A votive candle helps keep a delicate chocolate sauce warm without burning.
Although many new fondue pots use electricity as their heat source, traditional fondue pots were heated with a small open flame. The flame, provided by a flammable fuel or candle, must be monitored and adjusted so that the fondue pot's contents are kept at a consistent temperature. Your fondue pot's burner unit setup may indicate which heat source you should use or you may be able to use a variety of heat sources with your fondue pot.
Denatured Alcohol Burner
Some traditional fondue pots are heated with denatured alcohol burners. These enclosed fuel canisters provide a clean-burning flame to heat the fondue. Most burners hold about 3 oz. of denatured alcohol, which should burn for 90 minutes. You cannot add more denatured alcohol to a hot burner, so fill an extra burner and keep it nearby if you'll need to heat the fondue for more than 90 minutes.
Gel Packets
Many traditional fondue pots can be heated with a flammable gel. You can insert a prefilled packet of flammable gel into the fondue pot burner or purchase a larger bottle of flammable gel and pour it into the burner dish. Many consider flammable gels safer than flammable liquids, since they won't spread as far if spilled, making it easier to contain an accidental fire.
Candles
Many antique fondue pots are heated with tea lights or small votive candles. Candle flames don't emit as much heat as flames from other fuels, so fondue pots heated with candles are usually only used to keep sauces or clarified butter warm. The low temperatures also ensure that delicate foods, such as melted chocolate, aren't scorched by high heat. Make sure that the tea lights or votive candles you purchase for your fondue pot aren't scented; otherwise, you risk overpowering the scents and altering the perceived flavors of the foods that you are serving.
Butane
Butane burners provide fondue pots with steady, even heat that is easily adjustable, so it can be used to heat foods that require low heat, such as chocolate, and high heat, such as oils and broths. Butane canisters are self-enclosed and are easy to attach to the butane burners, so you don't have to worry about refilling empty containers. Butane can heat a fondue pot anywhere from one hour to nine hours, depending on the temperature and the size of the burner unit.
Tags: fondue pots, heated with, fondue pots heated, pots heated with, heat fondue, pots heated
