DIY : How to make a Grazing Table
How to create a grazing table?
If you want your wedding, birthday, or party to look amazing, a grazing table or a delicious platter will definitely do the trick! A grazing table is like a buffet table, but it’s specifically designed for finger food or nibbles.
You can think of it as a cheese and charcuterie board on steroids. A grazing table can be on a wooden board, counter, or any large surface.
There are varieties of food, fruits, biscuits and much more, arranged in piles which spill, overlaps and intertwines into each other, like a piece of art on a table. Hypley’s grazing tables are super popular for birthdays, parties or any other social gatherings.
The difference between a grazing table and a buffet
Technically, a grazing table is a buffet but it doesn’t look like your normal pizza buffet. You don’t see a chafing dish on the table as it’s usually packed with finger foods. You can put whatever type of food you want, but it usually includes bread, dips, raw vegetables, fresh fruits, and more.
You may even find some ham, salami, or anything that is bite-sized and appealing. A big difference between a grazing table and a buffet is that it’s styled to look appealing rather than just emptying the food onto the table.
Why grazing tables are better than anything else!
- Easy to set up.
- You can spend more time with guests instead of cooking a BBQ.
- You won’t ever forget a grazing table experience.
- It gives your guests and yourself the chance to taste and experiment with something new.
Why you should check out Hypley for a platter?
- They are experts in grazing tables and platters and know how to decorate and make it high-class.
- You can get pre-packaged boxes to save a trip to the store and from the rest of the hassle.
- They know the perfect mixture of nibbles for every particular type of event.
We left a video below for you to watch on how to create a grazing platter.
What makes grazing tables different?
Grazing Table Guidelines
There are many ways of creating a grazing table, but it should be designed to make it visually appealing and easy for guests to pick and nibble at the food. It’s usually a table, but it can even be a large platter, wooden board, counter, or just any large and flat surface. Here are some of the essential things that you should keep in mind:
- For grazing use a large table. You want several guests to have access to the food at a time. It allows your guests to taste a bit of everything at one table and allows you to be creative and innovative with the grazing table.
- Cover the entire table with food and fruits. You can easily create a grazing table depending on the theme and the event. Most grazing tables are artfully crammed with food, even if some of that food is repeated several times on the table.
- Once you choose decorating theme, the linens, serving pieces and utensils should all be based on it. For example, Christmas lunch grazing tables can include related themed food, gold decor, plants, herbs, and props. There should also be natural, non-edible elements on the table that matches your theme like flowers, plants, and sprigs of herbs.
- Not all foods need a platter. Butcher block paper is often placed over the table and some foods, particularly meats and cheeses, are placed directly on the paper.
- Arrange the grazing table with food favorites, surrounded by a selection of fresh flowers, greenery, and candles in jars. A gorgeous snack wonderland.
- Use foods that stay fresh at room temperature and are mainly finger foods. Don’t use items that you need to cut with a knife once they’ve left the table. Cut everything into nice shapes so that people can quickly pick up bite-sized portions — like bread or hard cheeses.
- Use fresh, seasonal, local produce, and ensure your grazing table has a balance of ingredients, colors, and textures. Choose seasonal and fresh fruits for grazing the table, artisan cheese wheels, baskets of assorted bread rolls.
- Turn your dessert table into grazing style, sweet treat grazing table. Pastries, Tarts, Chocolates, Cupcakes, and Slices, stacked beside glass jars filled with treats.
- Platters can be the entire main course of a meal at an event, and a grazing dessert table can be separated or included on the main table.
1. Choose a theme
You can easily create grazing tables depending on your theme or special event.
Grazing tables are the best and effective way to attract the guests and providing them with innovative grazing platters. Choose foods, serving pieces, decorative serving platters, utensils, decorations, and props that fit with your theme.
There are some theme ideas to consider:
- You can display your favorite foods surrounded by a selection of fresh flowers, greenery, and candles in jars. A gorgeous snack wonderland.
- Turn your dessert table into a grazing style, sweet treat table. Put Pastries, cupcakes, and slices, stacked beside glass jars filled with treats.
2. Have ample props and crockery
Always consider using neutral-colored plates, bowls, serving trays, platters, and boards, which will work well for any theme.
You can use cake stands, tiered stands, and cake domes to add height to your grazing table. Always fill the empty space by adding more fruits and vegetables and split them up around the board for a prettier presentation.
3. Choose fresh flowers and fruits
Always choose seasonal, fresh flowers, fruits, and vegetables and also ensure that your grazing table has a balance of colors. Along with seasonal fruits and vegetables, use artisan cheese wheels, baskets of assorted bread rolls, and veggies. Also, make it good enough to eat!
You can choose a mixture of different foods
- Start with fresh fruits and vegetables
- You can choose shaved meats and cheeses
- Fresh bread, nuts, seeds, crackers, katsu curry, salad cups, and other dippable items
- Dips and spreads
- Choose a mixture of seeded crackers
- Choose marinated mixed olives and pickles
- Use sweet treats such as chocolate, mini pastries, and tarts to make your platters look innovative
How to create a grazing table together and put it all together!
There are no hard rules when creating your grazing table, but there are some tips that can help you put together your grazing table.
1. Your table or grazing surface
Consider the size of your grazing table as it should not be too small or too big because choosing the right size of your board will guide you about the ingredients you would use to fill your table.
If your table is too small, your guests won’t be able to easily access the food. If your table is too large, your feast will look pitiful. You want your grazing table to wow your guest and not look sad.
2. Table Height
Place your table at an appropriate height as it will add a three-dimensional feel to your table and make it more visually appealing. You would not want it to look flat. To make it more creative use boxes, wooden boards, metal baskets, crates, and tiered stands to create different heights to display your food.
You can also stack wheels of cheese to look like a cake, and garnish honeycomb, figs, and herbs.
3. Setting the table
Use different sizes and shapes of serving ware to make it more creative and innovative and choose a single theme related to the grazing table.
Keep your serving ware simple if you want the food to stand out and be the main attraction. This makes it easier for the hosts’ too, as you can properly prepare everything.
Your grazing table should look arty, and you want your guest to dig in – They should not be afraid to touch the food. Place Scatter crackers, fruits, nuts, and herbs around the table.
4. Keep the guest preferences in mind
You should choose the food-related to your theme and the event of the party. Choose colorful fruits and vegetables to make your grazing table look beautiful and attractive. Also, do not choose food big in size or messy to eat.
Arrange everything according to the guests’ choice so that they can eat a little bit of everything from your grazing table menu.
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