Looks good doesn't it! Oh yes! What is Velata you may ask? Velata is a family-friendly, fun way to enjoy chocolate fondue and cheese dips. This year Velata also introduced the Raclette grill to their line up! That brings dinner straight to the kitchen table! More about that later. Velata is a Scentsy Family brand. That means it is a direct sales company so you won't find it in stores but you have the opportunity of hosting a party which earns you half priced items and free product credit with a qualifying party and the opportunity to sell the products as an Independent Consultant. I am plugging myself here: I am an Independent Scentsy Family Consultant. I sell Velata, Scentsy and Grace Adele. I have personally purchased these products for myself before I started selling them and I was so happy with the product, the customer service and actual family experience from being a customer that I signed up to sell them myself. So, for the most part this blog introduces you to this brand kind of in the same way as a party. Without getting to taste all of the amazing flavors and combinations of the chocolate, cheeses and edibles cooked on the grill.
Velata chocolate comes in four flavors; Milk, Caramel Milk, White and Dark. The chocolate is premium Belgian chocolate. The finest in the world. The chocolate is all gluten free and peanut and tree nut free and is processed in a nut free facility! This is a big plus for us. The dark chocolate is dairy free but it is processed on machinery that processes chocolate containing dairy.
The packaging is ultra convenient. It has a rounded bottom that allows it to stand, a pour spout and is made from a great quality material. You have two options on how to warm the chocolate. You can microwave the pouches for short periods of time (15-30 seconds at a time depending on microwave power) stopping to squeeze the bag in between. Once most of the discs are melted kneed the bag to incorporate the smaller pieces- the heat from the rest of the chocolate will melt them quite easily. Then remove the lid on the spout and pour the chocolate in to your warmer dish. The other method is to cut the top of the bag open and pour the chocolate in to the warming dish and set the dish on high, stirring often. It doesn't take long using the disks in the warmer but if time is not on your side you do have the option of using the microwave. (Word of advice- if you use the microwave be sure that the chocolate is evenly distributed in the bag and you stop every 15-30 seconds to kneed the bag.)
Velata cheese dip comes in four flavors: Cheddar, Bacon Cheddar, Smoked Gouda and Fiesta Queso. The texture is thick and creamy and all you could expect of a good quality cheese product. The flavors really encompass the different likes of many people. Even a fromage impresario would be happy with the Smoked Gouda. Each flavor has a distinct robust taste. The cheddar is described as "Bold, creamy and wonderfully nuanced" and I couldn't agree more. The bacon cheddar starts with the cheddar cheese and then they add smokey bacon. The pieces are just the right size to give you a creamy uniform taste with the added kick of the bacon in each bite. The Fiesta Queso is a sharp cheddar with a kick of garlic and jalapeno pepper. It is adds a little kick to any party. My favorite paring is on nachos! Absolutely perfect! Smoked Gouda is definitely my favorite by far. It is an old-world Dutch heritage style that is smooth and creamy and has wonderful smokey undertones. It is great with everything from fruit to crusty bread. I really love it on toasted turkey sandwiches and in Loaded Baked Potato Soup. (Don't judge- it is seriously that good!) The cheeses can be used for much more than just a dip. You can use them in recipes and on favorite dishes as well. I hear au gratin potatoes with the Gouda is amazing!
There are four different types of warmers right now. They are the Curve, Pedestal, Color and Party style warmers. Every "fun sized" warmer is a ceramic base with specially placed vent holes to allow the perfect combination of heat and ventilation to keep the chocolate and cheese at the perfect temperature without scorching or it becoming cold. The Party sized warmer utilizes a metal warming element in it's base to perfectly heat the dish. Each dish is silicon food safe and dishwasher and microwave safe. They are different than Scentsy warmers but are still the awesome quality. (Please do not use a Scentsy warmer for food- they are not food grade warmers.) Velata uses a patent pending technology to safely warm the chocolate at the perfect temperature- even for hours- without damaging the chocolate, scorching it, keeping it just warm enough. They have a dimmer switch on their cord so that you can adjust the light warming the dish accordingly. Once everything is melted and heated through you just turn it down and it stays at the perfect temperature until you are done using it. Each fun sized warmer comes with a set of four matching fondue forks. Fondue forks for the Party sized warmer are sold separately. The Curve, Pedestal and Color warmer dishes hold a package of chocolate or tub of cheese perfectly. The Party sized warmer can hold up to three bags of chocolate or two tubs of cheese at one time.
