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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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3 Answers3

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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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  • Alcohol plays the same role as the acid. Perhaps instead of more acidic the beer should just have more alcohol. – Sobachatina Apr 10 '12 at 15:43
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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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