Our Canadian friends, Claude and Linda Garneau sent us pictures recently of their latest “toy” – a raclette melter. Claude gave it to Linda for their 40th anniversary and it struck us as the perfect holiday gift for cheese makers.
Linda Garneau melting a raclette she made herself
What is Raclette?
Raclette comes from the French word “racler”which means “to scrape.” In that sense, it means a dish with any melted cheese scraped onto it. (When you invite people over for a meal where cheese is scraped onto the food, you call the whole experience a raclette.)
A serving of potatoes and gherkins with melted cheese on top at Camden Market in London
It is also a category of cheese, originally made in France and Switzerland – a semi-firm, cow’s milk cheese which melts beautifully when heated and scraped. To make it yourself, see our recipe.
Jim Wallace’s raclette. His recipe is at our website- cheesemaking.com
A 15 lb. wheel of raclette, for sale in 7.5 oz pieces at igourmet.com
What is a Raclette melter?
If you’ve ever been to London, chances are you’ve been to Borough’s Market or any number of places where raclette is sold. The cheeses vary, but the process of scraping the cheese onto the plate is the same. The cheese isn’t just melted- it’s broiled, so there is a little bit of crispiness on the surface.
Raclette at Kappacasein in Borough Market. Photos (above and below) by Carey Jones at Serious Eats
Now, there’s even a raclette restaurant in New York City-
Where are they sold?
There are all kinds of cheese melting grills on the market, but we’re kind of old-school, so, unless you can “broil” the cheese and scrape it off the surface, we don’t consider it raclette.
Many of the models below are available on Amazon, at WalMart, eBay, Jet.com, Kitchen Institute, etc.
Milliard Raclette Grill for Four People
Amazon – $32.99
Features:
Adjustable grill temperature.
4 raclette dishes.
600 watts.
Artestia Raclette Grill
Amazon – $59.95
Features:
adjustable heat control – reaches 375F.
8 raclette dishes and 8 spatulas.
1200 watts.
Raclette Cheese Melter
Amazon – $59.99
Features:
This is made by NutriChef, as is the next one (the model Claude bought). We don’t know for sure what the difference is between this model and the next one, but this one appears to take up less space on the table.
NutriChef Cheese Raclette Machine
Amazon – $67.99
Features:
It has a maximum temperature of 482F, and the temperature is adjustable.
600 watts.
It’s made of stainless steel.
It can be taken apart easily for storage.
Milliard Raclette Grill
Amazon – $88.99
Features:
1200 watts.
8 raclette dishes.
VonShef Raclette Party Grill
Amazon – $99.99
Features:
This includes a fondue pot.
12 raclette dishes.
We don’t know the wattage and, according to the comments, it might not have a thermostat.
Swissmar KF-77081 Stelvio 8-Person Raclette
Amazon – $111.96
Features:
1200 watts.
It has 8 raclette dishes with 8 spatulas.
