Milliard 8-Person Deluxe Raclette Grill

Not powerful enough. The thermostat button is useless on this king of product and actually broke after a small shock rendering the whole raclette completely useless. Returned the product altogether.

Let's see, it is bigger than I expected and taller. Sadly, the fondue pot is nothing special. It seems to be a very basic fondue pot. I was deciding between the VonShef 12 Person Raclette Party Grill with 6 Fork Fondue Set & 12 Raclette Pans and this one. Mostly, I wanted this one because of the fondue option and because amazon did not have the VonShef raclette in stock at the time. I have not cooked with it yet, but I wanted to post a review for others to see. It is made in China. Let's just say that I think that I am going to have to use cooking spray, because I am not sure if this one is non-stick.

I never knew what raclette was until I randomly saw this product and did some research. As far as I can tell, this isn't a "real" raclette (with those giant cheese wheels), but it was still such a cool concept that I had to buy one.I'm Korean, so at-home KBBQ on portable indoor butane/electric grills is a pretty regular thing. That said, I was curious how much this grill would differ from all the other indoor grills I already have (and I have many). Turns out, it's just an elevated version of the grills so many Koreans already have - but worth it because of all the extras included (like the different cooktops, the individual cheese skllets,and the fondue pot + forks). I really like the concept of melted cheese with my KBBQ (there's a new-er restaurant in LA that serves KBBQ this way, and it's a total hit with Koreans and non-Koreans alike). I also really feel like I got good bang for buck with all the grill tops and fondue pot but....I honestly don't see myself using anything but the grill top and maybe the stone. The fondue pot also seems redundant (why do I need to melt cheese in a big pot AND in each of the little square skillets?). Considering this product didn't come with instructions or a mini cookbook or anything, I'm still a bit clueless on other ways to use this grill.BUT - it doesn't matter. I only bought this to grill meat and melt cheese anyway. It does the job just fine, and it's a cool talking point because it looks so different from the grills most Korean families already own.One major caveat - I don't know how well this would fare for an actual party of 8. It's supposed to be an 8 person grill, but it's not big enough for 8 adults to crowd around. I also don't think the cooking surfaces are even remotely large enough for 8 people to eat at a normal pace. It's probably much more appropriate for 2-4 people.I received this item at a discount for my honest and unbiased review.

Has so many options! Only used once so far.

I had never heard of a Raclette before purchasing this one Milliard 8-Person Deluxe Raclette Grill on Amazon at a reduced price for my honest review and I'm quite happy I made the purchase.Before buying the Raclette I did a bit of internet research on them. Even though Hamilton Beach and a few others make them, it appears that the widest known are the Swissmar and Velata. I may be wrong but I think Velata is sold mostly at home parties much as Tupperware is.I'm always interested in trying new ways to prepare food and this seemed like it might be fun.I decided to purchase this one because it came with the most cooking tops. There is the stone, what they call a grill and also a griddle. Along with it comes a basic fondue pot that has a min and max level line with 6 color coded forks and the 8 cheese pans which are arranged with 4 on each side under the cooking surface.I learned that you should season the stone, which looks exactly like the Velata stone which they call granite, the same way that you would season any cast iron cookware. This entails coating the entire stone with cooking oil and putting it in a oven which has been preheated at around 400 degrees F. Leaving it to bake at that temperature for 35 to 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and allow the stone to cool in the oven. This should be done before your first use of the stone because by doing this step the oil seals the stone and gives it a non-stick surface. It's also recommended not to wash it with soap and water. Just rinse with hot water or scrub with salt. After continuous use cooking with oil the stone will darken and become nearly black, which according to one video is what Pampered Chef has. It says that is good because it provides the best non stick surface.Being that I'm new to this, I wanted to try it out before inviting anyone over. I decided to use the stone since I had already seasoned it. I cooked chicken breast strips, zucchini, mushrooms, red and green peppers, onions and potatoes which I had partially boiled. I'm including a picture of my feast.I like this cooking style very much but it is for leisurely dining. I think it would work out alright for 3 or perhaps 4 people to use at once but I don't think this would work out very well for 8 people unless you were doing the fondue and not using it as the main course meal. It's a nice means to sit and converse with one another while preparing a bit to eat.Maybe that is what our fast paced culture needs. To slow down, put the cell phones away and enjoy an afternoon or evening while preparing food together. I think if we cooked this way the obesity level in our country would be down. Now to convince my kids of that! ha haI'm enjoying it. There really are no instructions with this Raclette. As a matter of fact, the instructions say the fondue pot isn't included! A few menu ideas would have been appreciated but I guess it's really up to your imagination. Even on the internet I didn't see much so I'll just play around and have some fun with it.