Recommended Charcuterie Supplies
Part of the experience of Charcuterie boards are the decorative details that accompany the board. Charcuterie is mostly eaten with your fingers, but you will need other supplies besides the board and your fingers to help your guests have the best dining experience. You will want small plates, mini serving utensils, specialized cheese knives and food labels. These specialized accessories add the finishing touch to make your charcuterie board or grazing table extraordinary.
I have compiled in one place a list of my favorite accessories to save you the time and headache of searching the web for hours looking for the perfect finishing touch.
Featured Accessory
4-piece Charcuterie & Cheese Knife Set, German Steel with alloy steel handles, (professional grade)
The Cheese Knife
6-Piece Stainless Steel Cheese Knife Set with Stainless Steel Handles (Gift Ready) by Icosa Living
Cheese knives are a must on a charcuterie board. Each cheese type requires a different type of knife to cut it properly. For example, hard or crumbly cheese like parmesean and asiago are cut using a chisel knife, while semi-soft cheese like cheddar or gouda require a thin knife for proper cutting.
The main difference in cheese knives is the look you are going for. If you are hosting a casual barbecue, you may want knives with wooden handles. However, if your board is for a bridal shower, the stainless steel knives are a must.
One things I love about cheese knives is that they make the perfect gift for the cheese lover in your family. They are packaged and ready to give away, making your holiday or birthday gift hunt a breeze.
The Cheese Label
Customizable 4-pack cheese fork labels by Stamping Cat Studios
Not everyone in our lives are cheese connoiseurs like us, so its only fair to give them a little help on your charcuterie board. If you don’t want to spend your entire evening explaining to every guest which cheese is what, then cheese labels are a must. I absolutely love the customizable cheese labels from Stamping Cat Studio. They are hand made from upcycled stainless steel forks. But best of all, you get to choose what names you want on them. They also have 6 pack sets already premade for the more common cheese types like brie, gouda and cheddar.
There are quite a variety of labels you can use, from the pictured stainless steel fork, the casual and disposable toothpick flags or the always popular chalkboard signs.
Remember to get a chalk marker (check price here) to go along with your chalkboard signs.
The Often Forgotten (yet oh so important) Supplies
10-pack extra-long 6″ wooden honey dipper
There are a few supplies that are important to remember when you are putting the finishing touches to your board.
The first thing to consider is sanitation. How are your guests going to pick up the finger foods. Or how will they serve up the jams, dips or honey on the board. While spoons are great for dips and jams, consider using a honey dipper for the honey.
If you are serving relish foods or any wet food for that matter, be sure to put them in separate bowls. If you place them directly on the board, some of the moisture will intermix with the other foods next to them, making them soggy or changing the flavor. (Nobody wants blueberries covered in pickle juice.) Make sure to include tongs for foods that won’t scoop up well with a spoon.
A fun and easy finger food idea is to combine items on a skewer for a charcuterie shish-ka-bob. For example, you can skewer a mini brie bite with a quartered fig and a blackberry on top. If you want a more savory bite, pair a small mozarella ball with a cherry tomoto and a basil leaf. Then drizzle with balsamic vinegar dressing. Or just thread a handful of blueberries on a kabob for easy grab and go. I really like the skewers with the pearl balls on top. I also find that anything smaller then 5.9″ is too small.