From wood and rustic charcoal to sleek and unique designs, there are various ways to serve cheese, cured meat, crackers, and fruit jams on a charcuterie board.
The presentation and layout of the meat and cheese platter brings out the flavor and adds visual satisfaction to the combination of tastes.
What board is good for charcuterie? The best boards for charcuterie are non-porous hardwood including teak, hard maple, American cherry, olive, acacia, and bamboo.
To add a touch of uniqueness, consider marble, stone, ceramic, or slate to emphasize the color, and allow the delicious individual items to stand out.
Depend on the portion size and number of servings, usually 8” x 12” board will easily hold two cheeses, one cured meat and three other accompaniments including crackers, nuts or fruit spreads.
For a larger crowd, 12” x 20” board is more than enough to really putt together a diverse spread.
A well balanced charcuterie board contains flavor combinations of savory, sweet, salty and crunchy. Additionally, it allows for enough room to place little knick knacks that give a burst of intense flavor.
Choosing the right board for charcuterie typically based on the party size or how many items to serve for the occasion. This will ultimately determine the size, design or material of the board.
Answered below are frequently asked questions about how to choose the right charcuterie board for the occasion. Read further to learn more.
Can you use any board for charcuterie?
No, you cannot use any board for charcuterie. The material does transfer the odor of the board to the food, which will result in an unpleasant experience.
Select hard-wearing and specific woods that don’t impact the food with funky flavors. Therefore, hardwood that is non-porous is what you need for charcuterie.
In addition, avoid using a cutting board to replace a charcuterie board. Cutting boards are meant to cut and prepare food, whereas charcuterie boards are meant to display food.
How do I choose a charcuterie board?
A charcuterie board consists of a wide range of cured meats, cheese, and other fun bite size accompaniments such as crackers, jams, fruit, and many more.
The ultimate board to serve charcuterie does not only look beautiful, but also needs to be made from high-quality materials that are sturdy enough to hold the weight of all the food items.
Generally, non-porous wood or wood that has been treated to be non-porous are the best choices for boards to display charcuterie.
However, other material options to consider are:
- Bamboo: Board made of bamboo is durable and long-lasting, which is perfect for cheese board. Furthermore, cheese knives won’t scratch the surface nor dull the knives.
- Walnut: It is water and bacteria-resistant when properly cared for after every use. Furthermore, walnut boards resist odors and look beautiful overtime.
- Hard maple: If you are looking for unique design, choose hard maple. It offers natural grain and pattern to give a rustic look. Moreover, they are easy to clean and maintain.
- Olive wood: Charcuterie boards made of olive wood are very dense hardwood with strong microbe resistant properties.
- Acacia: Known as a durable sustainable wood, it also has longevity. Simply wipe down after every use, but avoid submerging in water.
- Cherry: Cherry wood also offers a rustic look, but it is more expensive than any other wood material. It offers hand grips that can be cleaned easily and simple to maintain.
- Teak: Most moisture resistant and durable natural wood, which is why it is typically used for outdoor furniture. However, it does require food-grade mineral oil to treat a teak charcuterie board, making it a bit more complex to maintain.
What is the best size for a charcuterie board?
Not only meat, fruit, and cheese, the size of charcuterie board plays an important role to make a beautiful presentation, centerpiece or appetizer for any special occasion.
Standard charcuterie boards are 8 x 12 inches to display two types of cheese, one cured meat, and three items including crackers, fruits, or nuts.
For larger crowd, go further with 12 x 20 inches to add more accompaniments. Display sliced, rolled, or stacked meats and cheese to utilize the space effectively.
After selecting size, look for the right thickness for a charcuterie board. Serving boards are generally ¾” to 1” thick to give weight and stability to the display.
Other size options for a charcuterie board include:
- Small: 7” x 18”
- Medium: 9” x 18”
- Large: 12” x 18″
Best boards for charcuterie
Make cured meat, cheese, fruits, and crackers more interesting with a unique and high-quality board. All boards are not same, and the right charcuterie boards offer a modern or rustic look to make the presentation beautiful and aesthetically eye appealing.
The separate fruit tray and cheese board makes this charcuterie board organized and spacious to serve a large crowd.
The main board comes with knives and utensils to avoid any mess. And the ceramic bowls on the corner make it easy to serve condiments, jams or dipping sauces for crackers.
The unique octagon square designed acacia wood board is perfect for cured meat, cheese, and fruits. Comes with two different sizes to serve between two to ten people.
Beautiful grain natural olive wood charcuterie board to create rustic look. It is handcrafted for a sturdy and long lasting durability, and the oval shape offers unique characteristic to the charcuterie.
Comes in six pieces of black slate, charcuterie board with chalk to create and name the plate and individual items for guests. Also, it is reusable to simply wipe clean for the next party.
This elegant and unique marble charcuterie board adds a touch of luxurious and modern look. It also keeps the cheese and meat cool temperature.
The raised feet has non-slip feature to serve on any flat surface.
Trays for Charcuterie: Conclusion
When it comes to finding the right board for serving charcuterie, know the size of each serving, number of guest in the party, and what type of food. Using that info you can determine the amount of food to display on the meat and cheese trays.
From there, come up with styling whether you need to go with standard non-porous hard wood, bamboo, olive wood, slate, or marble boards.
Additionally, the thickness of the board helps to keep the surfing platter sturdy and elevated from the table. Look at the finishing of the board to prevent scratching due to cheese knives or potentially turning the knives dull.
Each board adds design and uniqueness to the finished charcuterie display. Remember, we eat with our eyes first, so the display must be appealing to elevate the flavor and experience to the party.