Raclette Grill, Electric Indoor Grill Table Portable, 2 in 1 BBQ Grill with Reversible Non-stick Plate and Stone, 1200W Fast Heating with 8 Cheese Melt Pans, Temperature Control

When I see a new kitchen electronic product, I'm intrigued but usually wait awhile before making a purchase. I took a chance with this electric fondue/raclette combination because I'm getting together for the first time in a year with my daughter and her family for an indoor meal and I wanted it to be special. I have a vintage fondue pot which is cute but I have to use gel fuel to keep the cheese warm after heating it on the stove. With this very cool appliance, we can cook almost the entire meal at the center of the table. Fondue or broth in the center, vegetables and fish or shrimp on the grill top and cheese in the raclette pans on the level underneath the top heating element. It's very excellent and I have only a couple of criticisms for a quality product.There are numerous warnings to preheat both elements to burn off any manufacturing oils, so I did that. I actually did it twice, just to be sure, and there was barely a smell and only a tiny bit of smoke the first time. I was not alarmed at all as I'd expected more. I wish this had an on/off switch other than the two dials on the front because it's basically on any time it's plugged in. I'd like to be able to turn it off without leaving the table. I finally realized that if I use a power strip with a switch, I can extend the appliance power cord and flip the switch to turn it off. Both heating elements to take several minutes to get to an optimal temperature, so now I know to prepare it in advance. The lower level doesn't cook as much as keep warm and broil from the element above. It's important to keep either the stone at the center or use the fondue pot to retain the heat and work best. My second criticism is that the splatter guard which also keeps the fondue sticks in place wobbles with movement because it's just resting inside the bowl. My third and final criticism is that a couple of the raclette pans had little imperfections in the nonstick coating. Nothing that affected the function, I just wanted them to be smooth with no rough spots. When you're done using the pans, be sure to let them cool down before putting them in water or they may warp because the metal is not thick. The first thing I tried cooking in this was simply scrambled eggs as a test and on top of the grill, they cooked evenly. Underneath, it took a long time and they cooked from the top, as was expected. I then made a small batch of fondue and it was great.For a full dinner, we will have broth in the fondue pot to cook shrimp, the vegetables and fish filets on the grill, a fancy Swiss cheese in the raclette pans which we will pour over the simply boiled fingerling potatoes that I will precook on the stovetop. We will have cornichons and mustard sauce because I personally love both.Bottom line is that this is a unique kitchen appliance that we can live without, just like the bread machines, ice cream machines, tabletop sandwich makers and many others. But, for a dinner party, I love it and would buy it again. I debated whether to give it four or five stars and decided on the five because at this point, I have not seen another configuration like this one. I like it more than the rectangular centerpiece tabletop cooking appliances and am so happy to not have to smell burning gel fuel at the table.

Used this to give the kids cooking experience. I love that it comes with several skillets for cooking. Would recommend for a melting pot experience.

Love this 8-person fondue set! Everything is there, for the most part the quality seems to be pretty fair.This fondue set is pretty dang big, I don't think I would necessarily use it for 8 people unless everyone is comfortable being very close to one another and not having a lot of grilling space, but it could definitely be done. Myself on the other hand, I don't plan to ever have more than 4 people using this at once, and for that I think it is perfect.The wooden spatulas seem very cheaply made,so of course I look up "Cheese fondue spatulas" Found exact ones, 20 for $10. So if by chance you break one, lose one, burn one, etc. They are super cheap and easy to replace.Read the instructions! You definitely want to preheat it for at least 10 minutes before actual use. I don't know if this will be for all units but mine was smoking for probably almost 10 minutes alone. I wasn't too concerned because with a lot of new heating appliances, some smoke/burning smell comes as part of the deal and usually goes away fairly quickly, just as this fondue set did.I don't know if it was Amazon, the company who makes this set. But the packaging was absolutely destroyed. Both inside and out. I don't know how it didn't come completely destroyed, but it didn't. Just be aware, the packaging may be some of the worst you've ever experienced.

I just got this today. The box was damaged, but the contents inside were fine. I set the unit outdoors & allowed it to fully heat about 20 minutes to burn off chemicals (as suggested to rid the unit of odor & smoke before using); it smoked & omitted a foul odor for about 3 minutes & was fine. It was easy to wash & set up for use. We cooked dinner on it tonight, brought everyone together for about 2 to 3 hours...we made Spinach Artichoke Fondue in the pot, Texas Fajitas (chicken, beef, shrimp, peppers & onions) on the grill, also used the grill to toast tortillas which made them taste amazing & made the best Smores I'd ever eaten in the Raclette trays for dessert. The ONLY thing I would change is the shape of the fondue bowl...it's shaped oddly & made cooking the fondue a little more difficult than it should have been...other than that this was SO much fun & easy to use. Everyone can do their own cooking, their own way.I ordered the square unit so I'd have the grill with lines but to my surprise, you can flip it over & it has the smooth griddle side also that you can use to make silver dollar pancakes, fry eggs or anything that you'd prefer a smooth surface for...so it's really 4 units in 1. What a deal!

This Raclette Grill performed well over the past year. If you enjoy slow and cultural cooking, you will enjoy this. First its not a meat/cheese fondue platform. Will want an iron or copper pot/ceramic for cheese (Good copper pots a rare, and never saw a reputable one in the US.) But the unit performed well with filets, fish, and shrimp for searing and the pot for melting chocolate and sauces. The cooking surface has not transformed from heat, or peeled. Heat it up slowly and apply your oils.