Andrew James Electric Raclette Hotplate Party Non Stick Grill Machine, Oval Stone Hot Plate Cooks Evenly and Retains Heat, 8 Fondue Cheese Pans and Wooden Spatulas Set, 1200W, Thermostat Control

I first came across the idea of cooking on a hot stone at the table when on holiday in Canada and it was a really fun meal. Never really saw anything suitable to use here until I came across the Andrew James Raclettes. I did take a while to decide which one to purchase and I am so glad I decided to go for the 8 person model as this gives you ample room for cooking. One advantage the raclette has over the hot stones is that it is electric so you are not having to keep reheating the stone - you are in control of the temperature. We were having fish and meat so we had a fondue going too so we could keep the cooking of meat/fish separate. There is a fair bit of prep beforehand. I cut the different meats/fish into small pieces (they cook quicker on the stone) and I had them marinating in different things. As well as marinating the meat/fish there are veggie items to chop/slice and cold meats and cheeses to put out for the raclette trays. Once the prep is done it is just a case of getting everything on the table and letting people do their own selection/cooking. I have to say this is a quality product from a quality supplier. It looks good and it is good. The stone is not dishwasher safe and does require a little effort to clean but it is not too difficult. If you are not familiar with raclette it is not easy to get a cookbook (unless you speak German). If you look closely you will find almost all the raclette books are in German. However, it is not too difficult to work out and a lot of fun to experiment. I did have a fondue book which gave me ideas for marinades for the meat/fish. The one thing I would stress is you need space. The 8 person model is substantial in size but I purchased the mini boards too so everyone used them plus a small plate which helped. Also had the various platters on the table with the meat/fish/veg etc. The favorite seemed to be the little raclette trays that go under the stone. In these you can add meat, sliced veg such as peppers, mushrooms and top with raclette cheese. If you cannot get raclette cheese emmental is a good substitute. It was so enjoyable other family members are looking to buy one too. One warning - keep it out of the reach of tiny fingers. This stone does get and stay very hot. Just common sense really but just make sure any little hands are out of reach. If you are prepared for the prep work it is a lot of fun and you can really relax once everything is on the table.

First experienced this type of cooking at a french friends house a couple of weeks ago - was so taken with it that we thought we had to have one as well. Having prepared the ingredients, it meant that we as a family could all sit down together, cook and eat at the same time - one of us would usually be slaving away over the stove whilst everyone else did their own thing. The grill was so easy to use and behaved exactly as described on the instructions - it smoked a tiny little bit when we first switched it on as whatever coating was on the element burnt off. After that it worked precisely as you would expect. The unit came with 8 little pans meaning that there were two each - this meant that you constantly had one cooking, which worked well. If you have more people round to eat, then one pan each would be sufficient, as we had expereinced first time out with our friends. Can't really comment on how well the thermostat operates as we had it on full power all the time we used it - it cooked the foods ( mainly meat and cheese combos) excellently in the little pans, and kept a large wok of ratatouille bubbling away at the same time, no problem. Cleaning was a doddle, as the wife did it !! She assured me that it was easy to clean the removable grill top and the 'lower deck' ( where the grill pans sit) was just wiped with a damp cloth. Can't recommend the item highly enough - great fun, something different, easy to use, easy to clean, and fab tasting food ( especially the raclette cheese that you can get from Waitrose).

This is a great product, a nice idea for a social evening, although it can get a little smoky indoors so we use it on the patio, easy to clean and cooks well. Our only concern is that when trying to register the warranty it does not allow you to choose Andrew James as a company, someone on a forum said they had gone into administration but not sure, if so the warranty of one year would be with Amazon I guess?

Excellent, stone cooks great and cleans easily. The pans are perfectly non stick, cheese just slides off. Very happy

Love the item and good to have a communal meal with family and friends. Light and easy to carry. Many types of food can be cooked in and ontop of the grill.

I've hankered after one of these type of raclette/steak grills for years. We bought this after returning from a recent ski trip where we'd really enjoyed lots of melted cheese and this style of cooking again! We wanted to give it a go at home and this machine definitely doesn't disappoint - we love it! I give it 5 stars, as it heats up well, has plenty of surface area for cooking and cleans up very easily (the top grill comes off for cleaning once it has cooled down). My 7 year old loves using it too and cooking all her own food. It doesn't spit, so is very safe for all the family to use. So far we have cooked cheese, steak and vegetables on it. We have used it with 3 people cooking at a time so far and this works very well. I do think you may struggle to get 8 around it - probably best for 4-6 to use at any one time, even though there are 8 dishes and spatulas provided. Fun and well worth the money.

Love this item. We bought it because we love steak hot rock restaurants and it didnt disappoint. We used it al-fresco in the garden and it was a real treat. Unlike hot rocks its keeps hot for as long as you need it to as its electric. We placed a piece of food on it whilst it was heating up. When the food sizzled we knew it was ready. The pans are great. We added baby potatoes and butter/ cheese and fine sliced peppers and onion.....delicious. Thoroughly recommend this item. Oh and it cleaned up a treat with barely any effort or scrubbing 👍