Fondue-in-a-Bag Is a Rousing Success

Published on Friday, March 4, 2011, by James Norton / Edit Post

Emmi Fondue Suisse Original

Emmi Fondue Suisse Original

I Paid: $12.99 for a 14-ounce bag (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 5 stars

Marketing: 5 stars

As far as small kits of shelf-stable heat-and-eat foods go, Emmi Fondue Suisse must surely rank amongst the most expensive. At $13 a pop, it's competitive in price with some restaurant fondue entrées—and when you're out to eat, someone else graciously takes care of cleaning the pot and all the damned fondue forks.

Therefore, to be even vaguely interesting, Emmi Fondue Suisse would have to be excellent.

It is.

It starts off inauspiciously: When you cut open the foil sack that contains the fondue, a thin liquid dribbles off into the pan, chased by a sad, floppy rectangle of semisolid cheese. But after just a few minutes of heating and stirring, the stuff comes together to form a smooth and creamy fondue that has a nice level of saltiness, thanks to the made-in-Switzerland Swiss cheese that's at the base of this product.

The fondue also contains the perfect amount of Kirsch brandy: You can certainly taste it, and it's a great complement for the melted cheese, but it's not overwhelming. Overall, the fondue's flavor is rich and simple, and easy to boost with black pepper, nutmeg, or other spices.

I've made fondue from scratch, and I've ordered it in good restaurants; price be damned, straight-from-a-box Emmi Fondue Suisse is now at or near the top of my list in terms of overall quality and ease of preparation.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster Daily videos, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. (Click here to see all of James's previous Supertaster work.) You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook.

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POST A COMMENT |13 Comments

COMMENT

  • @Jennythebear

    "Wow, that price jump is due to import tax? Jeez. I also remember buying it for $5 a pack less than a decade ago. "

    Back on April 12th, 2001, 5 USD would buy you 8.55 CHF (Swiss francs). Today, 8.55 CHF will buy you 9.41 USD. In effect, the cost of a Swiss franc in US dollars has gone up 88.4%.

    There have been tariff rate quotas (TRQs) on Emmentaler and Gruyere at least...+READ

    @Jennythebear

    "Wow, that price jump is due to import tax? Jeez. I also remember buying it for $5 a pack less than a decade ago. "

    Back on April 12th, 2001, 5 USD would buy you 8.55 CHF (Swiss francs). Today, 8.55 CHF will buy you 9.41 USD. In effect, the cost of a Swiss franc in US dollars has gone up 88.4%.

    There have been tariff rate quotas (TRQs) on Emmentaler and Gruyere at least since the 1995 Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, but it's been hard to figure out exactly how much they are costing consumers (based on quick Google searches). The government charges a 15% tariff for imports below a quota (I think), and then charges a weight-based fee for imports over the quota. On top of that I don't know how they factor in tariffs when the imports in question are ingredients in a separate product, it's all very confusing.

    Your comment just got me thinking about the exchange rate and why this delicious fondue might cost so much.


    @sjb7501

    This product may prove significantly less expensive than buying all of the raw materials yourself. I'd rather not blow $40 or $50 on Emmenthaler, Gruyere, a decent bottle of white wine (OK, you'll probably be buying this anyway), a bottle of kirsch. On top of that you'll have to buy some good bread and fruit , so it could end up being a pretty expensive meal especially if you start from scratch.-COLLAPSE

  • It took a little searching but I found the ingredients list, and the fondue is gluten-free. I was worried they might use wheat starch in this product, but they use potato starch instead. Below are the ingredients and the link to the item description on the Wegmans web site where I found it.

    Ingredients
    Swiss Emmentaler and Gruyere Cheese (Milk, Bacterial Culture, Rennet, Salt), Wine, Water,...+READ

    It took a little searching but I found the ingredients list, and the fondue is gluten-free. I was worried they might use wheat starch in this product, but they use potato starch instead. Below are the ingredients and the link to the item description on the Wegmans web site where I found it.

    Ingredients
    Swiss Emmentaler and Gruyere Cheese (Milk, Bacterial Culture, Rennet, Salt), Wine, Water, Potato Starch, Kirsch, Emulsifying Salt (Sodium Phosphate), Salt, Spices.

    http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=351665&storeId=10052&langId=-1-COLLAPSE

  • looks great for anything you need cheese with like veggies and chicken divan.

  • I just found a Tiger brand boxed fondue at my local (Boston area chain) grocery store for $5. Looking on the back, it is made by the same Swiss producer- Emmi. Yes, I am psyched to say, it is the same product as this one! Score!!!

  • I'll follow up to my previous comment and say it was well the $8.99 I paid for it. Considering the cost of a good cheese, I don't think it's overpriced, plus it saves you the effort having to cut up or grate the cheese.

  • Saw this at Cost Plus World Market today for $8.99.

  • I have to admit the comments here surprise me (the original piece by James Norton, too, though I always read him gluttonously). Making fondue is like boiling water, c'mon.

    Get a caquelon (or small pot), rub it with garlic. Pour in a quarter or half bottle of white wine, throw in some diced cheese of good quality (and I think this is why the homemade is better; my friend from the Jura does it all...+READ

    I have to admit the comments here surprise me (the original piece by James Norton, too, though I always read him gluttonously). Making fondue is like boiling water, c'mon.

    Get a caquelon (or small pot), rub it with garlic. Pour in a quarter or half bottle of white wine, throw in some diced cheese of good quality (and I think this is why the homemade is better; my friend from the Jura does it all with aged Comté, but a mix of Comté, Emmenthal, and Gruyère can do you). Stir until it all melts.

    So, in all, a few more minutes to cut up the cheese? You still have to stir. This is absurd.-COLLAPSE

  • Wow, that price jump is due to import tax? Jeez. I also remember buying it for $5 a pack less than a decade ago.

    My high school boyfriend was Swiss, and I had the awesome luxury of eating this brand of packaged fondue with his family several times per month. Yum. The inside of the pot would get rubbed with a slice of garlic, and we'd cube tons of french bread that would go stale within minutes....+READ

    Wow, that price jump is due to import tax? Jeez. I also remember buying it for $5 a pack less than a decade ago.

    My high school boyfriend was Swiss, and I had the awesome luxury of eating this brand of packaged fondue with his family several times per month. Yum. The inside of the pot would get rubbed with a slice of garlic, and we'd cube tons of french bread that would go stale within minutes.

    I never considered this a cheat, since they'd always insist that it's too much work making it from scratch when this one in a box was nearly as good & way cheaper- and it is the same brand they ate in Switzerland.

    But Jeez, I'm still hung up on the $13 price tag!-COLLAPSE

  • When hubby and I have leftovers I have mixed a bit of this in with green beans, broccoli or other veggies with almonds..pine nuts or whatever is on hand and baked it for a few minutes and had an excellent side dish thus spreading the cost :)

  • Comment Back in the day, I could buy this for less than 5 bucks at Publix... geezz; thanks import tax...

  • What type of store would I be able to find this in? A Safeway? A Whole Foods? Google only shows Wegman's, which we don't have here in SF. Amazon claims to be preparing to offer it, but currently isn't.

  • Now that's quick cooking.

    Cookware

  • Thanks for this review. I love fondue and have been eyeing this stuff up at the store for a while now. I'll give it a shot.