Eight pans, six seats, and one cable · review
A foldable candle raclette with one long non-stick dish, three tealights and a heat-resistant spatula.
The net of it Twenty-two dollars, three tealights and a stand that folds to half its size — the cheapest way onto this shelf and the only one that goes in a rucksack. It melts cheese and does nothing else.
Melting cheese needs about 50 to 60 °C at the surface, not a sear. The dish only has to get hot enough to turn a slice of hard cheese soft and bubbling — and a candle flame reaches several hundred degrees.
What tealights cannot do is anything else. They will not sear meat, they will not hold a liter of fondue at a simmer, and they will not keep eight pans going at once.
So the three candle machines on this shelf are a different tool from the four electric ones. This uses 3 tealights; the Artesà at $24.95 uses 2; the Swissmar Tandem at $34.95 uses 4 and includes them in the box.
What candles give you is in bullet two: “no gas or electricity is used, making it completely portable.” No cord across a table, no circuit to find, and the flame is the light.
What the electric machines give instead is power: the ARLIME at $74.99 publishes 1800 W — which at 120 volts is 15 amperes, a full domestic circuit — and the GIVENEU at $109.99 publishes 1500 W. Neither works on a patio without an extension lead.
Everything else on this shelf publishes a number.
GIVENEU $109.99, ARLIME $74.99, Hamilton Beach $83.95, Swissmar Stelvio $179.95 — 8 people, the Hamilton Beach with 8 individual warming trays and the GIVENEU with 8 mini pans Louis Tellier $259.99 — “a table of 6 to 8 guests” Artesà $24.95 — “Individual Set for 2”, in its own title Swissmar Tandem $34.95 — 2 fondue forks, so two this — nothing. Bullet one gives “1 long non-stick dish” and one spatula
Which does tell you how it works. A long dish rather than a round one is loaded with cheese, slid over the flames, and then scraped onto a plate — the word raclette is the French for scrape.
So one dish means one person melting at a time, passing it round. Slower than the electric format, where eight people each have a pan under a shared grill.
And closer to the original, which only the Hamilton Beach page describes: raclette “was traditionally prepared over a fire”. The Louis Tellier at $259.99 is the item on this shelf that does it the old way with a machine — a half wheel suspended under an adjustable element.
The description names the traditional accompaniment too, and it is the right one: “melt delicious cheese and enjoy it over boiled potatoes and bread (the truly Swiss experience).”
“Black steel stand folds down to half the size.”
This is 422 grams. The shelf:
Artesà — 300 g · this — 422 g · Swissmar Tandem — 710 g · Hamilton Beach — 3152 g · GIVENEU — 5321 g · ARLIME — 5443 g · Swissmar Stelvio — 7938 g
So the lightest electric grill here is seven times this weight, and the heaviest nearly nineteen times.
Which matters because of how often a raclette grill is used. Christmas, a birthday, a winter evening — a handful of times a year. The rest of the time it is in a cupboard.
An eight-kilo appliance occupies a shelf. A 422-gram folding stand occupies a drawer.
That is the honest argument for the candle end of this shelf, and it is why at least three of the fourteen items here have no plug at all.
The one thing to check is what folding means for the dish: a stand that halves is useful if the long non-stick dish stows with it, and the page does not say whether it does.
One dish. One spatula. One stand.
The spatula is the right inclusion, and both other candle machines have one: the Artesà a “wooden spatula”, the Swissmar Tandem a “raclette spatula”. You cannot scrape molten cheese out of a non-stick dish with a knife without taking the coating with it, which is why a soft tool is not optional.
The dish is non-stick and dishwasher safe, which on this shelf is the norm: the GIVENEU puts its bowl, forks, pans and plate in the dishwasher; the ARLIME says its parts “detach fully for direct washing”; the Hamilton Beach says plate, trays and accessories are all dishwasher safe.
What is not in the box:
No candles. Bullet two says it is “powered by 3 tea light candles” and never says whether any are supplied. The Swissmar Tandem includes 4; the Artesà includes 2. Buy a bag of tealights with it.
No fondue pot, on a raclette-and-fondue shelf. The Swissmar Tandem at $34.95 is the candle machine that has one — “2-in-1 Fondue & Raclette Set” — for thirteen dollars more.
No grill plate. Every electric machine here has one: a double-sided plate on the ARLIME, a plate and a granite stone on the GIVENEU, a dual-texture grill/griddle on the Hamilton Beach, a granite stone / crepe top on the Stelvio. Candles cannot sear, so a grill plate would be useless here — but it does mean this melts cheese and nothing else.
No warranty, which at least nine of the fourteen items on this shelf omit. The exception is the Artesà at $24.95, with “a 5 year guarantee” and a gift box — the only published term here, on the second cheapest item.
No number of people, as above.
No dimensions beyond a catalog footprint, so how long “1 long dish” is remains unknown — which is the figure that decides how much cheese fits.
No candles, as above.
No burn time, which follows: a tealight runs three to four hours, so three of them set the length of an evening, and nothing on the page says so.
No warranty, as above.
No material for the dish beyond “non-stick”, where the Artesà publishes an “iron” melter and the two Swissmar plates on this shelf publish “porcelain”.
No stand dimensions folded, on a page whose fourth bullet is about folding.
Read on the day this page was built: $22 at the American Amazon shop.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-05. The live price is at the top of the page.
