My daughter and I LOVE fondue! In fact, for her 13th birthday, I gave her the option of picking any place within 150 miles to go for her birthday dinner, and she chose Melting Pot. I've been dying to get into making some of the dishes so we could try it at home for a smidge le$$. :-D But I didn't want a big, expensive, fancy fondue set in case this became short lived.
Strolling through eBay the other night, I came across this fondue stand (only; no other parts) that was part of a Rachel Ray set. It's cast iron, wide, and I thought - PERFECT! I can buy the burner, set this up on a heat-safe surface (e.g., maybe another skillet on a wood cutting board). I have these small Lodge bowls (LMSB) that I figured would work just fine, and they will, but I set my #3 on the stand for giggles, and low and behold ... it's like it was made to be; a perfect fit and just the right size for two without have a lot of waste like I imagine I would in the bowls! This could be so awesome, not only for fondue, but also for other sauces that we might want to keep warm while eating dinner, and have within reach. To think, now I have something to do with the couple #3s I have besides melting butter in them. And they would be so easy to go from stove to fondue stand! (can you tell I'm super excited? haha)
The stand was only marked with a "7", and appears to have never been used or seasoned, so I have it in the oven now taking on a layer.
Does anyone see any concerns with this aside from the obvious "pan is hot" concern, or have any additional ideas that might make this even more useful? It actually seems more sturdy/stable with a #3 than a regular fondue pot, being low and flat with a handle. I love repurposing, multi-function tools, etc., so this should be interesting. And please, if anyone happens to have any CI-friendly fondue recipes, please post or link to them!
Strolling through eBay the other night, I came across this fondue stand (only; no other parts) that was part of a Rachel Ray set. It's cast iron, wide, and I thought - PERFECT! I can buy the burner, set this up on a heat-safe surface (e.g., maybe another skillet on a wood cutting board). I have these small Lodge bowls (LMSB) that I figured would work just fine, and they will, but I set my #3 on the stand for giggles, and low and behold ... it's like it was made to be; a perfect fit and just the right size for two without have a lot of waste like I imagine I would in the bowls! This could be so awesome, not only for fondue, but also for other sauces that we might want to keep warm while eating dinner, and have within reach. To think, now I have something to do with the couple #3s I have besides melting butter in them. And they would be so easy to go from stove to fondue stand! (can you tell I'm super excited? haha)
The stand was only marked with a "7", and appears to have never been used or seasoned, so I have it in the oven now taking on a layer.
Does anyone see any concerns with this aside from the obvious "pan is hot" concern, or have any additional ideas that might make this even more useful? It actually seems more sturdy/stable with a #3 than a regular fondue pot, being low and flat with a handle. I love repurposing, multi-function tools, etc., so this should be interesting. And please, if anyone happens to have any CI-friendly fondue recipes, please post or link to them!