Cheap Indoor Fountains: 04/2010

4/30/10

Art Matters Asian Candle Tabletop Fountain

Cheap Art Matters Asian Candle Tabletop Fountain Review

Cheap Sephra 10500 44" Chocolate Fountain Wind Guard Review

Cheap Alpine Diamond Wall Fountain Review

Designers Fountain - 23854-AM-ORB : 4 Light Foyer

Cheap Designers Fountain - 23854-AM-ORB : 4 Light Foyer Review

Cheap Designers Fountain 81832-FSN Mendocino Down Light Pendant Light - Forged Sienna Review

Cheap Designers Fountain - 97821-VBG : 2 Light Flushmount Review

Cheap Wilton Chocolate Pro Fountain Review

I was very worried after reading all the reviews on every Chocolate Fountain out there. The ones that had decent reviews seemed awfully pricey for a kitchen item that, honestly, is less functional and more novelty. The less expensive ones had widely variable ratings.

I decided to take a chance and order the Wilton Pro, despite some of the negative ratings. The base is fairly hefty and the bottom bowl is solid and attached to the base. It is lined with metal and when on 'Preheat' mode, heats up without turning the auger and circulating the chocolate. The three tiers over which the chocolate cascades are made of heavy-duty plastic and locks together but comes apart for cleaning.

You can pretty much dissemble the three tiers and the auger that runs up the middle, and after any big chunks of chocolate have been removed, soak in hot water or put in the dishwasher and the cleanup is exceptionally easy. The most difficult part of the fountain to clean is the base. I poured out any excess chocolate(do NOT pour down the drain as it can harden in the pipes and cause blockages) and then mopped the base up clean with a sponge. I used the sprayer on my kitchen faucet with the bowl angled to let the water run down into the sink the entirely rinse it clean without getting the base wet where the motor is housed. Clean up took all of 5 minutes.

I took this to my daughter's first grade class for their Valentine party. It was a *huge* hit. I used two bags of Wilton's chocolate but the instructions give recipes to use Wilton Candy Melts(the colored kind), white chocolate or regular chocolate(chips, bars, etc,). All need to have a various amount of oil added to get the proper consistency. The Wilton Fondue Chocolate(purchased here on Amazon or at Michael's- half off with a coupon!) was very, very runny.

The fountain worked well with the two bags and only at the very end after 20 first graders and a bunch of parent volunteers had gone through twice and used up most of thew chocolate did the fountain stop fully cascading- it still ran fine, just didn't have the cascade effect all the way around continuously.

We had a ton of fun with it. We made up all sorts of stuff for the kids to dip- sliced bananas, apple chunks, pretzels, pound cake, marshmallows, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, gummi bears, gum drops, shortbread cookies, shredded wheat biscuits, and even potato chips. Everyone loved it. We used wooden skewers, maybe 12" long, plus toothpicks, plus shorter skewers(4"). Some kids made kebabs with the larger skewer and some dipped individual items with toothpicks or the smaller skewers. I set out mini muffin cups filled with nuts and raisins that the kids could dip into the leftover chocolate on their plates.

Set up was simple. The most important thing- whatever chocolate you use, melt it thoroughly before use and not just to soft-and-pasty, no, you want it to be liquid. The fountain isn't designed so much to melt the chocolate though you couple probably pour it into the base on preheat and let it sit and melt for a while- [probably a long while. It's definitely made to maintain the chocolate in a melted form rather than to actually melt it. Easiest way to melt the chocolate is to put it in a heavy duty gallon ziploc bag- leave a corner open and pop it into the microwave. Take it out every 30 seconds for 2-3 minutes and knead it. This will keep it form burning and help improve the consistency by distributing the heat.

I had absolutely no problems with the fountain. It is a pleaser for both kids and adults alike. I have a bunch of people who have asked me if they could borrow it for a party. I think we'll be using ours fairly often even at home. We have a Le Creuset fondue set and love to do fondue but it is a pain to clean-up between the cheese/oil main course and then do chocolate for dessert in it. Now we can just use the fountain!

Fun- and worth every penny for all the fun the kids had with it! I'd buy this all over again and recommend it to others.