What this is: A look at what you can use for a cheese board surface
Who it’s for: The cheese board lover looking for the right board.
Cheese boards and charcuterie boards don’t actually have to be served on “boards” to be beautiful and delicious. There are many types of boards that you can use, including no board at all. To start, let’s look at some of the materials we like to use for boards:
- Wood - beautiful, needs upkeep and can show cuts
- Marble - heavy, but can last forever (and so can its stains)
- Melamine - lightweight and easy for travel, limited options in the right size
- Ceramic - readily available in board shapes, plates and platters
- Slate - classic, needs to be oiled to keep looking nice
- Glass - mostly in plate and platter shapes, can be uninteresting
What to look for in a board, plate or platter
Simple is best. There are beautiful boards out there with intricate colors, patterns or decoration but when it comes down to it, that is all just busy noise when you’re laying cheese and charcuterie down on top. Try to keep decoration and patterns at a minimum. Darker colors make light cheeses pop, lighter and whiter options help make a clean and airy look. Consider size as well. You can shop all of our boards here.
Going “Commando”
Going boardless can also be a fun way to celebrate a special event. By laying down a food safe table covering, such as parchment paper (use the natural color one to make it blend into a wood table) you can fashion a cheese board to take up a strip of a buffet or cover the whole table to make a cheese and charcuterie grazing table.
Summary
Different types of cheese boards have different strengths.
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Try placing your cheeses on different types of plates, platters, or boards, then compare how it looks on each one. Does changing the color or material of the board affect how the same piece of cheese looks? Is there a certain combination you think works best? Is there one you don't like as much? What are the difference between those two surfaces? |
Downloads
Click the icons to download a pdf of this lesson and our two handy guides: How Cheese is Made and Cheese and Pairing Types.
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