by Katherine Snow Smith
Contributor
Charcuterie boards have gone from favorite appetizers at restaurants to party staples you can DIY with grocery store ingredients that cost less than you might think.
You don’t have to be a chef or caterer to make an elegant, crowd pleasing charcuterie tray full of cured meats, cheeses and complementary snacking accessories. You also don’t have to spend big bucks.
Meat and cheese boards are super easy to make.
The staples for a proper charcuterie board are cured meats with cheese options, plus a selection of dried or fresh fruits, nuts, crackers, spreads, olives and pickled vegetables. Think of it as a glorified snack tray and choose what appeals to you.
Here’s a shopping list of essentials from Aldi, but you can find a great selection of affordable options at Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Total: $29.16
This much food will easily serve 10 people, with extras on hand for replenishing the board.
Ready to make your own cheese board with all the fixings?
These can get pricey if you’re not careful.
Common charcuterie board meats include prosciutto, Genoa salami, pepperoni, pancetta and Soppressata (an Italian salami).
Prosciutto disappears from the board first and it’s the most expensive, but get it when your budget allows.
Pepperoni and salami generally yield more pieces per dollar. Explore what pairs well, and ultimately get whatever gives you the most bang for your buck, or taste buds. People will eat it regardless.
It’s good to have about four different cheeses on a board with a variety of soft cheese and hard cheese from mild and medium to sharp.
You can’t go wrong with mozzarella, goat cheese or a white cheddar. They’re all affordable and have agreeable flavors compared with pungent cheeses like blue or Gorgonzola. But if those are your jam — add ’em.
To get the most fromage for your buck, buy cheese by the block rather than sliced. You can also use the block with a grater and further save on the cost of pre-packaged shredded varieties. (Prepackaged grated cheese also has more preservatives.)
Try to include a goat or sheep cheese for those with milk intolerance, but it really depends on your situation. Don’t fret too much over getting the best cheeses. Buy what you like — and do a taste test if you can!  — or grab what’s on sale.
This is the fun part because anything goes (short of barbecue ribs). The “side foods” are what makes your plentiful charcuterie platter much more than a humble cheese tray.
Complement sweet with savory to delight all palates. Add mixed nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruits, jelly, mustard, pickles and olives to the array.
When you are making a board on a budget, start with things you have on hand like candied nuts, banana chips, pretzels, cherry peppers, honey or cucumbers. You can stock up on inexpensive charcuterie board items from grocery stores that will keep for a while.
Don’t forget fresh bread and/or crackers — gluten free crackers are a nice touch for your guests.
Here are a few more affordable items to keep on hand for your charcuterie boards.
Trader Joe’s Shopping List
To personalize a charcuterie board, you can spell out someone’s name with fruit leather or cut out a heart, candles or any shape to place on top of a round of cheese.
The charcuterie board ingredients you choose give your creation personality and distinguish it from an average cheese plate. So do the serving utensils and the board on which you serve your delicious spread.
You can find distinctive cheese knives, tongs, sugar shells, pickle forks and baby silverware at thrift stores and estate sales for a bargain.
You can also find a large cutting board or an old-school turning Lazy Susan the same way. Scout stores such as Ikea, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Tuesday Morning for a wooden board in any shape and size.
There’s an art to arranging a charcuterie board, and you’ll get better with practice. Prep time is minimal, and there are really no rules. But here are a few helpful tips for preparing a delicious board.
Katherine Snow Smith is a freelance writer and editor living in Chapel Hill, N.C., and author of Rules for the Southern Rulebreaker: Missteps and Lessons Learned.
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