Same shelf, nearest cost — where the same money else goes.
| Heat source | Three tea light candles — no gas and no electricity |
|---|---|
| Price | $21.95 — the cheapest item on this shelf |
| Dish | One long non-stick dish with an integrated handle |
| Spatula | One, heat-resistant |
| Stand | Black steel, folding to half its size |
| Dishwasher | The non-stick dish |
| Weight | 422 g (14.9 oz) |
| Named uses | Patio, picnicking, camping, over boiled potatoes and bread |
| Reference | 608902-KF-00536 |
| Fondue pot | None |
| Grill plate | None |
| People served | Not published; one dish suggests one or two |
| Candles included | Not stated |
| Warranty | Not published |
| Amazon reference | B013FDP1KC |
| EAN | 5011268824005 |
Yes, and the reason is that raclette asks for less heat than people expect. Melting cheese needs about 50 to 60 °C (122 to 140 °F) at the surface, not a sear — the dish only has to get hot enough to turn a slice of hard cheese soft and bubbling, and a candle flame reaches several hundred degrees. What tealights cannot do is anything else. They will not sear meat, they will not hold a liter of fondue at a simmer, and they will not keep eight pans going. So the three candle machines on this shelf are a different tool from the four electric ones. This uses 3 tealights; the Artesà at $24.95 uses 2; the Swissmar Tandem at $34.95 uses 4 and includes them. What candles give you that a plug does not: total portability, no cord to route across a table, no circuit to find, and a flame as the light source. Bullet two makes the claim plainly — "no gas or electricity is used, making it completely portable" — and the description names the places: "the patio, out picnicking, camping or on any adventure." What the electric machines give instead is in their own pages: the ARLIME at $74.99 publishes 1800 W, which is 15 amperes at 120 volts — a full domestic circuit — and the GIVENEU at $109.99 publishes 1500 W. Neither works on a patio without an extension lead.
The page does not say, and one long dish means one or two. Everything else on this shelf publishes a number. The four electric table grills are all 8-person: the GIVENEU at $109.99, the ARLIME at $74.99, the Hamilton Beach at $83.95 with 8 individual warming trays, and the Swissmar Stelvio at $179.95. The Louis Tellier at $259.99 states "a table of 6 to 8 guests". The Artesà at $24.95 says "Individual Set for 2" in its own title. The Swissmar Tandem at $34.95 includes 2 fondue forks and one raclette dish, so two. This publishes nothing — bullet one says only "1 long non-stick dish with integrated handle" and one spatula. Which tells you how it is used, and it is worth understanding: a long dish rather than a round one is designed to be loaded with cheese, slid over the flames, and then scraped onto a plate — the word raclette comes from the French for scrape. One dish means one person melting at a time, passing it round. That is slower than the electric format, where eight people each have their own pan under a shared grill. But it is also closer to the original, which the Hamilton Beach page is the only one here to describe: raclette "was traditionally prepared over a fire".
The ability to own it without storing it, which on this shelf is not a small thing. Bullet four: "Black steel stand folds down to half the size for increased portability." Look at what the alternatives weigh and measure. This is 422 grams. The Artesà at $24.95 is 300 g (10.6 oz); the Swissmar Tandem at $34.95 is 710 g (25 oz). And then the electric machines: Hamilton Beach 3152 g (111.2 oz) · GIVENEU 5321 g (187.7 oz) · ARLIME 5443 g (192 oz) · Swissmar Stelvio 7938 g (280 oz). So the lightest electric grill on this shelf is seven times the weight of this, and the heaviest is nearly nineteen times. A raclette grill is used a handful of times a year — Christmas, a birthday, a winter evening — and the rest of the time it occupies a cupboard. An eight-kilo appliance occupies a shelf; a 422-gram folding stand occupies a drawer. Which is the honest argument for the candle end of this shelf, and the description makes it: "The compact design... makes it easy to enjoy Raclette on the patio, out picnicking, camping or on any adventure." The one thing to check before buying is what folding means for the dish: a stand that halves is useful if the long non-stick dish stows with it, and the page does not say whether it does.
Details checked on October 5, 2026.
Melting cheese for one or two, anywhere there is a table and no socket
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for kitchen appliances and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
8 seats · 1,300 W · stepless dial
Eight non-stick pans and four wooden spatulas, 1,300 W, with a side dial giving stepless temperature over the plate and the pans together. The non-stick grill plate lifts off and HengBO states it fits in the sink; the maker also states low smoke and odor for indoor use.
Best for: Eight people around a table, in a flat where smoke matters.
12 seats · 1,650 W · 3 plates + fondue
Fonduelette XL: raclette, grill and fondue in one, for up to twelve people, at 1,650 W across three separate stainless heating elements. Three interchangeable tops — metal, natural stone and a crêpe plate — twelve raclette pans, and a lid that holds the fondue forks upright.
Best for: A long table at Christmas, where raclette, grilling and fondue all happen at once.
2–6 people · Ø 30 cm (11.8 in) stone plate
A compact raclette and grill for two to six people, built around a round natural stone plate of 30 cm (11.8 in). Princess publishes something rare in this family: a cleaning routine per component, a stated preheat of about ten minutes, an instruction not to use metal utensils, and color-coded pans so people keep their own.
Best for: Two to six at a small table, and a plate that will not lose its coating because it has none.
