Buying a raclette oven or grill: which one for 2, 4 or 8 people?

Short answer: for 2 to 8 people at the table, a pan raclette with a grill plate fits, for 1–2 people without a socket a candle stove, and from about 10 people a scraping oven for a half wheel [1]; in the 2026 Kassensturz test, the Koenig «4 and more» and the Solis «5 in 1» were joint winners with grade 5.3 [2].

As of 1 November 2026. Device prices from the Kassensturz test are those given in the SRF article of 27.1.2026 and may differ today. Rental prices checked on the providers' sites on 1.11.2026.

First decide: how many people, and how often? If you have raclette for four twice a winter, you need something different from someone throwing a party for twenty. The type of oven follows from that.

The four types at a glance

In Switzerland the small electric tabletop grill is usually called an Öfeli (Swiss German for "little oven"); the small pans you melt the cheese slices in are Pfännchen.

Sources: types as described by Raclette Suisse [1]; power of the half-wheel oven from the rentshop rental listing [5].

What the 2026 Kassensturz test shows

For the test published in January 2026, Kassensturz (the consumer programme on Swiss German television SRF) and the Swiss consumer magazine K-Tipp had the ten best-selling raclette grills for four people tested at the Applitest laboratory in Nuremberg [2]. The test covered, among other things, temperature and heat distribution, a practical test with cheese, steak and courgettes, handling and safety [2].

Results according to SRF [2] (Swiss school grades, 6 is best):

• Joint winners (grade 5.3): Koenig Racletteofen 4 and more (just under CHF 80) and Solis Tischgrill 5 in 1 (CHF 129.95 at Fust, a Swiss electronics retailer). The Solis distributed heat best but was harder to clean. The Koenig can be extended to eight people with a second unit and a cable. On 1.11.2026 the manufacturer's site gives a recommended retail price of CHF 99.– plus a CHF 0.60 advance recycling fee (VAT not stated) [13].
• Close behind: WMF Lono Raclette 4 (CHF 78.90). Trisa (CHF 49.90) was rated «good».
• 7 of 10 devices were rated «good».
• «Insufficient»: Primotecq (Fust's own brand; temperature dial without markings), Severin Raclette 4 (CHF 25.70, the cheapest device) and Nouvel.

Additional findings from Stiftung Warentest (the German consumer testing foundation), which reports on the same test by its Swiss partner magazine K-Tipp [3]:

• The grill surfaces reached up to 270 °C.
• On the Mio Star, Satrap and Trisa models the pan handles got 63 to 68 °C warm; on the WMF they stayed below 40 °C.
• Steak did not turn out really well on any device. The Koenig spattered.

Price in short: the Trisa at CHF 49.90 was rated «good», the cheapest device (Severin, CHF 25.70) «insufficient» [2]. According to Stiftung Warentest, the WMF had cool pan handles, which matters with children at the table [3].

By group size

For two

A device with two pans is enough. If you want to eat without a socket, on the balcony for example, take a candle grill. Raclette Suisse mentions small ovens with tea-light (réchaud) candles and the «Twiny» [1]. For the Vulcano grill, which runs on fuel paste, Raclette Suisse gives about three minutes and calls it ideal for just one person [1]; its shop page states «Produktionsleistung: 3 Minuten pro Raclette» (output: 3 minutes per raclette) [11].

For four

This is where the Kassensturz test focused, see above. If you sometimes have more guests, choose an extendable device.

For eight

There are two ways: one 8-person device or two linked 4-person devices. At a long table, guests at the ends of a single 8-person device struggle to reach the grill plate [Editorial assessment]. Two devices at either end of the table solve this, but need two sockets or a connecting cable.

The Kassensturz test of January 2026 covered devices for four people [2]. Devices for eight were part of the 2020 K-Tipp test summarised by Galaxus; its results refer to the models sold at the time [4].

From ten people: scraping a half wheel

This is where the half-wheel oven comes into its own. People rarely buy one; they often rent:

• rentshop.ch: half-wheel oven CHF 45.– per week, VAT included, raclette knife included; 1000 W, 9 kg. Outbound shipping anywhere in Switzerland CHF 15.– per parcel. The version for two cheese halves costs CHF 55.– per week: while one half melts, you scrape the other. According to the provider, this gives 60 portions per hour [5].
• Molkerei Lanz (Obergerlafingen, canton Solothurn): half-wheel oven free of charge if you buy the cheese there, intended for about 15 people or more. Sets of 8-pan grills are also free with the cheese [6].
• The MIBA cooperative (Aesch, canton of Basel-Landschaft) also rents out ovens: a scraping oven for CHF 48.– (VAT not stated) if you buy at least 6 kg of raclette cheese [12].

