The Cheesy Difference Between Raclette And Fondue

Most cheese lovers are familiar with fondue and raclette, two genius Swiss dishes that place cheese on center stage. Both are made with glorious melted Alpine cheeses which get paired with things like potatoes, bread, and vegetables. This may have some wondering how different the two can actually be. While they're both exceptionally popular in the cold winter months due to their heartiness and warmth, they have different preparation methods and traditionally utilize different types of cheese.

Traditional Swiss fondue involves a pot of melted cheese, traditionally a mix of Gruyère and Emmental. Small chunks of food such as apples, pears, pickles, meat, and pretzels are placed on long skewers for diners to dip into the pot, making for a fun, filling, and interactive meal. With raclette, foods are not dipped into cheese, rather, melted cheese is placed on top of the food. The classic cheese to use for the dish is also called Raclette and it melts beautifully. 

Raclette has become a hit at many Christmas markets with vendors offering customers paper boats of specific foods covered in a generous portion of cheese which they scrape out of a large half wheel of Raclette. But when making it at home, raclette is a communal affair, with diners cooking or warming their own ingredients, melting their own individual slices of cheese, and then scraping the latter over their bounty. As familiar as fondue is, many consider raclette to be superior. But, in our opinion, you can't go wrong at all with either.

While fondue is certainly made primarily of cheese, there are some other ingredients that go into a fondue pot in order to make the dish. If you just threw some shredded Gruyère and Emmental into a hot pot and let it melt, the cheese would likely begin to separate with a layer of oil laying on top of a clump of stiff cheese. 

To avoid this, you first need to make a slurry of cornstarch and Kirsch liquor or a little white wine. More white wine is then added, stirred, and heated before the cheese is gradually added so that it melts cohesively. Many people will rub a raw clove of garlic inside the empty fondue pot before it is heated, for extra flavor. Of course, if you want someone to make your fondue for you, you could head to The Melting Pot (whose planned 2024 comeback had mixed results).

Meanwhile, raclette doesn't involve any additional ingredients. In this way, it's simpler to prepare. Raclette grills have become increasingly popular and have streamlined the process of preparing it. The top is a flat griddle intended to cook or warm the foods that you intend to pour your cheese over. Underneath the griddle are individual spatulas, of sorts, with edges that come up so the cheese doesn't spill out. You place a slice of cheese inside until it melts and then scrape the cheese out and over your food.