the chocolate didn’t wow you…but I do approve of your yummy dipper suggestions…and that darling mouse 🙂
I love your marshmallow mouse – you made me smile! We talked about buying a fondue machine so we can enjoy it at home. We haven’t purchased it yet but now that fall is around the corner, and with your post, I’m VERY tempted now.
I used the heating element of my fondue pot to cook ‘stove top’ after my knee surgery..and it worked great! Most mid-size pots fit well on top of it! Yours looks like it would work for that too..since many fondue pots are narrow at the top. OK..the whole point here is ‘fondue’ – not using it to cook stove top chow lol Your fondue looks amazingly creamy and luscious! LOVE the marshmallow mouse! So glad you’re enjoying your new pot!
Agreed about the chocolate pouches. The caramel one sounds like it could be a decent option, but it is best to have thinner chocolate for fondue. Looks like a fun way to have a night in with friends.
Probably not hot enough for cheese but i hear the company will expand into other warmers for specific types of fondues. Great question.
Not bad, but would it work with cheese as well?
Love that idea! Genius! Cute marshmallow mouse 🙂