Curve Collection: The Curve collection are "fun sized" warmers. It is the square version featured above. It comes in many colors suitable for many different tastes. The warming dish is removable and has a lid that can be purchase separately to cover the chocolate or cheese to store it.
Pedestal Collection: The Pedestal collection are "fun sized" warmers. It is the round version above. It also comes in many colors to suit everyone's individual taste. A matching lid can be purchased separately for this warmer as well. The dish is removable.
Color Collection: The Color collection are "fun sized" warmers. They are come in a variety of solid colors to suit everyone's individual taste or decor. The dish is removable and has a matching lid that is available separately.
Party Collection: The Party collection are two large "party sized' warmers. They come in Rouge or Noir (red or black). They are a little more squat than the fun sized warmers and have a large bowl instead of a shallow dish. It is the perfect size for a larger gathering so you don't have to refill the dish as often. It is also absolutely perfectly sized for dipping treats to share. (Think Christmas berries, football berries, chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, carrot berries for Easter, red, white and blue berries for Independence Day etc. as it gives you a lot more room and depth to work with.) The cord fits perfectly in the base which makes it ultra portable and easy to store.
There is also a tray that fits perfectly around the Party Collection warmers that holds plenty of dip-able treats.
This is the Party sized and Fun Sized warmers together. The black warmer on the left is a Noir Party Sized warmer and the red on the left is a Rouge Color Collection warmer. The Party sized warmer is $50 US and the fun sized warmers are $40 US respectively.
These are the lids for the warmers. Perfect to save your leftover chocolate in the dish right in your fridge.
The Party Bowl fits perfectly around the Party Warmer and has plenty of room for lots of dippables! 
The Raclette Grill
The Raclette Grill is awesome, to sum it up in one word. A perfect aluminum grill pan with a flat griddle and a ridged grill side, a 100% natural granite stone that you can grill on, use as a pizza stone in your oven or even freeze and use as a cold stone for mixing ice cream or making chocolate shavings! Talk about versatility all in one product. Each grill comes with eight dishes that perfectly sit underneath the grill to warm your cheeses to perfection while you are cooking atop the grill. It also comes with eight spatulas. It brings fun to the kitchen and dining room. It adds oomph and interest to parties. It is definitely a conversation piece for sure. As in, sit around it and cook up a great meal and have an actual conversation! It is so fun to use! It does get hot so be careful of little fingers. It has an adjustable temperature gauge to dial in just the right amount of heat for your cooking needs. Grill meats, veggies, fish or any other grillable food right at the table.
The grill is a perfect gift for anyone! It is easy to cook with so even the most culinary challenged will love it! It is $140 US respectively. Remember though that with a qualifying party you can get this sucker half priced or even FREE!
The Rubs
The perfect compliment to any grill is of course the rubs, right?? Season your grillable selections to your liking with the choice of four perfectly blended rubs. The flavors include Coriander Herb, Smoked Paprika, Santa Maria BBQ and Lemon Garlic. A great selection of flavors to try or even combine to make custom flavors. Take your grilling to a bold new level!
The Serveware
No kitchen collection is complete without serveware! Velata has a line of plates and serving dishes that perfectly coordinate with the Velata line. From chic squares to whimsical circles display your dippables in style! Each set comes with a set of removable silicon non-slip bands.
Velata tools are straightforward. You can get extra fondue forks in beautiful vibrant colors to add more fun to the party. The colors help people keep track of their own fork as well. The spatula is a great little multi-tool. Like a sexy little Swiss Army knife for the gourmet! You can use it as a cheese spreader or scoop to get every last drop out of your warmer. It becomes a handy little kitchen gadget when you think outside the Velata warmer and use it for juicing citrus, using it for making treats to dip in your Velata chocolate, to push the sides down in a small food processor or blender or even wipe the blades to keep your fingers (and other metal tools) safely away from the sharp blades. I could use this for 100 things in my kitchen, honestly!
The Experience (My Experience)
Seeing the perfect photos that were done in a test kitchen is nice and all but how does everything work in a REAL kitchen? One with little kids who want to touch everything. A kitchen that is full of family and friends and love. Or a kitchen with a bottle of wine that needs a friend after a long day. Girls nights, date nights, kids parties, rainy stay at home parties, nights with the guys (yes, even with the guys!) this brand offers something awesome for everyone. You can even use it to easily make chocolate covered treats to share later.
<-- Strawberry shortcake (with angel food cake chunks) topped in whipped cream and drizzled in Caramel Milk chocolate- straight from the bag!
