Making Your Board In Advance
You can assemble this board a few hours OR the night before!
Just keep a few things in mind:
How To Cut Triangle Cheese
Follow these steps to cut cheese into triangles:
Triangles are a classic way to serve cheese. They work well with most semi-firm cheese types like Cheddar, Swiss, and Gouda.
Video Showing How To Properly Cut Cheese For Charcuterie Boards Is Going Viral
If you enjoy hosting or attending gatherings, theres one thing that will always be a hit, a charcuterie board. They are the highlight of any hosts table. The combination of cheese and fruit cant be topped. They complement each other very well. But what if you want to assemble a charcuterie board but dont know how to cut the cheese? You dont need to worry. Weve got the solution for you in todays video. Stay tuned.
In a TikTok video by content creator @charcutorrieboards, she shares her tips for cutting cheese. Her technique is simple and easy to follow. This is a game-changer for anyone who wants to make a beautiful board.
Watching her makes it looks so easy! Now, when we use her tips, lets hope our cheese turns out as pretty as hers. But how did the TikTok viewers feel about her cheese cutting? Are they already using this technique, or did she share something mind-blowing? Lets find out. User @Steph Amos said, I love cheese. @Melanie Lawson replied, You do such a beautiful job. Thank you for sharing how you achieve it. @Andrea Sutter remarked, I dont have enough friends to put this much effort, but I love it for my party of two. LOL. @Melli wrote, I love this so much. Thanks for sharing.
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Tip #1 Choose Different Varieties Of Cheeses
Classic rule of thumb: get a combination of different cheeses, such as soft, hard, aged and blue.
Here are some examples for each type:
- Soft: brie, ricotta, goat cheese, camembert
- Hard: parmigiano reggiano, gruyere, asiago
- Aged: aged cheddar, aged havarti, sharp cheddar, goat gouda, comte
- Blue: stilton, gorgonzola, danish blue. For milder blue cheese, look for less veiny and soft n creamy type of blue cheese.
What Cheese Is Good For Charcuterie
Heres some of the best cheese for charcuterie boards:
- Hard cheese: chunks of parmesan, aged gouda, asiago.
- Firm cheese: gruyere, comte, manchego, colby, cheddar.
- Semi-soft cheese: havarti, butterkäse, muenster.
- Soft cheese: burrata, mascarpone, stracchino.
- Blue cheese: gorgonzola, dunbarton blue, marbled blue jack.
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How To Slice Hard Cheese Wedges
For hard cheese wedges, use the following steps:
Lay the wedge on its side and hold the side with the rind with your non-dominant hand
Hard cheeses like cheddar, Parmesan, or Pecorino are good candidates for wedges. Start by cutting off the rind with a sharp knife. Then, use a serrated knife to make clean cuts if you find it challenging to cut hard cheese. Remember to use a sharp and durable knife like a chefs or a core knife to get clean cuts.
Different Types Of Cheese
Below are descriptions of the most common types of cheese.
Brie: Brie is a soft cheese perfect for spreading on crackers or bread. It has a creamy texture with a slightly salty and tangy taste. Cutting Brie is relatively easy if you use a soft cheese knife.
Camembert: Camembert is another soft cheese thats perfect for spreading. It has a pungent smell and a creamy, smooth texture. Camembert is similar to Brie in taste and consistency, but it has a robust flavor. The best knife to use for cutting Camembert is a soft cheese knife.
Mozzarella: Mozzarella is a fresh, soft cheese with a mild flavor. Its often used in salads, pizzas, and pasta dishes. You can slice Mozzarella with a sharp chefs knife or use a cheese grater.
Cheddar: Cheddar is a hard, crumbly cheese with a sharp flavor. Its one of the most popular types of cheese and is often used in sandwiches, salads, and burgers. Cheddar can be difficult to cut due to its hard texture.
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What Are Good Garnishes For A Cheese Board
After everything is on the platter, you will have small spaces to fill in. I like to fill in all the gaps with a combination of these little nibbles:
- Fresh and dried fruits Grapes, figs, dates, and dried fruits are good options
- Assortment of nuts Walnuts, pecans, almonds, or any other type of nut you prefer.
- Fresh herbs like rosemary, for garnish
Now that you know how to make a cheese board or charcuterie board, tell me what foods you would add to yours!
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How Far In Advance Can You Cut Up Cheese
When you do pre-cut cheeses, be sure to plan your prep for no more than one day in advance of serving. Store your pre-cut cheeses on the shelves of your Cheese Grotto and keep them in the fridge for up to 12 hours, then take it out and bring everything to room temperature a couple of hours before you plan to serve.
