Depends on what kind of fondue pots you have.
A cheese fondue is cooked in a pottery cooker...it shouldn't get as hot as an oil cooked fondue.
An oil fondue will likely take some time to return to temperature if you have more than 4 dipping at a time...even 4 can be a strain on the heater.
I would serve all simultaneously...meat, cheese ands eafood....and have a broth pot for veggies. That way everyone won't be dipping in to the same pot with the cold meat at once.
Linda C

i haven't done this as fondue in years but this recipe is a very good one.

Cheese Fondue
Melt together in a double boiler:
¾ C milk
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp dry mustard (I like a little more)
a grinding or two of pepper
1 C mayonnaise
2 C (about ¾#) sharp Cheddar, shredded
Pour into a fondue pot and serve with your favorite bread. It also is very good over steamed broccoli or use to make a quick dish of macaroni and cheese. Add a little parmesan and some bread crumbs on top and bake for 20 minutes.

the only other fondue i've ever done was a beef fondue. cut up thin slices of bread. partially freeze sirloin steak and cut it into very thin strips. while letting the beef return to room temp, make a batch of garlic butter based on your preferences. pour oil to a depth of about 1/2" and once heated, spear a strip of beef and allow it to cook briefly in the oil. as soon as it's done, put the beef into the garlic butter and then place the beef onto the bread. good stuff!

Here is my favorite recipe for cheese fondue. Sounds like a great party, we did fondue a few years back for Christmas Eve....big hit.

David

Classic Swiss Three-Cheese Fondue
Recipes Courtesy of Rick Rodgers
Show: Cooking Live
Episode: Basics of Fondue

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, rind trimmed and discarded, and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
8 ounces Emmentaler cheese, rind trimmed and discarded, and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 ounces Appenzeller cheese, cut into cubes (about 1/2 cup)
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon kirsch
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

What to dip: crusty mixed grain bread, French or Italian bread, cut into bite-sized cubes (leave a piece of crust on each cube); Cooked chicken breast, skin and bone removed, cut into bite-sized cubes; cooked garlic sausage or knockwurst, cut into bite-sized wedges; boiled new potatoes; asparagus spears, broccoli florets or cauliflower florets prepared for dipping.

Rub the inside of a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the garlic; discard the garlic. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
In a medium bowl, toss the Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller cheeses with the cornstarch. A handful at a time, stir the cheese mixture into the wine, stirring the first batch until it is almost completely melted before adding another. The fondue can bubble gently, but do not boil. Stir in the kirsch and season with the nutmeg and pepper.
Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately with dipping ingredients

Ummm, I just had supper and I'm salivating!

Linda, I have two larger ceramic pots, one metal one and a small ceramic for the chocolate. The broth with veggies! Yes! The men are big meat eaters, and I have this vision of them with their forks "hogging" the pot. lol. Maybe I will just go and purchase another so I can relax. :)

San, great idea about the garlic dip and beef, I'll include that.

David, Just plain ole YUM YUM YUM. What is Appenzeller? This is the first time I've heard of it. The sausage is a perfect idea, it'll give the girls a chance at the beef pot :)

Thanks a bunch!

My cheese fondue recipe is like David's except I use flour to toss the cheese with. Acidity is suppose to help keep the cheese from clumping and getting stringy so it is important that the white wine is dry.

I'm a Gruyere fan so I often do it with only Gruyere.

I make my cheese fondue with a mixture of gruyere and emmentaler. I also put whole or halved garlic pieces in it. We all just love finding the pieces of garlic in it. My Dh and best friend fight over the crusty parts on the bottom. LOL
Lisa

This one is a compilation of info from recipes from Michael Chiarreli (spelling?) and Tyler Florence.

Cheese Fondue

½ lb imported Swiss cheese, shredded
½ lb Gruyère cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cherry brandy, such as kirsch
½ tsp dry mustard
Pinch nutmeg

In small bowl, coat cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub inside of ceramic fondue pot with garlic, then discard. Over medium heat, add wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir cheese into simmering liquid. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Do not let it boil. Once smooth, stir in cherry brandy, mustard and nutmeg.

Arrange an assortment of bite-sized dipping foods around fondue pot. Serve with chunks of French and pumpernickel breads, Granny Smith apples and blanched vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!

Note: Using the imported Swiss cheese is important (such as Emmenthaler). Inexpensive domestic Swiss cheeses makes the fondue rubbery. For a lighter fondue, try including some Danish Havarti in the cheese mix. You can omit the cherry brandy. The lemon juice helps to make it smooth.

My recipe is almost exactly like David's also, very traditional. Be sure to use a little more Gruyere than Emmentaler to avoid lumpy fondue.

