Raclette Roulette – Let the Cheese Decide!

Raclette Roulette – Let the Cheese Decide! 🧀🎰

Can't decide what to put in your next Raclette pan? Let the roulette decide for you!

Raclette is a Swiss tradition, and one of the nicest ways to enjoy a long evening with friends or family. But why leave all the difficult decisions to the guests when a little roulette wheel can do the job?

Introducing the Raclette Roulette – a completely unnecessary but highly entertaining addition to your next Raclette evening!

First, a Little Raclette 101

For those unfamiliar with Swiss-style Raclette at home:

Everyone sits around the table with a small electric Raclette grill, affectionately called an "Öfeli" in Swiss German.

Each guest gets a little pan (Pfännli) that slides underneath the heating element. Add a slice of Raclette cheese, perhaps some vegetables, bacon, mushrooms, or whatever else is available, and wait for everything to melt into a delicious, bubbling mess.

Traditionally, Raclette is served with boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, and plenty of good company.

Everyone prepares their own little creations, at their own pace. No complicated cooking, no rushing, and usually far too much cheese.

And that is exactly where the Raclette Roulette comes in!

How Does It Work?

The roulette has eight interchangeable plates, each representing an ingredient, a combination, or a special challenge.

Before the meal, the host selects eight plates from the collection, depending on the ingredients available that evening.

For example:

• Double Cheese – because one slice is obviously not enough.

• Bacon + Onion – a classic combination.

• Mushrooms – for the slightly more sophisticated Raclette enthusiast.

• Hot & Spicy – a little adventure for your taste buds.

• Neighbor's Choice – let the person next to you decide your fate.

• Lucky Dip – expect the unexpected.

• Pineapple – controversial, possibly illegal in Switzerland.

• No Cheese?! – an existential crisis.

Spin the pointer and accept your destiny!

The fun is that the host decides which challenges are in play. You don't need to buy 25 different ingredients just because they appear on the roulette.

And if you have something special that isn't included in the collection, there are blank plates that can be labelled with a Sharpie. A gold Sharpie looks particularly nice on the marble-coloured plates.

So every Raclette evening can have its own rules and surprises.

Of course, nobody is obliged to follow the roulette. But where's the fun in that?

The Design

The roulette consists of a circular base with eight positions for interchangeable plates and a freely rotating pointer.

The base contains eight small neodymium magnets. The pointer has two steel balls, adding some mass for smoother spinning while also providing magnetic attraction.

This helps the pointer settle into one of the eight positions rather than stopping somewhere between two choices.

The interchangeable plates can be printed in different colour combinations. I used:

• Galaxy Black for the roulette base and pointer.

• Marble for the plates.

• Gold for the lettering and symbols.

The lettering is raised, so it can be printed with a simple filament change at the appropriate layer. No MMU or multi-material printer is required.

There is also a dedicated storage box to keep the roulette, pointer, and collection of plates neatly organised between Raclette evenings.

Because having a roulette for choosing your cheese is one thing. Losing half the plates before the next dinner is quite another.

Printing Instructions

I printed the parts in PLA on a Prusa CORE ONE+ with a 0.4 mm nozzle. PETG should also work, although I haven't tested every part in PETG.

Supports are normally unnecessary when parts are printed in their intended orientation. Check the preview for any unsupported overhangs, particularly around the pointer bearing and storage box details.

Filament changes

The plates have a 2.0 mm base with lettering and icons raised by 0.6 mm.

For 0.15 mm layers, add a colour change at approximately 2.0 mm, just before the raised lettering begins. Since 2.0 mm is not an exact multiple of 0.15 mm, check the layer preview and select the first layer containing the lettering.

For the other parts, use the layer preview to position any decorative colour changes at the beginning of the raised features.

Printing tips

• Print the plates flat on the bed with the lettering facing upwards.

• A smooth or satin sheet should give the marble plates a nice finish.

• Use a contrasting gold filament for the lettering and icons.

• Check that the plates fit into the roulette before printing the entire collection.

• The pointer should rotate freely on its bearing. Remove any small printing imperfections if necessary.

• Keep the bearing surfaces clean and avoid getting glue on them.

• Print the box and lid separately, in their intended orientations.

Additional Hardware

You will need:

• 8 neodymium magnets, Ø5 × 5 mm, for the roulette base.

• 2 steel balls, Ø⅜″ (9.525 mm), for the pointer.

• A little glue to secure the magnets and steel balls.

Make sure all eight magnets are installed with the same pole orientation.

The balls add mass to the pointer and interact with the magnets, helping it stop at a defined position.
With only steel balls the pointer rotates a long time before coming to a halt. I added some very small magnets, D2 X 2, and stuck them to the balls. This makes it behaving the way I wanted. Remember the orientation of the magnets is important!

Glue the magnets and steel balls securely in their respective pockets before using the roulette.

A small safety note: The magnets and steel balls are not toys. Keep them securely glued in place and away from small children. Also keep the PLA/PETG parts away from the hot Raclette grill.

Make It Your Own!

The supplied collection includes a variety of ingredients, combinations, and humorous challenges, but the possibilities are practically endless.

You could create a vegetarian roulette, an extra-spicy edition, a kids' version, or even a completely unreasonable gourmet edition.

The blank plates make it particularly easy to add your own ideas.

And remember: the roulette only decides what goes into the pan. You are still responsible for not burning the cheese!

Share Your Makes! ❤

As always, I would love to see your makes, especially the combinations and challenges you come up with.

• Post your pictures, share your ideas, and give me some hearts – my only payment! ❤

• And if you have questions, suggestions, or improvements, just ask.

• Enjoy your Raclette, and may the cheese be with you! 🧀

Design process

I needed some fun gift  for my hosts that invited me for dinner.
So I brainstormed with ChatGPT.
It came with this idea and generated the first models.
From there I basically redesigned the whole model, so not much is left of the original model by ChatGPT
Also it took a lot of experimenting and iterations before the roulette behaved the way I liked it.

In short: designed by me (human), but with AI as junior assistant and sparring partner.