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How Do You Pronounce Gouda
And if youre trying to be a real cheese connoisseur, youre going to have to pronounce it right. While in America we pronounce it g-OOO-dah, its actually pronounced h-OW-da. We dont have anything like the sound of the Dutch G in English, but its almost like youre clearing the back of your throat or are gargling. Cute right?
How To Cut Different Types Of Cheese
Nothing screams perfection like a cheese plate full of well-presented, evenly cut cheese. Perhaps you want perfect cubes of cheddar to top off a salad, or maybe slicing Brie into thin pieces for your next cheese board. Regardless of the shape or size, cutting cheese can be easy with the right knife and practice.
Cheese comes in different textures, from soft to hard, with shapes and sizes just as varied. You can cut the cheese into wedges, slices, or cubes. Other styles include bricks and blocks, curls, and gratings. The key to a perfect cut is using the right knife for the job.
This article will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to cut cheese into different shapes and styles. It will also discuss how to prepare cheese, depending on the type.
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How To Cut Log
Logs of very soft cheese like Miracle Springs Farms Everything Chevre dont necessarily need to be cut. These types are so soft and spreadable that often, its best to serve them whole with a spreader or soft cheese knife and allow guests to cut their own pieces.
But if you want to pre-portion, the best way is to cut each log into several uniform rounds. Use a thin-bladed soft cheese knife or cheese wire for this delicate job. Theyll keep the cheese from sticking to the knife blade and getting crumbly and misshapen.
If you dont have one of these specialized knives handy, heres a trick: you can use unflavored, unwaxed dental floss to cut very soft cheeses like this. Simply lay the cheese on top of the floss at the point you want to cut it, then draw up both ends of the floss towards each other in one quick, decisive motion.
So What Exactly Is A Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board, which is pronounced shaar-KOO-tuh-ree, originated in France. It translates to pork-butcher shop, and was mostly a board of pork products. But nowadays, these boards are made up of a variety of cured meats and other ingredients like fruit, cheese, and flavor enhancers. They are meant to complement each other and create delicious pairings based on taste and texture. Everyone loves a good grazing board because there is usually something for everyone. The combinations that can be put together optimize flavor to create a really enjoyable and exciting assortment of foods.
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How To Cut Cheese Into Triangles
Assuming you would like a blog post titled How to Cut Cheese into Triangles: Have you ever been in the middle of making a dish, only to realize you have no idea how to properly cut the cheese? Well, have no fear! Cutting cheese into triangles is actually quite simple, and with this guide, youll be a pro in no time. First, take the cheese and cut off one end at a diagonal. Then, turn the cheese so that the newly cut end is facing the cutting board, and cut the cheese in half at a diagonal. Finally, cut each half of the cheese into thirds, also at a diagonal. And there you have it perfect cheese triangles! So the next time youre in the kitchen and need to cut some cheese, remember this guide and youll be a cheese-cutting pro in no time!
Finding The Right Knives For Charcuterie Boards
Wright likes to keep several different sizes of knives on hand to prep her cheese boards. She says that a basic chef’s knife works great for larger blocks like manchego or parmesan. For softer cheeses, she does have some specialty knives for these varieties that are also beautiful for presentation. A wire cheese slicer also works well for the semi-firm types.
“One tip for semi-firm cheese is that if you pop it out of the fridge and do some prep before you slice, it can be tricky to cut,” says Wright. “In a pinch, you can pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to make it easier to slice again and if you’re not serving it right away, store it back in the fridge until you need to put it on the board.”However, Wright notes that most cheeses are always best-served at room temperature, so you can prep your entire board the morning of a party then take it out 30 minutes before showtime. Some of her favorite ways to source cheeseboard knives is from stores like Williams Sonoma, Anthropologie, and Sur La Table as well as local home and gifts shops like At Home and A’mano.
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How To Cut Blocks Of Aged Cheese
Its tempting to cut a simple block of cheese into a bunch of little cubes, deli tray style. But this isnt the best way to cut cheese.
To get the most flavor out of each piece of cheese we eat, we need to increase the surface area. Thinner, wider slices are the best way to do this. Cubes, on the other hand, minimize the surface that hits our tongue when we first pop a piece of cheese in our mouths.
Luckily, breaking down blocks of cheese is easy to do with a chefs knife or skeleton knife. Simply slice the cheese into eighth-inch-thick planks, cutting those planks into smaller rectangles as needed. You can also cut rectangular-shaped slices diagonally in half to create triangles.
