The Best Raclette Grills
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Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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Swissmar is the brand that shows up again and again in raclette research. It turned up in every English-language guide we analyzed: Raclette Club, BestReviews, Annie André's hosting guide, and The Kitchn. The Stelvio KF-77081 is the Swissmar we'd buy today, because it pairs Swissmar's 8-pan layout with a natural granite top and a brushed stainless base.
The stone is what makes it more than a cheese melter. Granite holds its heat when a handful of cold shrimp or sliced peppers lands on it, so the grilling on top keeps pace with the cheese melting below. Raclette Club gave a Swissmar granite-stone 8-person grill its Best Premium slot at 9.1 out of 10 and said the construction was noticeably more substantial than anything else it tried. BestReviews called the smooth granite extremely durable and easy to clean.
Owners agree. Across 526 Amazon ratings it averages 4.5 stars, and comments about build quality run 138 positive to 13 negative. At 17.5 lb with a 60-inch cord and a variable heat dial, it sits solidly in the middle of the table for a three-hour dinner.
What It Won't Do
Stone is slow. Plan on a long preheat before the first round of grilling, and some owners never get it hot enough to properly sear meat. K-Tipp's Swiss lab test of 10 raclettes found that none of them seared steak convincingly, so this is a limit of the whole category, not only this grill. The Amazon title also promises a crepe top, but the box includes only the stone. Swissmar's reversible aluminum plate (KF-77048) costs extra, and stone cracks from thermal shock are excluded from the 1-year warranty.
The Artestia AR-89001 gives you most of what the Stelvio does for about $70. Inside the box you get a granite stone and a reversible cast-aluminum plate with a ridged grill on one side and a flat crepe griddle on the other. No other 8-person grill under $100 on this list includes both. BestReviews ranked it Best of the Best for that pairing and noted the plates heat up quickly and evenly.
Raclette Club named it Best Budget at 8.2 out of 10, measured roughly an 8-minute heat-up, and wrote that it performs better than its price tag suggests. Annie André picked Artestia's larger 10-person sibling as her crowd pick, so the brand placed in all three of the guides that ranked grills. Eight pans, eight spatulas, 4.4 stars from 445 owners, and a price well under half the Stelvio's make it the easiest way to find out whether raclette night becomes a habit.
What It Won't Do
The housing is plastic, and Raclette Club flagged it as less durable over the long term than metal-framed grills. Heat is the most common owner complaint: 19 negative mentions against 12 positive, mostly from people trying to cook steak. The listing is also messy. The current title says 1700 W, while older photos still show 1200 W and '2 to 4 people', so don't rely on the published wattage.
Who Should Buy Which
Swissmar Stelvio 8-Person Raclette with Granite Stone (KF-77081)
A heavy stainless raclette with a real granite top, built to be the centerpiece of a long dinner
- You host raclette nights often and want a grill that lasts for years
- You want real stone grilling for vegetables, shrimp, and thin-sliced meat
- You care how the appliance looks in the middle of the table
- You are happy to preheat for a while before guests sit down
Artestia Raclette Party Grill with Granite Stone and Non-Stick Plate (AR-89001)
Two full-size tops and eight pans for well under half the price of a Swissmar
- You are trying raclette for the first time and want to keep the spend low
- You want stone grilling and a crepe griddle in one box
- You host four to eight people a few times a year
- You don't mind a lighter plastic housing in exchange for the price