I've personally used Velata products and I wouldn't sell them if I was not in LOVE with them. The chocolate has a wonderful taste and is nice and velvety smooth. The cheese has a good texture and each has great flavors and it's own kick. The warmers are so easy to use and FUN to use. My son absolutely loves ours. He is quite a fan of chocolate and likes to dip his own treats. Which is a ton of fun for kids- with supervision. There are a ton of options for fun nights with kids too! Do a pretzel party or a cookie party and let the kids dip their pretzels and put out a buffet of sprinkles and toppings and they will go crazy! It is so much more fun to have a hands on and fun dessert.
Chocolate dipped strawberries (Milk) and Chocolate dipped strawberries with graham cracker crumb bottoms and whipped cream!
Then the grill. Where do I start? I bought one for my husband as a gift (and for me to show as an example of course). He easily set it up and in very little time we were gathered around the table laughing and talking while we grilled our dinner. I loved the little trays to heat my cheeses. You can put as much or as little as you want and test things out. It heats to a perfect temperature and if you leave it a little longer you can even get a nice bubbly effect which is so awesome with crusty breads! I love the Gouda. I never tried it before Velata and I was unsure but it is so great! You can dip sweet or savory in to it and the combinations come out different and awesome every time.
I cannot wait until the next time we use our grill. I really loved the experience of being around the table and not sitting in the kitchen cooking alone. It opened up conversation about our food and the different grilled veggies- especially right now during the winter months- was an amazing change!
My nachos were amazing by the way!
Seeing the perfect photos that were done in a test kitchen is nice and all but how does everything work in a REAL kitchen? One with little kids who want to touch everything. A kitchen that is full of family and friends and love. Or a kitchen with a bottle of wine that needs a friend after a long day. Girls nights, date nights, kids parties, rainy stay at home parties, nights with the guys (yes, even with the guys!) this brand offers something awesome for everyone. You can even use it to easily make chocolate covered treats to share later.<-- Strawberry shortcake (with angel food cake chunks) topped in whipped cream and drizzled in Caramel Milk chocolate- straight from the bag!
I've personally used Velata products and I wouldn't sell them if I was not in LOVE with them. The chocolate has a wonderful taste and is nice and velvety smooth. The cheese has a good texture and each has great flavors and it's own kick. The warmers are so easy to use and FUN to use. My son absolutely loves ours. He is quite a fan of chocolate and likes to dip his own treats. Which is a ton of fun for kids- with supervision. There are a ton of options for fun nights with kids too! Do a pretzel party or a cookie party and let the kids dip their pretzels and put out a buffet of sprinkles and toppings and they will go crazy! It is so much more fun to have a hands on and fun dessert.
Chocolate dipped strawberries (Milk) and Chocolate dipped strawberries with graham cracker crumb bottoms and whipped cream!
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| Chocolate Drizzled Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs |
Then the grill. Where do I start? I bought one for my husband as a gift (and for me to show as an example of course). He easily set it up and in very little time we were gathered around the table laughing and talking while we grilled our dinner. I loved the little trays to heat my cheeses. You can put as much or as little as you want and test things out. It heats to a perfect temperature and if you leave it a little longer you can even get a nice bubbly effect which is so awesome with crusty breads! I love the Gouda. I never tried it before Velata and I was unsure but it is so great! You can dip sweet or savory in to it and the combinations come out different and awesome every time.
I cannot wait until the next time we use our grill. I really loved the experience of being around the table and not sitting in the kitchen cooking alone. It opened up conversation about our food and the different grilled veggies- especially right now during the winter months- was an amazing change!My nachos were amazing by the way!
Buy, Host, Join
Like I stated before, I am a Scentsy Family Independent Consultant. I do sell and represent each of the Scentsy Family brands. If you are interested in more information about any of the brands please do not hesitate to contact me. My website is: http://www.aascott.scentsy.us. All of my contact information is there. Also, you can host a party (for any brand) anywhere in the country through my online site or by telephone or even Skype. If you are local I can bring the party to you! Interested in a job that you will love? Join the family! You can enroll for any of the three brands as part of my team. I belong to a huge group of Independent Consultants that stretch the globe from Japan and Canada and from the US West Coast to the East Coast! We are Scentsy sisters and we utilize a group on Facebook to keep in contact with each other. New consultants are added to our ever expanding group and family to provide support, relay information and share about our businesses. Together we make a LOT happen! I absolutely love the team and group I am a part of!
