Fond of Fondue - Pots on Parade

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an episode about chafing dishes. In it I said that though a chafing dish can be used for fondue, it's best to have a dedicated fondue pot. So I thought I'd give you a glimpse of my fondue pot collection. I hope it serves as inspiration to get you own if you don't have one, or to make some fondue if you do!

I love fondue - particularly the cheese variety, and I love the fondue pots you serve it in. I have quite a few of them. I chose six to share with you today. Above you'll see my most recent addition - a beautiful silver pot with a bulbous wood handle. Featured with these pots are some of the napkins in my line. These napkins are our Jane Linen line in Spring.

Next up is my electric fondue pot by Oster. Simple one touch temperature control! It's accompanied by my tablecloth check napkins.

Next is a striking architectural fondue pot in orange with a black and white base. The sterno cup swings out on a hinge! I love how the inside of the base is enameled in white. It's such a nice touch - shows a lot of thought went into the design. This pot is featured with our Gillian floral napkins.

Another stark modern design is this white fondue pot. The base is made of a sheet of metal that's folded to support the sterno pot and a grate. The grate supports the pot. Very nicely designed! This one came with its own matching fondue forks. Featured here are our Jane linen napkins in pumpkin.

For diminutive desserts, this pot can't be beat! It's tiny compared to the others and just perfect for chocolate fondue for two! Instead of sterno, this pot has a candle. I even have tiny little forks to use with it! It's twinned with our Jane linen napkins in Peacock - very Howard Johnson's - so chic!

Last, but not least is my favorite. This elegant pot is from Dansk - you my recognize the handle on the lid. I especially love the elephant-like legs with wooden feet and the rough, artfully rusty iron structure. Featured with the pot are our Jane linen napkins in Buttercup. In addition to the different pots, you'll also see my collection of vintage fondue forks - you can't eat fondue without the proper forks!

Shopping for these little niceties is easy and fun. Vintage and thrift shops, flea markets and eBay are rife with fondue accoutrements. You can find them new now, too - the fondue craze is back!

Of course the pots and forks are just the beginning. Here are a few recipes for fondue and below, you'll find the episode of my show in which we made fondue with Margaret Cho!

Egg of My Heart - Presenting My New Puff Iron!

Hello all you happy crafters! It's national crafting month and I have a fun product to show you that will help you with your fabri-crafts. I've been looking at Vin-Max puff irons on eBay for a while now and decided to take the plunge and buy one.

That's it - that odd looking thing bolted to my sleeve board. They're clever little devices that let you easily press gathered seams, ruffles, puffs and the like without ironing in wrinkles. The idea is simple - an egg shaped metal element that heats, up over which you draw the fabric to be ironed - the opposite of running an iron over your fabric. The egg fits easily into the gathered seam. According to the instructions you can also use it to lift the pile on crushed velvet and block your dented hats. It's a great idea actually, sort of an iron and a pressing ham rolled into one. I decided to test the iron with a pair of antique edwardian sleeves I have. They are made of linen and gathered into the cuffs and were quite wrinkled as you can see below.

To begin with I plugged in the iron and turned it on. It took about 5 minutes to warm up.
Once warm I placed the sleeve over the iron and gave it a spritz with water, then lightly drew the fabric across the it.

It worked like a charm! I can't wait to try it for velvet.

It's a great little tool to have if you sew and nice for crafting too. A few caveats, however. If you want one be prepared to pay for it - at least on eBay. They're popular and usually go for $60 to $100. 

They're also a little dangerous - they get very hot and, unlike an iron they don't face away from you when you're working with them. You run the risk of brushing up against it and getting a burn. For me, the benefits outweigh the risks and I'll be using my iron for many projects. If you decide to look for one, search for "puff iron" on eBay. They come up fairly often. 

There are all sorts of possibilities for this little item. What uses can you come up with? Incidentally, look for those sleeves on eBay soon!