My family’s love of The Melting Pot began when my children were in elementary school. I remember choosing to celebrate a birthday at the restaurant, knowing the kids would enjoy dipping bite-size pieces of food into cheese and chocolate fondues. After that first dinner, The Melting Pot became their restaurant of choice for many of their birthday celebrations.
The Melting Pot opened its first restaurant in 1975 and now has over 85 locations in 31 states and one restaurant in Canada. I recently discovered that The Melting Pot has at home fondue collections so that their beloved fondue experience can be enjoyed at home. I was also fortunate enough to sample some of those offerings.
I was sent the Fan Favorite Cheese Fondue Bundle. This pack includes two cheese fondue pouches (the Classic and Aged Cheddar & Gouda). Also included were 4 Baguettes with Garlic Butter, 4 Caramel Apple Tartlets and a shaker-top canister of Garlic & Wine Seasoning. In a partnership with Omaha Steaks, your choice of one protein is included in this bundle: 1 lb. of Triple Trimmed Tenderloin Tips (try saying that 5 times fast!), 16 oz. of Wild Argentinian Red Shrimp or 4 (5 oz) Air-Chilled Boneless Chicken Breasts. This bundle arrived chilled in dry ice, and I put everything in the freezer until we were ready to use it.
The Melting Pot at home brings the fun of fondue to your kitchen!
My family and I recently enjoyed a multi-course fondue experience with The Melting Pot at home bundle. We started with the cheese course and made the Classic Alpine fondue, which includes a blend of Gruyère, Raclette and Fontina. The fondue can be cooked in the microwave or on the stovetop. Dipper suggestions for the Classic fondue include French bread, pretzels, steak, chicken, shrimp or sausage, apples or pears, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and/or tomatoes. We went with raw baby carrots, roasted broccoli, sliced apple and soft pretzel nuggets.
The directions were unclear as to whether we should thaw the contents of the fondue pouch or cook straight from frozen. We chose to melt the frozen cheese into a saucepan. It took a bit of time for it to carefully defrost and become dippable. Unfortunately, we do not have a fondue pot and found that the cheese fondue could benefit from being held at temperature in a specialized pot. For us, the cheese kept solidifying, and we had to keep reheating and whisking it to get it dippable. The flavor of the Classic fondue was tasty with a hint of wine.
When dining at The Melting Pot restaurant, the main entree proteins are cooked in a broth on the table. We pre-cooked the steak tips, provided in the bundle, and separately cooked some shrimp we bought (for my husband, who doesn’t eat beef), seasoning both proteins with the Garlic & Wine Seasoning. One of the benefits of dining in the restaurant, that I missed with the at home bundle, is the variety of sauces at your table to dip the cooked proteins in: blue cheese, garlic aioli, Green Goddess are just the few that I can recall, as it has been too long since I dined at our closest The Melting Pot restaurant.
Although it was noted that the proteins could be dipped in the cheese fondue, we decided not to go that direction. We did enjoy our steak and shrimp as a second course with the baguettes with garlic butter. We baked them from frozen, as directed, and they had a nice crispy outer crust with a warm, garlicky, soft, doughy center. These definitely exceeded our expectations.
The Garlic & Wine Seasoning is a flavorful bend of spices that can be used in many dishes. We have already used it to season vegetables and other proteins that we have made and anticipate it being used a lot. They provided a full-sized shaker in the bundle.
We all know that when visiting The Melting Pot you have to save room for dessert. I have even heard that some people visit the restaurant for just the dessert course! There are three different dessert fondues available in the Fondue at Home collection: Turtle Milk Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, or Fonduefetti White Chocolate fondue. The dessert fondue is sold in a 3-pack for $49.99. There is a choice of 3 of the same type of fondue or a variety pack, which offers one bag of each.
The chocolate fondue can be cooked in the microwave or on the stovetop. While I was sent a variety pack, I have so far only sampled the Turtle Milk Chocolate fondue. The bag includes the chocolate, caramel and candied pecan pieces. Again, you get to supply your own items to dip. We opted for sliced bananas, marshmallows and brownie bites (made from a box of brownie mix), based on what we already had on hand. The fondue cooked up nicely and was a sweet ending to our delicious meal.
If you are expecting an exact meal experience just like you'd enjoy at The Melting Pot restaurant with the at home kits, you will be somewhat disappointed. The full-service restaurant treatment and professional equipment can't be recreated in your kitchen. However, if you want an interactive, fun dining experience that you can enjoy in the comfort of your home, then these kits are definitely worth checking out.
If you are looking for a more complete fondue experience, fondue sets are available for purchase on the Melting Pot retail website.