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Cheese fondue

Also searched as: fondue, moitié-moitié, Swiss fondue

In short: Fondue is a cheese . Wine and starch hold it together; too much heat makes it fall apart into fat and strings.

Picture it

Like a sauce that only holds together in its comfort zone.

The decisive moments

  1. 1
    Grate the cheese finely and mix it with a little cornflour

    Starch coats the protein and prevents lumps.

    Starch gelatinisation
  2. 2
    Heat white wine and stir in the cheese in batches

    The in the wine keeps the protein supple.

    Acid (lemon, vinegar)
  3. 3
    Only simmer gently, stirring constantly (in a figure of eight)

    Too much heat makes the protein contract and the fat seep out.

    Proteins set (coagulation)
  4. 4
    If it splits: a splash of lemon and a little starch slurry

    Acid and starch bring the emulsion back.

    Emulsion
Sources · 1
  • Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)