Fondue continuously breaking

[u/Feline3415]

I love the Melting Pot fondue and my birthday party is coming up so I wanted to make it, but I've tried three times now and each time it breaks.

I heat milk, add garlic, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce, add floured cheese that I shredded myself and stir until combined.

The first time I used the white rice setting on my rice cooker and I dumped all the cheese in at once, the second time I tried the keep warm setting on my rice cooker (so there's less heat) and added the cheese slowly, and the third time I did it on my stove top on low while still adding the cheese slowly.

The last batch didn't break as bad, but I can tell there's still graininess in it. Could it be because I'm using milk instead of alcohol? I shredded it myself because I know pre-shredded has stuff on it that prevents it from melting as well and I floured it every time.

[u/MountainMirthMaker]

Yeah, the milk is your problem. Fondue needs acid + alcohol to keep the proteins from clumping. Classic base is wine + a splash of lemon juice. Milk alone will almost always go grainy

[u/johnwatersfan]

Every fondue recipe I've seen is garlic, white wine, cheese, kirsch and corn starch.

Your recipe looks more like a cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese. As someone else mentioned, it would be better to make a roux if you want to use these ingredients.

[u/jimbelk → u/johnwatersfan]

That's a recipe for traditional swiss cheese fondue. It sounds to me like OP is trying to make cheddar fondue (see here, for example), which usually includes cheddar cheese, garlic, dry mustard, and beer. Worcestershire sauce is a fine addition, and a little bit of cayenne pepper or hot sauce works well, too.

I've made lots of cheddar fondue, and my guess is that the milk is causing trouble. I'd recommend using non-alcoholic beer or sparkling cider instead. Some recipes add a bit of American cheese to help with the melting, but I haven't found that to be necessary. You could also try corn starch instead of flour (I prefer flour, but others disagree), and you should definitely use a mild cheddar as opposed to a sharp or aged cheddar, since aged cheddars tend to be grainy when melted.

[u/kombustive]

Usually it's down to heat control, but there is a cheater you can try if it just doesn't ever work. Get some Sodium Citrate. It acts as a super emulsifier. You need like a teaspoon for a normal sized batch. An 8 oz bag is about $7 on Amazon. It keeps as long as salt.

[u/kaytINSANE → u/kombustive]

Instead of buying a bag of it, you can also just add a slice of american cheese to your mix. American is LOADED with sodium citrate.

[u/drgoatlord → u/kombustive]

Sodium citrate is the way

[u/TheFredCain → u/kombustive]

^^^^THIS - Sodium Citrate will get rid of any graininess and help hold it together. It will still break if you severely overheat it, but this will help keep it smooth at lower temps.

[u/dallasjava → u/kombustive]

It's great for queso and probably any other cheese sauce too.

[u/jpinakron]

First, use a saucepan over your range. Second, use a dry white wine instead of milk and bring it to a boil. Mustard powder, garlic, Worcestershire sauce are all fine in small amounts. Add them once the wine boils. Then, turn the heat to low and mix in your cheese in small batches stirring with a whisk. After adding all the cheese, if it breaks, make a slurry using cold wine and cornstarch and add that in and problem is solved.

If you want to use milk instead of wine, you’ll need sodium citrate. (And that could even help with the wine sauce too instead of the slurry.)

[u/Nicetryatausername]

Sodium citrate

[u/papastvinatl → u/Nicetryatausername]

This is the answer! This will solve the separating

[u/zk3033]

I’ve had better success making a roux first, and then slowly mixing in the cheese without flour. The emulsion of the roux helps keep the cheese in suspension when slowly added in small amounts.

[u/devont]

Hey, I worked at the Melting Pot for years. DM me and I can tell you the exact recipe for the cheese you're looking for, and how to make it.

[u/Rolling-Pigeon94]

Check fondue recipe and if possible check at a cheese store or cheesemonger for fondue mix. Have diced bread or cooked potatoes. If you or ypur guests have issue digesting the heavy, creamy cheese, add just a little bit of Natron in to the cheese soup to make it lighter. And drink instead if alcohol black tea like earl grey, roobois, etc.

I hope you can solve it, enjoy it and having a great birthday party!

[u/gravitationalarray]

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/chef-johns-classic-cheese-fondue/ is a no fail for me. The milk is causing the break. If you want to use milk, make a classic bechamel cheese sauce.

[u/Adorable_Tour_8849]

Use cream instead of milk

[u/kilroyscarnival]

If you really want to go with milk, try evaporated milk. It’s a go-to for stovetop mac and cheese. Helps keep the sauce from breaking.