For very firm, dry cheeses that come in blocks, smooth slices may be out of the question. In that case, use a Parmesan knife or narrow plane knife to break the cheese into rustic-looking chunks before serving.
Once all your cheese has been cut, sliced, or chunked, youre ready to assemble your cheese board! Check out our ultimate cheese board guide for tips on how to make your board beautiful and delicious.
What are your favorite ways to cut, slice, and portion cheese for your cheese boards? Tag us on Instagram @cheesegrotto and let us know!
What Kind Of Cheese Do You Put On A Charcuterie Board
Now that youve got your hardware in place, its time to talk softwareer, cheese. You can use these tips wherever you source your wedgesyour local farmers market, Trader Joes or Whole Foods, or our online cheese shop, for instance.
Its a good rule of thumb to choose contrasting styles. Pick a variety of cheeses in terms of milk type , texture , flavor profile , and age. This ensures that theres something for everyone while giving you lots of different profiles to pair with.
Another way to think about that contrast is to choose one common traitstyle, milk type, maker, place of originand work within that scope to find contrasting styles. Maybe you pick a chevre, a bloomy, and an aged goat cheese from one local maker, or you choose Cheddars from different regions at different ages, or a selection of different ash-rubbed wheels.
As for how many cheeses to put on your board, that depends on how many people youre serving. A single cheese is enough for one person, while three cheeses might make sense for two to four people. For a larger crowd, you can go up to five cheeses, but overall, quality is more important than quantity.
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How To Cut Soft Wheels Of Cheese
Small, whole wheels of cheeses like bloomy rinds and washed rinds are simple to cut: just pretend youre slicing up a birthday cake.
Cutting equal-sized wedges from the center out ensures that each piece will include the cloudlike center, lush cream line, and delicate rind, giving each bite the full range of flavors and textures for the cheese. A thin-bladed knife or skeleton knife will give you the best results. This method also works for square-shaped bloomy and washed rind cheeses like the ones from Tulip Tree Creamery or Boxcarrs robiola-style blocks.
If the cheese youre serving is too gooey and liquid inside to cut normallylike Firefly Farms Merry Goat Round Spruce Reserve, for examplethats no problem! Simply use a sharp knife to cut through the top rind, almost as though you were opening an aluminum can. Peel back the lid and let your guests dip in with bread, crackers, veggies, or a spoon.
Pairing Ideas For Cheese Boards
So youve got the cheese sorted. Now its time to choose the supporting players that will help its flavors and textures shine and turn your cheese plate into a well-rounded meal.
You can get really creative with accompanimentsone of our favorite examples of this is dipping crisp, salty potato chips into luscious, creamy, ripe Epoisses. But in general, we recommend skipping the candy canes and chocolate-covered pretzels in favor of classic bites that complement the flavors and textures of a wide variety of cheeses.
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Nuts Seeds And Dried Fruit
Use toasted almonds, candied pecans, roasted pepitas, or crunchy hazelnuts to bring out the nutty flavors of long-aged styles like Alpines and Goudas while adding textural contrast. Dried fruits like apricots, cherries, and cranberries add brightness, while figs and dates emphasize the caramel-y qualities of long-aged cheeses. Dried pineapple and papaya can bring out tropical notes in aged varieties, too.
Is Trader Joes Unexpected Cheddar Aged
At first bite, Trader Joes Unexpected Cheddar tastes like an aged Cheddar. And then something unexpected happens. The smooth creaminess of the Cheddar gives way to a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, a subtle hint of salt crystallization is discovered, and it begins to taste like an aged Parmesan.
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How Do You Cut A Gouda Wheel
Cut the gouda into wedges using a sharp knife. Make a straight cut from the center to the outside edge of the cheese wheel. Then, place the tip of the knife back in the center and move the blade so its at about a 45-degree angle from the first cut you made. Slice down into the cheese wheel and make another cut.
How Do You Cut Cheese Into Shapes
If you want to cut cheese into shapes, the first thing you need to do is choose the right type of cheese. A softer cheese like Brie or Camembert will be more difficult to cut into shapes than a harder cheese like Cheddar or Parmesan. Once youve selected your cheese, use a sharp knife to cut it into thin slices. If the cheese is too thick, it will be difficult to cut into shapes. Next, use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the cheese slices into desired shapes. If the cheese is too soft, it may squish out the sides of the cutter. If the cheese is too hard, it may crack or break. The key is to find a balance between too soft and too hard. Finally, place the cheese shapes on a plate or serving tray. If you want, you can garnish them with fresh herbs, fruit, or nuts. Cheese shapes make a great appetizer or snack, and theyre sure to impress your guests!
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