Grazing Boards Are the Coolest Way to Serve Dinner this Summer
Plus 6 recipes to inspire you.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd or cooking for two, we’ve found the coolest way to serve dinner this summer. You might be wondering at this point: what the heck is a grazing board? And we’re glad you asked. Quite simply, it’s an artfully arranged spread of food on a large cutting board — like this beauty designed by board connoisseur Meg Quinn on The Kitchen. Place a grazing board the center of your dinner table, and everyone can leisurely snack as they please — instead of having "firsts," "seconds" and "thirds." Grazing boards double as a gorgeous centerpiece (let the ’grams rain) and reduce the number of serving dishes you have to clean. Here, a few of our favorite ideas to get your started.
Grilled Chicken with Avocado Tomato Salad
Proof that most dinners can be served on a board instead of a platter. Yeah, we’re talking about your go-to chicken dinner: serve it on a board next time.
Meze Platter
We love the idea of assembling nothing but the good stuff. Dolmas, falafel, cheese stuffed peppers, figs: no "filler" foods allowed.
Spring Roll Board
Maybe you’ve gone all out with DIY spring rolls and sushi. Maybe you’ve ordered them from your local takeout joint. Either way, serve them on a board to instantly impress and corral dipping sauces in pretty bowls in the middle.
Brunch Board
Technically, you can make grazing boards for other meals of the day too, like brunch. Though to be honest, who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? Bring on the lox, schmear, bacon, sliced onion, jammy eggs, avocado and bagels galore.
Tabletop Grazing
Tip: If you don’t own a big enough board, feel free to lay out your accoutrement on smaller boards in the center of the table. Or, if it’s a mingling sort of evening, directly on your countertop.
Sandwich Board
Roast beef, turkey or ham? There are endless options to mix and match on this decidedly non-dainty platter.
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