Raclette and Fondue Season: Which Cheeses to Choose and How to Melt Them

The four cheeses worth knowing

Plenty of cheeses melt, but a few were made for it. These four cover almost every raclette or fondue you will host. Three are Swiss AOPs. One is a French IGP, a protected geographical indication with a looser link to place than an AOP.

Raclette du Valais AOP

This is the original scraping cheese. The name comes from the French racler, to scrape. It is a semi-hard cheese made from raw cow's milk in the canton of Valais. Silage feeding is prohibited, and the curd is traditionally worked in copper kettles. The wheels are aged for at least three months. A wheel is 29–32 cm across, according to Agroscope.

It melts smoothly and does not turn greasy. It also works sliced as a table cheese.

Raclette de Savoie IGP

The French alpine counterpart was registered as an IGP under EU Regulation 2017/138 in January 2017. Its specification, published by INAO, defines it as an uncooked pressed cheese. The round wheel is 28–34 cm across and 6–7.5 cm high, with 48–52% fat in dry matter. That fat content explains its supple, even melt. Buy it in wedges or as pre-cut slices sized for a tabletop grill.

Gruyère AOP

Gruyère is the backbone of most Swiss fondues. It is a hard cheese made from unpasteurised milk in Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura, plus some communes of Bern. It is matured in cellars for five to 18 months or more (gruyere.com). For fondue, a younger, milder Gruyère melts more willingly. A long-aged one brings depth but is drier and more prone to separating, so blend it rather than using it alone.

Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP

Do not confuse it with Vacherin Mont d'Or, which is a different cheese entirely. Vacherin Fribourgeois comes from canton Fribourg and is made from raw or thermised milk. It is sold both as a piece and as a ready-made fondue cheese. The ageing differs by style:

• Classic: about nine weeks.
• Extra: at least 12 weeks.
• Rustic: 12–24 weeks, with a usually wrinkled rind.
• Alpage: raw alpine-pasture milk.

It is softer and creamier than Gruyère, which is why the two are so often paired.

How to melt raclette

Raclette is forgiving, but heat is still the main thing to manage.

1. Slice it cold. Cut slices about 3–5 mm thick straight from the fridge, when the cheese is firmest. Leave the rind on, because it crisps nicely and holds the slice together.
2. Preheat the grill. Give a tabletop raclette machine around ten minutes to heat up before the first pan goes in.
3. Watch, don't wander. Take the pan out when the cheese is bubbling all over and just starting to brown at the edges. If you see a pool of clear fat, it has gone too far. Next time, pull it sooner or lower the pan.
4. Scrape onto something hot. Use boiled waxy potatoes in their skins, kept warm under a cloth or on the grill's top plate. Serve cornichons and pickled onions alongside, because their sharpness cuts through the richness.

As a starting point, many hosts plan on roughly 200 g of cheese per person for a main-course raclette. Allow more for big appetites.

How to make a fondue that stays smooth

A classic blend is moitié-moitié: half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois. For four people:

• 400 g Gruyère AOP, coarsely grated
• 400 g Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, coarsely grated or finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• about 300 ml dry white wine (Chasselas is the traditional choice)
• 1 tbsp cornflour or potato starch
• a splash of kirsch (optional)
• black pepper and nutmeg

1. Rub the inside of the pot with the cut garlic.
2. Toss the grated cheese with the starch so every shred is lightly coated.
3. Warm the wine until it steams, but don't let it boil.
4. Add the cheese a handful at a time over low-to-medium heat. Stir in a figure-of-eight, and let each handful melt before adding the next.
5. Once it is glossy and smooth, add the kirsch and seasoning. Move the pot to the burner and keep it just below a simmer.

Why fondue splits, and how to rescue it

Splitting happens when the fat separates from the protein. You get a greasy layer on top and grainy clumps underneath. The usual cause is too much heat, or adding cheese too fast. The acid in the wine and the starch on the cheese both help keep the mixture emulsified, so don't skip either one.

If it splits, take the pot off the heat. Mix a teaspoon of starch with a splash of wine or a squeeze of lemon juice. Whisk this in vigorously, then return the pot to gentle heat and keep stirring until it comes back together.

Taming the strings

Some stretch is part of the fun, but ropes that won't break usually mean the fondue is too thick or the cheese has cooled. Loosen it with a little warm wine and keep the burner steady. Stirring with each dip of bread also helps keep the texture even.

Buying and storing for a melting night

For fondue, buy the cheese in pieces and grate it yourself on the day. Pre-grated cheese is often coated with anti-caking agents that can turn the texture gritty. A pre-blended fondue cheese from a good counter, such as a Vacherin Fribourgeois fondue mix, is a perfectly respectable shortcut.

Wrap leftover wedges in waxed or parchment paper, then loosely in a bag, and keep them in the fridge's vegetable drawer. Trim raclette ends and grate them into gratins or toasties.

Leftover fondue sets firm overnight. Reheat it slowly with a splash of wine, or use it as a sauce for potatoes.