Party Grill & Raclette by Salton | 6-Person Smokeless Indoor Grill | Non-Stick Grill Plate

Highly recommended purchase for whoever wants to do a raclette for 6 and not spend too much money. For an unknown reason raclette appliances are too expensive in the USA so do not hesitate to buy this one for once there is one which is affordable and works pretty well. Raclette is something pleasant to do especially after the ski in winter when you and your tribe are hungry and want to have fun around a table with a minimum of preparation. It is really convivial and so easy. Originally it comes from Switzerland (probably from the Middle Age) and spread to Savoie in France and many other places in the Alps. There are many variations of this dish, but it used to be potatoes with a layer of melted cheese accompanied with a glass of “Fendant” (A Chasselas white wine from Valais in Switzerland). However, marketing or not, many people I know drink Roussette de Savoie when having a raclette. For the cheese you can buy raclette cheese directly on Amazon or elsewhere and freeze it. Cut it eventually in slices before so it will be easier later on to take just the amount of slices you need. I use different bags with a different amount of cheese slices and separate each slice with a piece of baking paper. Take the cheese out the day before you do your raclette and let it unfreeze in your fridge. Raclette is a one dish meal so plan your cheese quantity in consequence and depending on your family and friends appetite!This appliance is exactly the same I have in France and I had it for years. Both are made of non stick material and have 6 pans in which you put the raclette cheese to be melt; both are round which is perfect for round or small table. However, if you have a rectangular table I must say it is a pain for the two persons at its each extremity…that being said for an unexplained reason here in the USA the rectangular raclette appliances are even more expensive…BEFORE USE: throw the packaging/plastic bags away and follow the instructions written in the booklet to prepare your appliance (you need to make it function like this for a few minutes (open your window the smoke can be bad) and once it is cold clean it; clean only the washable parts before using it). Your raclette appliance is ready!Put it in the center of the table on a wooden cutting board for example so you are sure to protect your table.On the top there is a cooking surface where you could put boiled potatoes to keep them warm, but be careful they could burn so if I were you I would check them regularly. You could also have bacon grilling or very thin slices of duck breast to cook with onion rings, mushrooms, scallions, pepperoni etc…just put a LITTLE bit of olive oil on the top grill before cooking even if it is a non stick material.You have 6 raclette pans which are great (do not use anything else than the spatulas you are delivered to not damage your appliance) and 6 plastic spatulas which are ok, but I am used of wooden ones and that is why I am so happy to have brought mine with me. Now you have plugged your appliance and switched it on the light indicator is red and will remain red until you switch it off once everybody will be full. Tell your guest to be careful and very careful because the appliance gets really warm. Thus it is better for the parents to pour the cheese themselves in the plate of their children.Now I will give you a few ideas to have a successful raclette knowing that you can do whatever you want (hamburgers, sausages, etc on the top grill) with such an easy dish. In France we eat the cheese (you can use raclette, comte, gruyere, or morbier; some of my friends even use blue cheese, but personally I think blue cheese is over rich/nauseous) with what we call charcuterie or delicatessen: maybe have a look at T.J’s…we love to eat prosciutto, coppa, bresaola, or Grison meat and duck breast (dried or not). I love to eat pickles with it (here the Kosher Petite Dill from Mt Olive and their fantastic marinated mushrooms; the white onions from Germany you find at fiesta are great too). Plan to boil potatoes and pick steady flesh ones (not the ones for puree), it is better to have too much than not enough and you can always make a potato salad with a vinaigrette and shallots plus chives the day after.Sometimes we also do bruschetta buying a nice round countryside/farm bread we cut into slices and prepare with a little bit of fresh garlic, tomato slices and basil covered with warm melty cheese, salt and pepper. They are infinite possibilities. For example if you use the Reblochon cheese and lardon (bacon cubes) then you can make a kind of tartiflette (normally a gratin cooked in the oven).I mentioned earlier it was a dish for winter, but originally I think the shepherds ate raclette in the mountains in summer using their camp fire and knife from which comes the word raclette (the verb being racler, to scrape off). Here is a recipe for summer for 4 people, but you can increase the quantities; it is for the most courageous or at least for the ones who do not leave in Texas in summer :-)Cut a melon into dices and boil 10 potatoes (the one you would buy for a salad). In each of your 4 guest plates should be a potato in the center with 100 gr of cooked shrimps, the melon pieces and 2 coppa (Italian air cured pork meat) slices per person all around. Then pour the cheese on. On a plate apart place parts of lettuce leaves or just buy mache salad and serve it with a vinaigrette. You can also put all the ingredients on the table and everybody does what he wants! Just enjoy and have fun with your host!