Fondue is a festive, friendly meal that is guaranteed to please everyone…well, almost everyone! It seems that some kids are rather mixed about this ritual and end up nibbling only on the bread and rice served as a side dish.
Why some children don’t like fondue
Basically, children’s taste buds are much more sensitive than those of adults. Commercial fondue broths often contain added flavour enhancers to be soaked into the fondue meat, and can be too intense for them. And the “onion and red wine” flavour profile is certainly not every toddler’s dream.
Also, since children are still learning to eat, they tend to easily stick their noses up at certain ingredients, especially if the texture is undesirable to them. This is a normal process with no easy fixes, but at least the aggravating elements can be eliminated. Do you remember how fondue beef once felt in your mouth?
The magic of independence
In order to fight against the reflex of rejecting new foods, giving children the ability to handle food at their own pace is an interesting approach. With traditional fondue, however, the selection of ingredients is limited (sliced meat, broccoli, mushrooms), so this leaves little room for error.
Plus, wrapping raw meat around a spear isn’t easy to do, so adults always end up helping younger children.
But thanks to the Fondussimo’s unique, perforated baskets, you can easily cook a wider variety of ingredients, which creates new possibilities for your little ones.
Magic ingredients
Everyone has their own tastes and not all children like the same things, but through experience, we’ve seen that some foods work better than others. Once a child has had real success with one food, they’re more likely to be open-minded to try others.
For vegetables, in addition to traditional broccoli, cherry tomatoes, miniature carrots, sweet corn, red pepper, sweet peas and sweet potatoes have all proven their potential.
When it comes to meats, chicken (breast in strips) and pork tenderloin are generally good options.
Pastas, such as tortellini with cheese or ramen noodles, are generally popular, as well as dumplings.
A good homemade broth
Homemade broths are generally less intense than store-bought broths, in addition to being healthier! In general, our recipes with a sweet and sour profile seem to appeal more to children, including the following recipes:
Some parents have even shared with us that they’ve adopted a totally different strategy to satisfy their little cherubs: use chicken broth as the fondue broth, and instead rely on the side sauces and dips to ensure everyone finds something they love, even the adults! Create a pasta bar to cook in chicken broth, and then use alfredo, carbonara and marinara sauces for dipping. It will be a sure-fire winner with everyone!
If your kids don’t like fondue, don’t despair! As with everything, it’s essential to have patience and persistence with them. But a few good tips can’t hurt either…
