A charcuterie board typically includes cured meats and cheeses such as salami, prosciutto, Brie, and Gouda, as well as other bite-sized accompaniments such as hummus, jam, baguette, honey, fruit, flowers, and more. The nice thing about such a platter is that it does not require any culinary skill to put together, though it may take some practice to make the finished product look aesthetically pleasing.
While your sweet and savory selection can technically be served on a cutting board or plate, making investments in an absolutely gorgeous charcuterie board genuinely tries to tie it all together—and with a meal like this, the display is everything.
The best charcuterie boards including a footed board are listed here.
Best Overall: Vistal Supply Cheese and Charcuterie Board Gift Set With Cheese Knives
This 13 x 13-inch bamboo board has a convenient built-in storage drawer for cheese knives, as well as a rim around the rim that really is flawlessly molded to grab crisps and pieces of bread. The board comes with 4 coated steel serving utensils: a serving fork, a plane knife for softer cheeses, a spatula for serving crumbly cheeses (like blue cheese), and a heart-shaped knife for digging into harder ones. Bamboo is a renewable resource, so you can feel good about using it as a material. It’s also easy to clean, though it’s not dishwasher safe, like any wood.
Best Stone: Anthropologie Agate Cheese Board
This gleaming board measures approximately 11 x 7 inches and is available in a variety of colors, including two shades of blue, rose quartz, and amethyst. It’s made of agate, which is a volcanic rock that contains a mix of silica and quartz. The edge is brass-plated, giving it a more opulent appearance. It should be noted that some reviewers stated that the boards appeared to be small in size and varied greatly in terms of color and shape (some ordered a few so they could choose the one they liked best). Others used them to hold trivets or candles or perfume bottles rather than snacks or desserts.
Best Oversized: Tableboards by Spinella Cheese Board and Platter
This massive showpiece board, measuring 3 feet long, is meant to be placed in the center of a dining or coffee table. There are two color options: walnut and cherry, both with lovely accent colors that complement their tones. Some reviewers also like to use their boards for shared dishes, such as pizza, or to place several hot serving dishes, eliminating the need for trivets.
Although they’re great for cheese and charcuterie, the creator of Tableboards says the long platters were inspired by a request from his partner Liz, who wanted to be able to bring hot food to the table right away and have a place for it to cool before cutting.
Best Rustic: Pottery Barn Olive Wood Rustic Edge Cheese and Charcuterie Board
With a dark wood edge, this elegant board is dense, sturdy, and non-porous. The board’s classic, rustic aesthetic lends itself well to a casually arranged spread, such as cascading bunches of grapes and piles of various meats and vegetables. These boards are handcrafted at a family-owned workshop in the small town of Sfax, Tunisia, by skilled woodworkers who only use sustainably sourced olive wood from olive trees that no longer bear fruit. The final step is to polish it with olive oil to create a surface that is moisturized and has vibrant color and grain. This timeless item will last a lifetime and look great the entire time, especially if you hand wash and polish it with mineral oil.
Apart from a footed board, these are some of the best boards used for serving. Now that you are aware of the present options, the purchasing procedure will be easy.