6 Things That Are Ruining Your Cheese Board

Crafting the best cheese board is tricky, especially by today’s standards. Just look at TikTok, Instagram, or Pinterest, and you can scroll for hours staring at pro-looking boards with cheese cut into funky shapes and arranged in the most gorgeous designs. The good news is that your holiday setup does not need to have a million elements or Mount Everest sculpted out of cheddar to be great. Use cheeses with a variety of textures, put out all the right utensils (like the right knife for each type of cheese and small spoons for jams), and add some fun extras.

You’ll also want to avoid a couple of things that will make your board look, smell, and taste a little less appealing. We asked Leah Toth, director of curriculum and talent development at Murray’s Cheese, to tell us all about the ingredients we should avoid on our cheese boards.

Inedible Decor

“No one wants to be the person who accidentally eats a piece of non-food and has to spit it into a napkin,” Toth says. Avoid plastic, wax, or anything decorative and non-edible.

Inedible (Or Not Very Tasty) Florals

“Florals on a cheese board are trendy these days, but I’d caution to stick with edible varieties,” Toth says. Nasturtiums, hibiscus, violet, and zucchini are safe to use.

Produce That Browns Quickly

You know that look apple slices get when they’re left out too long? Not cute. So you definitely don’t want degrading fruit to harsh the vibe of your impeccably decorated board. “Oftentimes a cheese plate will sit out for a bit, so you want to make sure anything you serve on it will stay in good shape for the duration,” says Toth. If you must use apples, bananas, or pears, a little squeeze of lemon juice will keep them from turning brown for a bit longer.

Super Spicy Foods

Generally, you want to stay away from polarizing foods. People have different levels of heat and spice tolerance, and you never want to catch anyone off guard. Keep the accoutrements mild.

Smelly Cheeses

Some cheeses are naturally super stinky, and while that’s not a problem if you’re cutting yourself off a piece or two to have with crackers alone, when you combine that smell with a variety of other scents on a charcuterie board, it can get pretty funky. “It might be worth avoiding or serving separately,” Toth says.

Common Allergens

If you know your guests well and can be sure there are no allergies to worry about, then you can ignore this part. But, if you’re setting up a charcuterie board for a crowd, you’ll want to be careful about things like nuts or condiments that contain shellfish (it’s more common than you think). “If you do choose to serve them, try to keep them fully contained and add a label if it’s not clear what the item is so no one gets a nasty surprise,” Toth says.