Fondue has come and gone out of fashion for centuries, but a good, modern fondue recipe is fun for your customers and will bring them back to try more another time. Many people, when they think "fondue," imagine dessert dishes, and those certainly are popular. But fondue shouldn't be limited to sweets. Meat, chicken and seafood fondues can serve as the main meal, and cheese and broth fondues work well as appetizers.

When seeking fondue recipes and fondue recipe tips, look for both recipes made with familiar ingredients and recipes that are a bit more exotic. Explore fondues of all types, from chocolate to seafood, giving your customers more chances to fall in love with fondue and the way you make it. When researching fondue recipes, try the following:

1. Seek an online fondue recipe that appeals to you or has been reviewed by online readers.

2. Buy a fondue recipe book written by an established author.

3. Test several fondue recipes and fondue recipe ingredients in your kitchen, choosing only the very best concoctions for your customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select an online fondue recipe

Recipes found online have the advantage of being free, and often they are reviewed by fellow cooks (although most are amateur). Although it makes sense to look for a fondue recipe at a well-established recipe website, don't neglect smaller websites dedicated to fondue.

I recommend: Fondue-Recipes offers free recipes for most types of fondue, including cheese, meat and seafood fondue. BestFondue.com has a good selection of recipes for broth, caramel, cheese, chicken and meat fondue.

Find a fondue recipe card for dessert fondue

Dessert fondues are perhaps most familiar to your customers, so don't neglect them. The current trend is for various types of chocolate fondues, often served from a fountain. Plain milk or dark chocolate is popular, but also try white chocolate, or chocolate mixed with fruit or other tasty ingredients.

I recommend: Recipe Goldmine has a good selection of dessert fondue recipes, including almond champagne, orange chocolate, turtles and white chocolate fondue. Cooks.com offers free chocolate fondue recipes, including white chocolate and chocolate and fruit fondue.

Make use of a fondue recipe book

A good fondue recipe book is a must if you have serious interest in making fondue for your customers. Not only will a cookbook offer tested recipes, but it should offer excellent general tips that can help make fondue easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

I recommend: A1Books carries Gina Steer's "The Fondue Cookbook," featuring 80 fondue recipes. Cooking.com sells "The Fondue Bible" by Ilana Simon, with 200 recipes and fondue-making tips.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When working fondue recipe ingredients, you'll find that adding a little alcohol lowers the boiling point, preventing cheeses from curdling.