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Grazing Boards V Charcuterie Boards
What’s really the difference? A grazing board is a board of foods that can be maintained at room temperature and, therefore, can be left out for several hours for family or friends to grab and enjoy a snack as they are able to. A charcuterie board, on the other hand, has food that requires refrigeration. If a food item requires refrigeration, it is usually best to only keep these foods out for two hours or less. Once the charcuterie board has had its last snack taken, cleaning it up and storing any leftovers for another day is safe.
Charcuterie Board Ideas
Grinch Board
This is fun – pair it with watching the classic movie with your friends and family, or just because. Lay out green and red snacks as the Grinch’s face and hat. Cut strawberries and raspberries for the hat with white snowballs as the cotton ball for the tip of the hat. For the face, use green grapes, cut kiwi, green wrapped Hershey kisses, green M&Ms or even Skittles as his face. For this wily smile, black licorice is a great addition to both his licorice-like behavior and smile. Use licorice to outline his eye and fill with yellow M&Ms with a black M&M for the pupil.
Classic Charcuterie Board
Add in and layer any of the following:
- Baked cheese like camembert or cheese wrapped in dough or topped with herbs or nuts
- Various hard cheeses like cheddar or silton
- Dried fruit like figs, apricots or pomegranates
- Thinly sliced cured meats like salami, chorizo or sausage
- Savory crackers
- Dips like cranberry chutney or hummus
- Nuts
- Olives
- Honey or honeycomb
Seafood Board
For those who are more of a fan of what is under the sea, consider making up a seafood board with:
- Smoked salmon
- Cooked shrimp
- Trout Pate
- Cooked prawns
- Crackers
- Sliced toast
- Lemon wedges
- Capers
Breakfast Board
This one is a big hit and can be done without the items that require refrigeration for a grazing board (see below), but if you are feeding a crowd at the same time, consider adding these items to a breakfast board.
- Smoked Salmon
- Deli Meat
- Yogurt
- Fresh Fruit
- Sliced Avocado
- Hard Boiled Eggs
Grazing Board Ideas
Have family or friends coming and going throughout the holiday season. Consider laying out one of these grazing boards.
Hot Cocoa Grazing Board
In addition to hot cocoa in a jar or hot cocoa packets, layout mint candies like Andes mints or York peppermint patties to be added to the powder. Candy canes, marshmallows – mini or full size, crushed peppermints, caramel or chocolate sauce, M&Ms, and sprinkles are all great additions. Shelf-stable squeeze bottles of caramel and chocolate sauce mean that they can be stored on the board all day.
Sweets Grazing Board
A holiday sweets board can go many ways – consider adding these to your board.
- Dried fruit
- Chocolates
- Cookies
- Peppermint bark
- Gummy Bears
- Pretzels – dipped in chocolate or yogurt or naked
- Salted Nuts
- Brownies
- Chocolate coins
- Marshmallows
Breakfast Grazing Board
A breakfast board is always a hit when guests wake at various hours.
- Waffles or mini pancakes
- Pastries, including cinnamon rolls or croissants
- Granola
- Cereals
- Mini jars or chocolate spreads
These boards are great ways to provide food and nourishment, with less stress on the host to have food ready to go for a crowd at a certain time, especially when there are various arrivals of family members or friends throughout the holiday season. Which holiday board will you use this season?
