We all cheer for chocolate fountains!
Written: Jul 12 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent presentation
Cons: Oily, doesn't work well with less chocolate.
The Bottom Line: Great concept, but a little messy and expensive. Requires supervision to keep it running.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Rival Chocolate Fountain Small CFF4 |
I'm always looking for something to add pizazz to the food table when we have parties. I've had my eye on this chocolate fountain for a few years. I knew I wouldn't use it very much so always refrained from buying it. This year, a fondue worked in great with our party meal plan so I went for it.
Expense
I purchased this gadget at Target for $40.
The fountain requires at least one pound of chocolate, but presents better with two pounds. More chocolate will need to be added as people use it. The chocolate marketed for the fountain is $10-$15 per pound. Regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or bar chocolate can be used if oil is added to the mixture. The directions recommend using flavored oil for a different taste. Adding liquor will cause the fountain to seize.
A variety of items will also need to be purchased to dip into the fountain. We tried bananas, strawberries, flavored marshmallows, and angel food cake. Cookies, shortbread, graham crackers and pretzels are other option but wouldn't work well with the fondue forks. What's not to love when it's covered in chocolate?
The fountain comes with 6 fondue forks. More fondue forks can be purchased from the kitchen section (approximately $6 for 6) or another option is bamboo sticks from the grilling section ($2 for a bag).
Set Up
The chocolate can be melting in the microwave while the fountain is being assembled. The fountain warmer is turned on for 5 minutes to warm up, then the motor is turned on for the waterfall effect. It must be placed somewhere that reaches a plug, and it's not a quiet piece of machinery.
Who ate all of the chocolate?
The picture that you see on the box is two full pounds of chocolate flowing in all of its glory. Once a group starts sticking their fondue forks in, the chocolate starts to disappear along with the beauty. Less chocolate means more trickling and less flowing. People get impatient and start sticking their food onto the plastic pieces which which becomes disastrous because crumbs get all over it and food falls off of the sticks. I also found that everyone was more interested in smothering their marshmallows so they were sticking it on the top of the fountain where the chocolate was originating from.
If you have a smaller crowd, you may not want to put 2 pounds of chocolate in. The left over chocolate can be saved, but it may not be appetizing with chunks of somebody else's food in it.
After we had partaken, we all felt gross from eating it. I don't know if it's because we ate too much, or if the oil had something to do with it.
Cleaning
Once the party is over, the work begins. The fountain must be taken apart to clean and the only way to get it apart is to touch it. The instructions say a paper towel can be used but I used my hands which was not the highlight of the night. Do you know how hard it is to fight off a crowd trying to lick the bowl clean? It is dishwasher safe, but it's going to have to be rinsed a lot in the sink before it's ready for the dishwasher. The directions mention the dishwasher could leave a slight discoloration of the aluminum bowl that can be removed by hand with a scouring pad.
This is not a small thing to store and hopefully for my waist it won't be used very frequently. I put mine back into the box it came in for storage in my bedroom closet. After all, too much of a good thing takes the fun out of it. This seems like a special occasion type of appliance.
My Experience
We were going to have a major party which I had intended to use the chocolate fountain. I decided it would not be a good choice after the trial run with 9 people. It's too messy, too expensive for the ingredients, too loud to run, and the fountain gets clogged up too easy. A supervisor is really required when it's running because the fountain and the chocolate can be temperamental.
I think marshmallows are the safest thing to dip in the fountain for a group of kids. They're easy for kids to manage, doesn't leave crumbs in the chocolate, and it's easy to get out if they drop it. We have white, strawberry, and caramel flavor Jet Puffed marshmallows. Some children who are not ready for a sharp fondue fork, a marshmallow can be placed on a pretzel stick to achieve the same effect.
Overall
This has fantastic appeal for novelty, and of course, chocolate lovers. You really can't get a more impressive dessert than this when it's full of chocolate and working correctly.
I think this would work well for a controlled environment. I could see this working well for a bridal shower or baby shower. I've also seen this work well at a school function where one person is in charge of the fountain and sticks a paper bowl under to catch the chocolate for the guests.
Recommended:
Yes
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xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
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Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!
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