How to Prepare an Ideal Charcuterie Board for 20 Guests
Justin Gonzalez
Serving your guests with the charcuterie is a pleasant idea, but one might feel anxious when it comes to preparing a charcuterie board for 20 guests, and you want to be an ideal host for them. This article is primarily designed to provide you with easy and hassle-free guidance regarding the preparation of a charcuterie board for your valued guests.
Preparing a charcuterie board for more people is somewhat tricky. There are some minor but influential aspects that might bring transforming change into your serving while presenting charcuterie to your guests. A perfect charcuterie board is prepared by adding ideal amounts of cured meats, cheese, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other ingredients based on the serving plan.
Skip Ahead: Utensils You'll Want to Have:
You can get as creative as you can but here are some basic things that you will need for your charcuterie board:
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- Specialty Knives and Utensils like these ones on Amazon
- Serving Boards: The usual go to serve boards are wood boards. Wood boards are beautiful and makes a great presentation, especially dark wood such as walnut. However, you have to ensure it is food safe, such as our Virginia Boys Kitchens Charcuterie Boards (on Amazon). If you do not want wood boards, there are also budget-friendly charcuterie board alternatives you can get.
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- Fancy toothpicks (on Amazon) might come in really handy
- Instead of cheap white flimsy paper plates, you might want to opt for something a little fancier - might we suggest compostable platters like this one pictured above.
- And don't forget other party essentials such as pitchers, carafes, and some fancy cocktail napkins. (on Amazon).
- For snacks that doesn't quite fit on the charcuterie board itself, put them in a fancy bowl! Square or angled white ceramic bowls look best, but if you don't have them in your kitchen, get disposable angled white bowls for an aestheic display
Decorate it:
Choose something fun, such as this paper runner (on Amazon) for your grazing table:
How to Calculate Charcuterie for 20 Guests?
Remember! It is something different to prepare a charcuterie board for 20 guests in contrast to preparing it for 4-5 people. To make an unforgettable charcuterie board for your 20 beloved guests, you need to evaluate the following aspects:
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Charcuterie as an Entire Meal / Course Meal
Before finalizing the charcuterie board for your upcoming event, you must ensure the purpose of the charcuterie. The quantity and ingredients of charcuterie will vary according to your needs. For instance, your charcuterie board will be arranged differently if you are going to serve it as an entire meal than serving it as an appetizer.
Charcuterie as an Entire Meal
To prepare a bellyful charcuterie for your guests, it is recommended to add the following quantities of ingredients to your charcuterie board:
- 5 ounces of meat and cheese per person.
- Add plenty of spicy and sweet ingredients.
Charcuterie as a Side or Appetizer
If you are going to serve charcuterie as an appetizer, keep it lighter and prepare your charcuterie board with:
- 2 ounces of meat and cheese per person.
- Add more delicate ingredients such as nuts, snacks, etc.
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Guest Preferences
Allergies and dietery preferences should be taken into consideration - having an assortment of crackers that are gluten free, some cheese that are dairy free, and trays that are nut-free will be very much appreciated by your guests with specific needs.
Key Steps to Prepare Charcuterie Board for 20 Guests
It might be challenging for you to set an ideal charcuterie board for the 20 guests at once. However, following the below-mentioned vital steps to prepare a charcuterie board will help you to be a perfect charcuterie host.
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Set Per Person Meat and Cheese Quantity
To prepare an incredible charcuterie board for 20 people, you must set the quantity of the primary ingredients. Meat and Cheese are usually the critical ingredients in charcuterie, but their portion on the board may vary according to the serving.
About 2 ounces of meat with 3-4 slices of cheese per person is the perfect quantity on the charcuterie board when it is not to be served as an entire meal. In contrast, 5 ounces of meat with 5-7 slices of cheese is suitable for serving charcuterie as a whole meal.
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Prepare Biteful Slices for Your Guests
Preparing beautiful pieces of every large-sized ingredient will be a smart rule for setting up a charcuterie board for your guests. This is because the small slices would help all your guests to consume the food well without leaving leftovers.
The escalating prices of food nowadays might hinder you from preparing a well-oriented charcuterie with multiple ingredients. However, allocating your budget smartly with the proper use of available ingredients can make your charcuterie unforgettable.
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Arrange Ingredients on the Charcuterie Board
After deciding on all the charcuterie ingredients, the next step is to place them on the board with an astonishing arrangement to make them deliciously presentable. Your charcuterie board arrangement should be appetizing.
For this purpose, first, pick up the serving board according to the number of servable ingredients in an easily accessible order. It means don’t pile up the charcuterie board with loaded items in a messy way.
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Make an Amazing Combo of Charcuterie
You must keep the charcuterie ingredients in a fantastic combination while serving it to your 20 guests. For instance, always place meat in front as a starter, and keep sliced cheese right after that rather than putting nuts or sweets adjacently.
The charcuterie board organization should be in such a way that the guests do not rush back and forth to find and put ingredients on their plates. A well-managed combination of charcuterie boards will let your guests have a hassle-free charcuterie.
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Garnish Your Charcuterie Board
Although, your charcuterie platter is entirely ready to serve just after completing the above parameters. However, garnishing the charcuterie board will surprisingly enhance the essence of your serving.
You can garnish the charcuterie by adding some green trimmings, flowers, or any green veg. It is optional to garnish the charcuterie board, but a budget-friendly small addition can bring uniqueness to your serving; why not try this?
Utensils For Charcuterie
Never forget to place the items that your guests would need to get a flavored experience from your servings. The necessary items or equipments to be placed with charcuterie include:
- Plates.
- Spoons, forks, and cheese knives.
- Small bowls.
- Napkins.
- Serving tongs.
- Toothpicks.
Final Interpretation
A charcuterie board is something that would be a different but incredible appetizer/meal to serve your guests. If you are looking for ideal guidance to prepare a memorable charcuterie board for 20 guests, this article is perfectly written for you.
You can prepare charcuterie based on your or your guest's priorities, varying the quantity and adjustment of ingredients. However, the preparatory method and tricks mentioned in this article would help you to choose what and how to prepare an ideological charcuterie board for your guests.
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