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Fun Dinner Idea: These Raclette Grills Let You Cook Tabletop — & They Melt Cheese Too
Raclette is a traditional Swiss dish that involves melting and scraping a semi-hard cheese over potatoes, served alongside bread and pickles. But the best raclette grills are more versatile than that, letting you cook seafood, meats, and veggies on the top grill, while melting cheese or heating up sauces in small dishes below.
The first thing you'll want to consider when looking for the best raclette grill to buy is the cooking surface. A standard grill plate features ridges that let the fat drip off while also giving your food those lovely grill marks. A flat griddle surface is a little more versatile, since it can be also used to cook things like eggs and crepes, should you decide to use your raclette for brunch, dessert, or more. Last but not least, a grilling stone is a classic choice, and though it takes longer to heat up, it tends to cook food more evenly while giving it a crisp texture. Another plus: You don’t have to use any cooking oils with a stone. And if you're indecisive on this point, three of the grills on this list come with multiple cooking surfaces for added versatility.
You'll also want to think about size: If you want a raclette that's big enough for dinner parties, you'll have to be willing to dedicate some storage space to it. But if you're just going to use it for intimate dinners at home, you can get away with something smaller.
To bring some fun to mealtime and enjoy gooey raclette — or any cheese or dessert that melts well — check out my picks for best raclette grills.
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1A Grill That’s Perfect For Small Dinner Parties & Round Tables
This round raclette grill is great for small dinner parties since it serves up to six people without taking up a bunch of space. Likewise, it works well with round tables since you won’t be elbowing anyone while reaching for cheese. The 13-inch nonstick plate features a grill surface that's perfect for cooking meat, seafood, and veggies, but keep in mind that you can't adjust the cooking temperature. The grill is outfitted with a simple on-off switch with an indicator light for safety, and it comes with six nonstick wedge cheese pans and six serving spatulas. The maker recommends hand washing the parts.
According to cheese lovers: “Love raclette and this makes raclette, vegetables, melted chocolate, etc.”
2A 4-Person Grill That's Affordable & Compact
For an affordable option that doesn't take up a bunch of space, the Milliard raclette grill is a popular choice and serves up to four people at once. The nonstick cooking surface is reversible, so you can opt for either a grill or griddle surface. The grill comes with four nonstick pans for melting gooey cheeses, as well as four wooden serving spatulas. There’s an adjustable temperature dial, an on-off switch, and an indicator light so you know when the grill is turned on. The grill top and cheese pans are dishwasher-safe, but the wooden spatulas should be hand washed. The most compact option on this list, the grill measures 12 by 8 by 4 inches.
According to cheese lovers: “It melted the cheese well and we even put some French salted caramels in to pour over apple slices for dessert. It heated up fast and was quite responsive to temperature adjustments.”
3A Granite Grill For Slow & Even Cooking
This granite-top raclette grill takes a little longer to heat up, but it cooks food evenly, helps foods retain their crispy texture, and doesn’t require any cooking oils. Serving up to eight people at a time, the grill features a control dial so you can adjust the cooking temperature, but there is no on-off switch or indicator light — once the grill is plugged in, it’s on. All pieces — except for the grill itself — are dishwasher-safe. This grill measures 20 by 16 by 5 inches.
According to cheese lovers: “It cooks evenly and maintains the heat well. It's very easy to clean and looks great too!”
4A Versatile Party-Size Grill That Serves Up To 10
To serve up to 10 cheese fans at once, opt for this large party-size raclette grill by Artestia. The grill comes with two full-size interchangeable top plates: a granite grill stone and a nonstick plate with grill surface on one half and a griddle on the other. A temperature knob lets you adjust the heat, and the indicator light lets you know when the grill is on. The grill comes with 10 nonstick, dishwasher-safe cheese pans and 10 spatulas. But keep in mind: The top plates should be hand washed. This grill measures 25 by 10 by 5 inches.
According to cheese lovers: “We had a wonderful time with our first Raclette Party. The grill functioned fantastically. It was easy to cook on (and under) and was also easy to clean.”
5A Smaller Dual-Surface Raclette
If you want the best of both worlds at once, this dual-surface raclette grill is a great choice. Designed to serve up to eight people, it's outfitted with two half-size plates that can be used simultaneously: a nonstick grill and granite stone. Reviewers report that it has two temperature settings, but there's no on-off switch or indicator light. The grill comes with eight nonstick cheese pans — but no spatulas — and hand washing is recommended. This grill measures 20.5 by 10 by 6.5 inches.
According to cheese lovers: “It provided the perfect basis for a great dinner party. We grated a set of melty cheeses, some veggies and meats and sat around the grill to heat/cook our stuff while chatting and enjoying wines and breads.”
6Also Great: A Grill-Free Option For Melted Cheese
If you want to skip the grilling and just make some deliciously melty cheese, this raclette cheese melter is great to have on hand. The simple cheese melter comes with a nonstick melting pan with a foldable handle and a wooden spatula, and it uses tea light candles to melt cheese in minutes. (The melter comes with three candles, but you can buy replacements.) Just place the included candles inside the base frame, light them, then put the melting plate on top. The melter is easy to hand wash, too. This little guy measures 10 by 6 by 4 inches.
According to cheese lovers: “SO easy to use to make a perfect raclette, and so easy to store!”
