Re. raclette

[Anonymous]

this thread almost made me buy one from Amazon.

[Anonymous]

I am thinking of it as a present, but which top-- stone, teflon or cast iron?

[Anonymous]

^^We have the cast iron top and think it's great, though I'm a cast iron fan in general and don't mind a bit of extra work cleaning. I figure it is more durable than Teflon with none of the health concerns. The stone ones look cool, but I can't imagine they conduct heat as well as the iron ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family loves raclette nights, and we do them often. We got ours from Amazon (this model: Swissmar 8-Person Eiger Raclette with Reversible Cast Iron Grill Plate), and it works really well. We always do the traditional accompaniments (the cured meats, new potatoes and gherkins that other posters have mentioned), but we don't limit ourselves to that. I typically put out a big bowl of whatever vegetables we have on hand, sliced into smallish serving sizes. Asparagus, green beans, peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini are favorites. Then we'll have a bowl with sliced bread (good french bread and pumpernickel), another with meats (typically a tender cut of steak, but I also sometimes do partially pre-cooked shrimp--anything thin that cooks quickly works). For the cheese, raclette is nice and I've found it at Balduccis, and some Giants and WFs, but you don't need to limit yourself to raclette to make it worthwhile--any melting cheese works great. If I have time, I might also put out some garlic or mustard butter for folks to put on their meats.

We find it much healthier and more versatile than fondue since you don't need to have gobs of cheese with every bite (NTTIAWWT), and everyone enjoys customizing their meal. My husband and one son both like to make little sandwiches with their various grilled things and melty cheese, which my daughter and I think is odd; no one else in the family appreciates what I think is the best combo: grilled poblano peppers, grilled chorizo, and melted cheddar. You don't need to use cheese at all--you can use the trays to make toast, mini-pizzas, or anything you can think of.



They make for very fun party nights (we eventually added a second one so we can host a bigger group), but my favorite thing may be how much our teens love it. It's so very nice at the end of a busy week of sports practices, homework and rushed dinners to sit down and have a long leisurely meal and talk and laugh as we jockey for grill space. Their friends all love it too!

You have made me a raclette convert!

[Anonymous]

Thanks to this thread, I now have one of these on my Amazon Wish List and am hoping my parents get us this for Christmas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to this thread, I now have one of these on my Amazon Wish List and am hoping my parents get us this for Christmas.

Which one did you choose? Can you link?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to this thread, I now have one of these on my Amazon Wish List and am hoping my parents get us this for Christmas.

Which one did you choose? Can you link?

I asked for this one: http://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-8-Person-Classic-Raclette-Reversible/dp/B003Y8DTEE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1JPVAM8BHT0L0&coliid=I2KSG4N6PEYGY7

It's the cast iron version. I think my kids will LOVE this, and it will be a great dinner/activity when the grandparents are visiting.

[Anonymous]

We got this one last year and use it six or seven times a year. It makes a fun dinner with friends and the kids cook hot dogs on them.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Raclette-Party-Grill/20863678