When people are through dipping but there is still a little cheese left, whisk in a couple of raw eggs. That is a treat.

Here's a great one.
Beer Cheese Fondue

1 small clove garlic, halved
3/4 cup beer
8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)
4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup) I use white cheddar
1 tbs all-purpose flour
Dash bottled hot pepper sauce
Rub inside of heavy saucepan with cut surface of garlic, discard garlic. Add beer and heat slowly. Coat cheeses with flour. Gradually add to beer, stirring constantly, till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Do not allow mixture to become too hot. Stir in hot pepper sauce.
Transfer to fondue pot; place over fondue burner. Spear dipper with fondue fork.
Suggested dippers:
French bread, warm boiled potatoes.

Cheese-Sour Cream Fondue
6 slices bacon
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tesp all=purpose flour
1 lb sharp Cheddar cheese shredded (4 cups)
2 cups dairy sour cream
1 tesp Worcestershire sauce
In saucepan fry bacon until crisp; drain, reserving 1 tbsp drippings. Crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onions in reserved drippings till tender, but not brown. Stir in flour. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, till cheese in melted.
Pour into fondue Pot.
Suggested dippers;
Hard rolls, rye bread, mushrooms.

Chocolate Fondue

6 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup butter
1/8 tesp salt
3 tbsp creme de cacao or orange-flavored liqueur
In a saucepan melt chocolate over low heat. Add sugar cream, butter and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 mins or till thickened. Stir in liqueur. Pour into fondue pot.
Suggested dippers:
Angel cake, pound cake, apples, maraschino cherries, marshmallows.

Creamy Raspberry Fondue
1 4 oz container whipped cream cheese
2 10 oz packages frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup brandy
Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
In saucepan crush raspberries slightly. Blend together cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water; add to berries. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Sieve, discard seeds. Pour into fondue pot; place over fondue burner. Add cream cheese stirring till melted. Stir in sugar; gradually add brandy. Spear fruit or cake cubes with fondue fork.
Suggested dippers;
Pound cake, pears, peaches.

I hope these recipes will help.

Linda P

I just wanted to add that one of our favourite dippers for cheese fondue is chunks of apple-chicken sausage. They come pre-cooked, so all you have to do is heat them up and slice. Very easy and very tasty!

Deborah, I didn't have a clue what it was and just called around until I found a place that had some. I'm sure you could just increas the gruyere and leave it out and all would be fine.

Be sure and let us know how everything goes....here is a link that explains the cheese.

David

Here is a link that might be useful: Appenzeller

I haven't made this, but it is from a Swiss cookbook I bought in Zermatt several years ago. This recipe doesn't call for kirsch, but as I recall, the fondues I had at Swiss restaurants all had kirsch in them. Go figure.

Fondue
(Serves 1)

1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 oz dry white wine
1/2 tsp corn flour
8 oz grated gruyere cheese (or half gruyere and half emmentaler
black pepper
Fresh bread cubes

Rub the inside of the caquelon (fondue pot) with the garlic and leave it at the bottom of the pot. Pour in the wine, but retain about a tablespoon of it and mix it with the corn flour. Heat the wine gently. When hot, add the cheese gradually, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and add the corn flour/wine mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted, the misture well blended, creamy and beginning to simmer. Meantime light the spirit lamp and settle your guests around it, armed with forks and piles of cubed bread.

Linda

Thank you all who are helping me out!

I've been baking no-knead bread for the past year and was thinking that I could use some of that for the bread. I won't make my own pound cake...just don't want to. Especially if it's going to be slathered in chocolate! I highly doubt I'll be able to find the Appenzeller, I can't even find decent bread here. The "older" crowd seems to like that wonder white. :D
Gads, today I get a wonderful call that another child will be home for the holidays...only problem, I'm missing a spare bedroom...and of course I got rid of a room partition earlier this year. I'm pressing a holiday (as festive as sheets can be) looking sheet to partition off what we use as the office. Hanging it with thumb tacks. Front and center of the great room. How homey looking is that! And with dinner company coming. LOL! I'm thrilled to have the kids home, and our "company" love us no matter what the heck the house looks like. Sure wish the sheet matched the decor better though :) For that matter what about the kids matching the decor?! LOL.

My recipe is pretty close to David's only I use either a mix of emmenthaler and gruyere or gruyere and baby swiss. I don't use cornstarch, I toss the shredded cheese in about 2 T of flour (Wondra is good for this) and add slowly to the simmering wine and garlic mixture.
Fondue is one of DH's faves, unfortunately I cannot eat it any more--the cheese kills me! I will have to find a guest to make it worthwhile to prepare for two.