Gourmetten (roughly “gour-MET-en”) is a Dutch dinner format built around a small electric grill placed in the middle of the table.
Each guest gets a miniature pan and cooks their own portion of meat, fish or vegetables to order.
What the device actually is
A gourmetstel is a flat electric hotplate, usually rectangular, with a raised grill surface in the center and a ring of small individual pans around the edge.
It plugs into a normal wall socket and needs several minutes to heat up before anyone can start cooking.
When Dutch households do it
Gourmetten is most common around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but it also turns up at birthdays and any casual gathering where nobody wants to be stuck alone in the kitchen.
The appeal is social: everyone cooks at the same table, at the same time, instead of one host serving a plated meal.
What goes on the table
A gourmetschotel, the pre-cut platter sold at Dutch supermarkets in the weeks around Christmas, is the standard base and usually mixes beef, chicken, turkey, pork and a sausage or two.
Around it go small bowls of sauces, a stack of soft white rolls or baguette, and side dishes like salad, garlic butter or baked potatoes.
For a broader sense of what else counts as classic Dutch eating beyond the holiday table, the guide to where to eat Dutch food in Amsterdam covers the everyday dishes.
How the evening works
Once the grill is hot, each person spoons a little oil or butter into their own pan and adds their choice of meat, fish or vegetables.
Cooking is genuinely slow in those tiny pans, so a gourmetten dinner runs much longer than a normal meal and a lot of the evening is spent waiting, refilling pans and talking.
Drinks matter too: wine and beer both go with the format, and the Dutch beer and drink culture guide is a useful primer if the pairing side is new to you.
A few practical notes
Undercooked poultry is the real risk of the format, since the pans are small and it is easy to assume something is done before it is.
Chicken and turkey pieces should be cut small and checked for no pink before eating; when in doubt, cook it longer.
Because everyone serves themselves throughout the meal, gourmetten works best with a group that is comfortable sharing space around one grill for an hour or more.
Trying it without hosting
Gourmetten is a home tradition rather than a restaurant format, so it is not something typically ordered out.
If you would rather have Dutch dishes cooked for you, the Amsterdam dining out guide is the place to start.
