Chocolate Fountain - Featured Review
Perfect for that special occasion ... now you can own your own home chocolate fountain.
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Recently there has been a surge in home chocolate fountains. Previously, a chocolate fountain was only available as a commercial unit costing thousands of dollars. For most of us, this was a novelty that was only available through catering events or through professional party planners. Now you can host your own special event and feature your own chocolate fountain. Chocolate is not the only fondue which can be used in these units. Some units will accept caramel and barbecue sauce in addition to chocolate.
If you are considering buying a home chocolate fountain, there are a few quality units on the market that are sure to fit your budget. There are cheap units available in retail stores that cost 50 dollars on average. Most of these are not worth buying due to cheap construction, difficulty of assembly or noisy operation. There is one exception in the 50 dollar range and that is the Rival Chocolate Fountain. This is a quality unit and is a good value (more below).
Three chocolate fountains stand out as the most popular and have good customer satisfaction. Two of these are in the 240 - 250 dollar price range and one is in the 50 dollar price range. There is the Sephra Elite which retails for $249.99, the Fundue Foods Home Chocolate Fountain which retails for $239.00 (now on sale at their website for $189.00), and the Rival Chocolate Fountain available at the Home Shopping Network website for $49.90.
What to Look For in a Home Chocolate Fountain
The main features to look for in a home chocolate fountain:
- Quality construction
- Quiet operation
- Ease of assembly
- Easy clean up and dishwasher safe parts
- Auger pumping mechanism
- A good warranty
Smooth Flowing Chocolate
The secret to make the chocolate
flow smoothly over the unit is the addition of oil.
Most instructions recommend that oil be added to
the chocolate to be used in a chocolate fountain. The
chocolate from Fundue Foods is specially formulated
to work in a home chocolate fountain without having
to mix it with oil. This is very convenient and will
make it possible to setup the unit more quickly.
Fundue Foods Home Chocolate Fountain
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The Fundue Foods website describes this UL listed unit as "the home entertainer's version of the large chocolate fondue fountain found at large events and weddings". It is auger driven, very quiet, sets up in seconds and quickly disassembles and has easy to clean dishwasher safe parts. Includes 3 lbs. of chocolate. Regularly priced at $239.00 but available for $189.00 from their website at the time of this writing. Specifications: Model No: FF-1020-00 Distributed by: Phone: 866.938.6383 |
Sephra Elite Chocolate Fountain
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The Sephra website describes their home chocolate fountain as "the ultimate accessory for every fondue lover and home entertainer". The unit can serve up to 40 people and includes electronic temperature controls, a removable, heated basin for melting the chocolate and for fast, easy cleanup. It comes with 4 lbs. of chocolate, 6 metal skewers and a fondue testing funnel. Specifications: Model No: CF18SST Distributed by: Phone: 888.973.7472 |
Rival Model CFF5-B Chocolate Fountain
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The Rival CFF5-B stands out as a good quality unit in its price range. Many customers are very satisfied with this unit as borne out by the high marks given to them by satisfied customers in online reviews. The unit is a 2-tier canopy with a 13 1/2 cup capacity and comes with 8 fondue style skewers. It has a heating base with non-slip feet and non-electric parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. Specifications: Model No: CFF5-B Distributed by: Phone: 800.284.3900 |