How to Buy a Chocolate Fountain

A Home Chocolate Fountain Review

Chocolate fountains are elegant fun... equal parts food, entertainment and centerpiece.

Not long ago, chocolate fountains were only for caterers, restaurants, and event planners. We equated them with ice sculptures, very beautiful, expensive and rare, certainly not for the home.

Today, though, there are Home Chocolate Fountains, sometimes called Mini Chocolate Fountains, of very good value.

The term 'chocolate fondue fountain' is giving way to just 'fondue fountain' because the machines are not just for chocolate anymore. Better fountains will cascade salad dressing, barbecue sauce, cheese sauce, and caramel as well as chocolate. That means you can put that lovely fondue fountain to work at every kind of party, to the delight of your guests. You'll be legendary.

Features to Look for
in a Home Chocolate Fondue Fountain

• Quiet operation is a sure sign of high quality. This is, perhaps, the most important feature to look for when you buy a chocolate fountain; a noisy unit is an annoyance. If its description does not say something like 'virtually silent' or 'whisper quiet' it's not. Move on.
• Easy assembly and disassembly
• Dishwasher safe parts for easy clean-up. Non dishwasher-safe parts can be an indication of cheap materials and construction.
• Auger-style pump for a smooth delivery and flow system.
• Removable basin/bowl, again, for easy clean-up.
• Adjustable feet or other leveling mechanism. A lopsided fountain impedes the even, steady flow of the chocolate and can even cause the fountain to wobble. All quality units have this feature, even if it's not prominent in their description.

Step up to:

• Long warranty A 1-year warranty is the best you'll find on a home fondue fountain.
• Variable temperature settings Precise temperature control allows for a variety of both hot and cold fondues, helping you get the most out of your investment.
• Stainless steel is tough, long-lasting and beautiful.

Popular Models and Prices

You can buy a chocolate fountain for as little as $40 or pay as much as $400 for the very top-of-the-line home unit.

Rather than name names, I'll just say never* buy a fondue fountain that costs less than $99 retail. They're noisy, unsteady, machines.

*The one exception seems to be the Rival Chocolate Fondue Fountain. It meets all the minimum requirements, gets good independent reviews, and holds more chocolate than most in its class, 5 pounds. It costs about $50. It's not a beauty, however, nor will it be as quiet as a Sephra or the Fundue Fountain.

The Fundue Fountain by Fundue Foods is another very quiet machine that meets all of the basic criteria. Its one-year warranty and price, about $240, suggest quality but it is difficult to obtain details. It does sport a celebrity endorsement from Marc Summers, Food Network's host of the "Unwrapped" series.

Best Value: A Sephra. Sephra has always been the name in commercial chocolate fountains; now the Sephra-quality engineering, design and esthetics carry over into their home versions. I recommend the Sepha Elite Fondue Fountain. It's a beautiful brushed stainless steel fountain with 4 temperature settings, and a patent-pending quick-assembly system. It holds 6 pounds of chocolate. At $250, it's the best value on the market.

Rent a Chocolate Fountain
or Buy One?

For a large wedding reception or any "event" go ahead and rent a commercial unit, or better yet, hire the caterer or event planner that has one. It's one less responsibility on your to-do list.

For a home party, you can typically rent a small-medium chocolate fountain for $300-$400 for about 3 hours. Just like an event rental, that includes the chocolate and an attendant who brings the unit to the party, sets it up, keeps it stocked, disassembles it after the party, cleans it, and carts it away. For sheer convenience, nothing beats it. And it's not a bad price.

For $250 though, you can buy a chocolate fountain with all the bells and whistles and use it again and again.

Renting by mail? It costs less, but is not as good a value without the attendant. After the party you must box it up and send it back; another chore, another expense. Weigh the option to rent a chocolate fountain against the cost of buying one, and the space it takes to store it.

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