How much cheese you need is in our guide Raclette: how much cheese per person?. If you only need an oven for one evening, see Renting a raclette oven.

Which cheese for which oven?

According to Swissmilk, raclette cheese made from pasteurised milk is better suited to the electric pan grill. Raw-milk cheese loses a lot of fat and aroma there and is better for scraping by the fire or in a half-wheel oven [7].

Care: making the coating last

Kassensturz advises washing grill plates by hand rather than in the dishwasher, because the detergents attack the coating [2]. The comparison site vergleiche.ch considers the dishwasher possible for the pans [9]. What counts is the manufacturer's instructions for your model. According to Raclette Suisse's «Useful tips» PDF, you can put pans and cutlery in the dishwasher or wash them in hot water with washing-up liquid [10]. Do not heat empty coated pans strongly: the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) says PTFE starts to decompose at around 360 °C. With proper use, the BfR expects no health effects [8].

Summary

• 2 people, no power: candle grill.
• 4 people: pan grill. The 2026 Kassensturz winners were Koenig and Solis; the Trisa at CHF 49.90 was «good».
• Sometimes 4, sometimes 8: extendable device.
• From 10–15 people: rent a half-wheel oven. Buying one only pays off if you use it often [Editorial assessment].

Sources

First accessed on 31.10.2026; all re-accessed and checked on 1.11.2026.

1. Raclette Suisse: «Preparation» – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/en/raclette/preparation
2. SRF Kassensturz, Christof Schneider: «Raclette-Öfeli im Test: Drei Geräte fallen durch», 27.01.2026 (in German) – https://www.srf.ch/sendungen/kassensturz-espresso/tests/haushaltsgeraete/raclette-tischgrills-raclette-oefeli-im-haertetest-drei-geraete-fallen-durch
3. Stiftung Warentest: «Raclettes im Test: Zum Dahinschmelzen», 01.03.2026 (in German) – https://www.test.de/Raclettes-im-Test-Zum-Dahinschmelzen-6282108-0/
4. Galaxus: «Racletteöfen im K-Tipp-Test» (K-Tipp no. 18/2020), 22.11.2020 (in German) – https://www.galaxus.ch/de/page/racletteoefen-im-k-tipp-test-18260
5. rentshop: «Abstreichofen mieten» (in German) – https://www.rentshop.ch/products/raclette-abstreichofen-mieten
6. Molkerei Lanz: «Raclette-Öfen mieten» (in German) – https://www.molkerei-lanz.ch/laden/raclette/raclette-oefen-mieten.html
7. Swissmilk: «20 Dinge, die du über Raclette noch nicht wusstest» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/20-dinge-die-du-ueber-raclette-noch-nicht-wusstest/
8. German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): questions and answers on PTFE-coated cookware (in German) – https://www.bfr.bund.de/fragen-und-antworten/thema/ausgewaehlte-fragen-und-antworten-zu-geschirr-mit-antihaftbeschichtung-aus-ptfe-fuer-das-braten-kochen-und-backen/
9. vergleiche.ch: «Testbericht Raclettegrills» (in German) – https://www.vergleiche.ch/testbericht/raclettegrills-1/
10. Raclette Suisse: «Nützliche Tipps» (PDF, in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fileadmin/dateiablage/07_PDF/raclette_suisse_nuetzliche_tipps_d.pdf
11. Raclette Suisse shop: «Raclette-Ofen Vulcano» (in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/shop/produkte/produktedetail/raclette-ofen-vulcano
12. MIBA Genossenschaft: «Raclette & Fondue Mietmaterial» (in German) – https://miba.ch/frisch-von-hier/raclette-und-fondue-mietmaterial
13. Koenig: «Raclette 4 and more» (product page, in German) – https://www.koenigworld.com/d/produkte/kochen-am-tisch/kochen-am-tisch-produkte/115-b02242-raclette-4-and-more