Charcuterie boards are becoming increasingly popular in recent years, despite them having been around for quite some time.
This is because more and more people are seeing the appeal of an aesthetically pleasing display of food on a wooden board, perfect for guests to noble on, and to suit any sort of event or occasion.
They kind of bring the picnic vibe to wherever they are served but in a fancier and more elegant way!
Not to mention that they are great for offering a varied selection of ingredients, all of which complement each other through the different textures and flavors.
But here’s a dilemma: what if you’re invited to a gathering, and you want to make and take a charcuterie board with you?
To make it, you place different ingredients and foods onto the board, arranged in a visually appealing way, until it’s full.
So how are you supposed to transport it to the location? If the board isn’t kept flat, the right way up, the food will move and fall off, causing a bit of a disaster. Not to mention that they need to be kept fresh.
The truth is that transporting a charcuterie board is always going to be tricky. There are different tips and tricks that you can use in order to get it to the destination in one piece,
but you’re going to have to be careful throughout the entire process and pray that nothing goes wrong.
In order to help you out with this problem, which is super common, we’re going to give you all our best advice,
with the common methods that people use to transport charcuterie boards, and what you can do to get yours to where it needs to be, successfully. Let’s get right into it!
Common Methods Of Transporting A Charcuterie Board
When it comes to transporting your charcuterie board, so that it can be enjoyed somewhere else, people pretty much do whatever they can, coming up with all sorts of solutions and methods.
Regardless of what advice we give you, at the end of the day you need to figure out how to best carry the board,
and the food so that it can get to the destination safely, and this can largely depend on how you are going to get there and how long it will take!
But anyway, overall, there are two main options for you when transporting a charcuterie board. You can either pre-prepare all of the ingredients and foods,
take them with you, and then quickly arrange them on the board when you get to the destination in question. Or, alternatively, you can fully prepare and arrange the charcuterie board at home,
and then somehow transport it to the destination in question, in a way that doesn’t mess up the display or the food.
There are pros and cons to both options and different ways of going about them. So let’s take a closer look at both!
Option 1: Pre-Preparing The Food And Arranging The Board At The Destination
This option consists of pre-preparing all of the food and bits of pieces that you need to arrange the display on the charcuterie board and then taking them with you to the destination.
Once there you can quickly arrange the ingredients on the board, and then there’s no need to juggle the board and worry about things falling off during the transport.
In order to do this, you have to group everything that you need and pack it up. You should pre-slice whatever needs to be sliced and pour dips into their bowls or containers. Here are some tips for doing this:
- Place the slices of cured meats and cheese into sealed containers and Tupperware
- Place lids on the containers and bowls for the dips and sauces
- Separate soft foods from hard or crunchy foods, so that they don’t mix during transport (have different sealed containers and bags for each!)
- Place all of the pre-prepared food in a cooler bag (maybe add an ice pack to ensure it stays cool if the journey is long). This will help keep the food fresh and chilled
Basically, you want to make sure that all of the pre-prepared food is safely packed and contained, so it’s okay to be transported.
And once you get there, you whip out the board, open up all the containers, remove the lids, and quickly arrange everything on the board so that it looks good and is ready to be served.
Here Are Some Pros And Cons To This Option
PROS
It makes the transportation easier (no juggling a board full of food)
It keeps the food a little more fresh
People can see you arrange the board at the destination
CONS
You need to arrange the board at the destination (not great if it needs to be served immediately or if you don’t have time to arrange it there)
No last-minute additions, you only have what you pre-prepared and packed
Option 2: Transporting A Fully Arranged Charcuterie Board
This option consists of preparing and arranging the entire charcuterie board at home, as if you were going to serve it there and then, and then transporting it to the location in question.
This method is a little trickier, as it involves somehow packing and transporting a board upon which there is a variety of ingredients and foods, all carefully displayed.
How are you supposed to move the board without things falling off? And how do you keep it fresh?
Well, here are some of our tips
- Pick the right board. Ideally, we recommend using one with raised edges, so that it stops the food from falling off the sides
- Before arranging the display of ingredients, place the board on foil paper (that way it’s easier to wrap the whole thing after you’re done)
- Place lids on the bowls of dips and sauces, so that they are kept fresh, and so that they don’t spill in the case of being juggled about
- Use plastic wrap to cover the food, so that it is kept fresh
- Wrap the board with foil paper, and secure it in place around the edges (you can use kitchen clips for this)
- Make sure to keep the board upright and flat throughout the entire journey. If traveling with other people, have someone be in charge solely of the board, as it will take a lot of focus
- If the journey is long, carefully place the wrapped board in a cooler bag so that it is kept fresh. Again, be careful to keep the cooler bag upright and on a flat surface
Basically, you have to transport the board while carefully balancing it, so that it is always flat and upright, in order to avoid any of the ingredients from moving about or falling about.
Here Are Some Pros And Cons To This Option
PROS
It’s easier to arrange the board at home, where you have everything you need
The board is prepared and ready to be served by the time you get to the destination
CONS
Transportation is harder (you have to juggle a board full of food)
It’s harder to keep the food fresh (as everything is wrapped together, rather than individually)
There is a higher risk of the board falling or moving and the food getting ruined
Final Thoughts
In order to transport a charcuterie board, you have to secure the board and the food, so that it makes it to the destination in one piece. It’s also important to keep the food fresh and protected so that it doesn’t go bad during the journey.
You can either pre-prepare the food, and then pack it so that you can place it on the board once you get there, or you can arrange it all at home and then wrap the board with the food as a whole.
It’s up to you! Just consider the different factors, such as the length of the journey, the means of transport, and your priorities.
