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With the holiday hosting season upon us, some home cooks may be looking to offer more to their guests than just traditional turkey or ham. Perhaps a charcuterie board would fit the bill. Or an indoor s’mores party. For something fun and fancy, maybe a raclette grill or a fondue set.
Aldi is selling both a raclette grill and a fondue set for what appears to be the first time.
Most people are familiar with the concept of fondue. Originating in Switzerland, traditionally, you melted cheese in a small communal pot (called a caquelon) that was kept hot over a special device. Then you used long-stemmed utensils to dip small bits of bread into the cheese. Fondue began gaining popularity in the U.S. in the mid-twentieth century and now might also include dipping fruit or small pieces of pastry in melted chocolate. The concept of fondue was further expanded and popularized with restaurants such as the Melting Pot, where diners can enjoy full multi-course dinners with cheese fondue, meats dipped in various sauces, and chocolate fondue for dessert.
What you may be less familiar with is a raclette grill. In keeping with the Swiss theme with the fondue set, raclette is a type of cheese from Switzerland that is melted on a special tabletop grill and then scraped onto foods such as bread, potatoes, or veggies. The grill usually has specific spaces on a lower level for melting cheese while the top of the grill is for cooking vegetables, meats, and other foods to pair with the cheese.
Both fondue sets and raclette grills promote a festive, party-like atmosphere with everyone gathered around a table or countertop island as they create their own customized meals. Let’s take a closer look at what Aldi is offering.
What We Know:
Ambiano Electric Fondue Set.
The Ambiano Electric Raclette Grill or Fondue Set (Product Code: 811548) cost $39.99 at the time of publication. That’s within the lower range of prices for raclette grills and fondue sets on Amazon, depending on the size of the grill of fondue set and how many features it has. I found some raclette grills as low as $31 at the time of writing, while other raclette grills go as high as $100 and might come with a fondue pot as well. Fondue sets on Amazon can be simple $20 sets that are heated with tea lights, or you can find electric sets that range from $30 into the $100s depending on what size and features you prefer. So whether the Aldi raclette grill or fondue set are good deals depends on what exactly you’re looking for.
Ambiano Electric Raclette Grill.
These are both Aldi Finds, so they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after they sell out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back at some point. Aldi doesn’t offer online ordering for products not in stock at your local store.
These are sold under the Ambiano brand, which is not a separate company but rather is the private label Aldi uses for kitchen- or cooking-related products. Other things we’ve seen recently under the Ambiano label include an air fryer, an electric pour over kettle, and a single serve coffee maker.
Here’s more information, according to Aldi.
Raclette Grill:
- Includes 8 pans with nonstick coating
- Hotplate made of die-cast aluminum and stone
Fondue Pot:
- Includes stainless steel forks and serving trays
- Made of dishwasher safe stainless steel for easy cleanup
What We Don’t Know:
We haven’t yet tried either of these sets, so we don’t know how easy they are to use, how well they work, or how they hold up to use. Aldi also has not yet shared images of the raclette grill, and they have not published information about whether either of these products comes with any kind of warranty. We write open threads so readers can have a space to talk about various Aldi products.
Did you purchase the Ambiano Electric Raclette Grill or Fondue Set? Tell us what you think of them in the comments below.
