Cheese fondue
Melted cheese and white wine in a shared pot; bread cubes are dipped on long forks.
With care: in a safer version
Ingredients
- Gruyère and Vacherin cheese
- white wine
- garlic
- starch
- kirsch
- bread
How it is prepared
Cheese is melted into wine over low heat and kept warm on a burner at the table.
Food safety with low immunity
- Soft, mould-ripened and market cheeses may be unpasteurised. Choose packaged cheese labelled pasteurised, or use cheese melted in a hot dish.
- Unpasteurised milk and fermented drinks made from it are considered risky with low immunity.
- Instead of street food or dishes that have stood on a buffet for a long time, choose a freshly cooked hot portion.
How to prepare it during treatment
Fondue is not boiled, the cheese may be raw-milk, the wine does not fully cook off and a shared pot means shared germs. During treatment: pasteurised cheese, stock instead of wine, heat until steaming and give each person their own portion.
Your diet during treatment is agreed with your doctor. Sample 7-day menu for the treatment period →
Storage
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, and eat within 1–2 days. Divide large batches into small containers so they cool faster.
Reheating
Once, until steaming hot all the way through; in a microwave, stir halfway.
Symptoms it may suit
- Low appetite. Gives a lot of energy and protein in a small portion — can help when appetite is low.
- Weight loss. Energy-dense and easy to enrich (oil, cheese, yoghurt) — can help with weight loss.
These are general observations: what suits you can change from day to day.
Treatment phases
- Before treatmentmay suit
- During a coursemay suit
- Low counts (neutropenia)Only in the safer version and if your team agreesmay suit
- Between coursesmay suit
- After treatmentmay suit
Phase notes are general. During low counts, follow only your care team’s food rules.
If you have other conditions
- Liver disease. The recipe uses wine or other alcohol, and not all of it cooks off. With liver disease and during treatment, discuss it with your team.
- Heart disease, Obesity, Liver disease, Stomach and gut. Can be fatty. With heart, liver or digestive disease, or excess weight, discuss fat content and portions with your team.
- High blood pressure, Heart disease, Kidney disease. Often salty (stock, salty cheese, sausage, pickles). With high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, discuss salt limits with your team.
- Stomach and gut. Contains dairy. With lactose intolerance or bowel problems, discuss suitability with your team.
Nutrition (per 100 g)
Nutrition figures from a reliable source have not been added for this dish yet.
More from this cuisine
Related topics
Food safetyNeutropenic diet (low-microbial diet)PasteurisedCore cooking temperatureLeftoversCross-contamination
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Safer Food Choices for People With Weakened Immune Systems
- FoodSafety.gov (U.S. HHS). Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Safety for Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases
- Food Standards Agency (UK). Chilling
- World Health Organization (WHO). Five keys to safer food manual
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Food Safety During Cancer Treatment
- National Cancer Institute (NCI). Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment
- BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2019. Neutropenic diets to prevent cancer infections: updated systematic review and meta-analysis
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). FoodData Central — Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS)