Are 15 slices of raclette too many?

Simon Balissat

31/12/2025

Translation: Katherine Martin

How much raclette cheese do you eat? Though I’ve never counted, I have a rough idea of how much I eat in one evening. It’s at least 15 slices. Too much? Let me try to explain myself.

My friend Judith «Streusel» Erdin looked incredulous when I told her about my raclette consumption in the latest episode of our podcast «Uftischt». A clip of the recording posted on Instagram ended up causing quite the stir.

You’ll find the conversation in the podcast episode (in Swiss German) from minute 03:00 onwards.

Although I didn’t count, I’m fully convinced that I ate at least 15 slices of raclette during Christmas dinner. I generally do what I call the «double flute», i.e. put two pans in the oven at the same time. So I guess I must’ve done eight of these double flutes, i.e. prepped 16 pieces of raclette.

Questionable? Don’t make me laugh!

So how much cheese do I typically scoff down? At the end of the day, there’s no standard raclette slice protocol. A small pan holds about 40 grammes of cheese. An average of 16 pieces works out at about 640 grammes. That’s a realistic amount when I consider that I once ate over a kilo of cheese with a friend. A kilo each, obviously.

I only felt bad the next day – until my first trip to the toilet, that is. I’ll spare you the details on that.

My consumption often leads to curious situations. For example, when I go to cheese stores. They always recommend 200 to 250 grammes of cheese per person. Since specialist brick-and-mortar stores take great pains to offer advice, my request for «1,200 grammes of raclette cheese» is often met with the counter-question of «How many people is it for?». Casually answering «two hungry people» would have dire consequences. A scolding from the store assistant would be unavoidable. So I lie and say «six». This is the only way to stay on the safe side and within the bounds of socially acceptable consumption.

An all-natural cheese fest

It’s probably worth mentioning that, as a raclette purist, I only eat natural cheese with just a few potatoes and pickled gherkins as a side dish. It’s extremely rare that I partake in the tabletop BBQ version. Cheese with any added flavouring is disappointing in the vast majority of cases. And topping raclette with stuff like onions or corn is an exclusively German thing. At least that’s what my boss, Martin Jungfer, tells me. He’s German, so he’s allowed to do that.

How much raclette do you eat per sitting? Vote in the poll above or let me know in the comments.

Simon Balissat

Teamleader Editorial

Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.ch

When I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast. more

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