The Simple Trick To Stay Organized When Planning A Charcuterie Board

Thanks to their ability to be endlessly customized, charcuterie boards can find an equal home at high-class soirées, casual get-togethers, and everything in between. And while assembling (and eating) a charcuterie board is quite simple, actually planning one out is another matter. Aside from figuring out what meat and cheeses should be included on the board, trying to map out where each item should go can be quite difficult. That's why while you're shopping for all your charcuterie ingredients, you should also pick up a pack of sticky notes.

Utilizing sticky notes is a straightforward and easy way to plan the logistics of your charcuterie board. To quickly keep track of what goes where simply write a food down on a sticky note and put it directly on its designated spot on the board. This will help you keep the board clean as you move things around until you are satisfied with the layout, and give you a good visual of what your final board will look like. For some extra organization, you can color-code the sticky notes to align with categories of food: yellow for cheeses, red for meats, etc.

There are no strict rules when it comes to building your charcuterie board; you have the freedom to make it look however you like. But if you need some guidance, there are a few ways you can ensure your final product is more visually appealing. It's a good idea to integrate bowls into your design to hold smaller snacks, sauces, or dips. Since the shape of these bowls can't really be altered, put them on your board first and begin arranging other items around them.

Think of the rest of your items in terms of categories when deciding where things go, and try your best to not put foods in the same group next to each other. Instead, place things that might be eaten together in close proximity. For example, apples and grapes would both be in the category of "fruit," so they should be separated. But since they both would go well with a piece of cheese, you can place them on either side of a row of cheddar. Planning out the specifics of where items should go is where your sticky notes will really come in handy.