French Raclette Whole 9 lb. Wheel (9 pound)

This was excellent cheese (having lived for years in France and meeting some raclette in person there). We used it for several special occasions over about 18 months, and froze some of it to extend its life. Freezing is not normally recommended for cheese, but didn't seem to bother the raclette. Even frozen, it seemed to "ripen" in flavor and smell. Cats from all over the area surrounded our home the last time we had it. I was quite pleased. A professional chef begged me for the last "tranche" from the wheel after he dined with us.

The Good: iGourmet Customer Service is par excellence. I was shorted 2lbs and was compensated within two days. The shipping was fast, the shipping container was excellent, padded well and still had a frozen small piece of the gel in the single ice-pak. The cheese round came with labels that can be added to smaller packaging or for sale to customers.The Bad: The 9lb. wheel was only 7.12lbs. It is in large lettering and the packed invoice clearly states it should be a 9lb. wheel. It's called a Petite Raclette; isn't that cute. I should not have had to contact iGourmet, through Amazon, to be compensated for the serious shortfall. The wheel came in a wrapping of loose and beaten-up wax paper. The items, in the pictures, are sitting on the wax wrapper that wasn't even taped to hold the wheel in place. I have ordered two previous Raclette wheels; one also from Amazon and one from iGourmet directly. Both previous wheels were over 12lbs. and came vacuum wrapped. The difference is that those two wheels came with a moist and sticky rind and was edible. They also came with a pungent cheese smell. This wheel was hard, like a Parmigiano Reggiano, dry, barely any smell and the peel required being cut off to get to the cheese. The thickness was substantial and created a lot of waste. Since it is the same brand as what I purchased directly from iGourmet last year, something is obviously wrong. After cutting the wheel in half and breaking down one of the halves, I was not impressed with the cheese. While it is edible, it tastes nothing like a raclette should and definitely not even remotely close to my previous round purchased from the same brand and vendor. In January, I purchased an 11lb. Raclette from Cheese Delicatessen; Amazon for $199 that was over 12lbs. and is of far better quality. I am still working on that one, but I saw this, and what I thought was a decent deal, so ordered it. My wife does NOT like Raclette. The normal Raclette smell is nasty, in a good potent sort of way, and the cheese itself is relatively strong. She likes the smell of this cheese, likes the taste and told me that she would eat it if I did not want it; there's your sign that this isn't Raclette like it should be. So, while it is an edible cheese, it is not what what this particular brand should have been. It’s like calling American cheese a sharp cheddar or goat cheese an imported Asiago; not even close to the same thing. All good, but not what you expect.The Ugly: This round, since it was shipped loose, and God knows where it’s been or who had been handling it, had and still has mold spots all over it. After cutting it in half and vacuum sealing it, I snapped a picture of one of the halves. I have never seen that before on the previous hermetically vacuum sealed rounds I have purchased. While all these rounds state that the rind is inedible, I have found that that has not been true, and in fact was edible, if handled and packaged properly. I cannot return it and I certainly would not sell it to a customer, with the wrong kind of mold growing on the skin. I have attached pictures. While I would purchase directly from iGourmet, I will never purchase another item from iGourmet, via Amazon. This seems to be where iGourmet sells old, dried out, moldy, possibly removed from the view window of the deli counter after a few months, or maybe found in the back of a warehouse/walk in refrigerator, pack it up and ship it to an Amazon customer who can’t return it type of cheese. LOL I am out over a $100 for a fake tasting wheel of some imposter, though edible, cheese. I want the fresh cheese that I paid for, please, not the moldy mummified version that I was sent.Hope this Helps, as it is the 3rd time I have had to modify my review, due to Amazon's guidelines. I wish they would state what was wrong with the first two, as I did not swear or disrespect anyone. I had to rewrite this whole review, and the only thing that I find offensive is the cheese I was sent.

That the second time I bought a "French Raclette Whole" and I am really satisfied with this product and with the provided service.I got a small issue on this command and send a "Question" to seller. They answer my concern quickly and propose a Good solution.The Cheese was properly protected. Delivery was fast.Service and Produce are great, I recommend.That will be a lot of wonderful Raclettes parties!!!

We get raclette all the time. This wheel is creamy and some of the best we have had. But be aware it was not 15 lbs. About 12. Which makes sense since IGourmet advertises it on their website as a 12 lb wheel.

We had a issue related to FedEx they solve it the same day. Professional, honest people with great product

No es la cantidad descrita , la calidad sí, pero todavía no han enviado el faltante, esperando no el rembolso sino el producto. Gracias y agradecida bendiciones.