Our beloved fondue fans often ask us the same question: “Is it better to precook this or that food before immersing it in a delicious Fondussimo broth?” Nothing makes us happier than interacting with you and answering your questions, but we thought giving access to a detailed article that would answer that question more thoroughly would be useful! So here’s a little guide that lists the advantages and drawbacks of these two ways of doing things: To precook or not to precook?
To precook
The main advantage of precooking is to have the meal ready quicker, and to enjoy your delicious food faster! But since the devil is in the details, here’s everything you need to know about which foods improve the most by being precooked before the feast:
– Some vegetables really benefit from being precooked. It’s the case for
– Precooking can be a good option for some kinds of pasta so that they’re ready faster, absorb less liquid, and release less starch into the broth, to avoid making it too thick!
– Some foods will simply look better and more appetizing when precooked. Peeled shrimp are a good example!
– Precooking meat in the oven or on the BBQ allows it to be coloured by the caramelization of proteins (the Maillard reaction), which improves its taste and texture.
– When eating with children, it may be wise to precook meats, to avoid cross-contamination or the undercooking of certain proteins that require a thorough cook to ensure their safe consumption (pork, chicken, meatballs, etc.)
– Be careful not to end up overcooking your food: a precooked ingredient only needs a few seconds in the broth to warm up and be ready to eat!
Not to precook
The biggest advantage of a full cook in the broth is that it often provides a more flavourful result, as the broth penetrates deeper into the food to make it even tastier! However, the story doesn’t end there. Here are some other factors to consider:
– By not precooking your food, you will have more control over how it ends up: for example, you can achieve a medium-rare flank steak, a melt-in-the-mouth scallop, baby spinach that will retain its emerald green colour, etc.
– When cooking meatballs, wait until they have been floating on the surface for a few minutes before removing them from the broth, and don’t forget to check if they’re cooked through by cutting one in half!
– All foods, with no exception, can be placed raw in the Fondussimo fondue set. That being said, you will need to plan some extra broth accordingly. And remember that it will make the meal last longer, which, in our humble opinion, is a wonderful thing!
Bottom line is, both techniques have their advantages, and there is no definitive answer to that question! The choice is yours whether you prefer to use the Fondussimo set with raw or cooked foods, depending on your level of confidence in the kitchen and personal preference!
