How to build the ultimate cheese board, according to Ina Garten and other chefs

Want to host a gathering like the pros with a super-impressive cheese board? It's a lot easier than you think. With a few strategic cheese and accompaniment choices, you're good to go. A large wooden cutting board or any other platter can serve as the base. The rest of the work is simply gathering ingredients and placing them in a way that's both easy to self-serve and eye-catching.

Ina Garten (domestic goddess that she is) isn't the only pro who likes to serve a cheese board for entertaining. It's a go-to for many pro entertainers because people love it, it requires no cooking and yet it can wow a crowd.

Garten starts with fig leaves from her garden, but you can use fresh lemon Galax leaves from a florist or just leave the board bare. She likes to place a big bunch of grapes in the center and then the cheese, crackers and other goodies around it. Alternatively, you could snip off smaller bunches of grapes (that, say, one person might put on their plate) and scatter those on the board to start.

The experts at the New York City cheese mecca Murray's Cheese shared some other easy-to-follow guidelines. John Montez, the shop's training and curriculum manager, explains, "It's a good idea to stick with an odd number. Three or five cheeses with a range of flavors and textures will always make a pleasing arrangement."

"When arranging the board, soft cheeses should be put out as a whole piece with a spreader. Semi-firm cheeses look best sliced into triangles and fanned out. The best way to display hard cheeses is to put out the whole piece and use a knife to crumble off a few pieces to suggest to your guests to keep crumbling it. Beware of symmetry — lay out the cheeses artistically and organically, rather than rigidly."

Choosing the cheese

"A good base assortment is a soft cheese like a brie or triple creme, a semi-firm cheese like a young gouda or Swiss Alpine and a hard cheese like an aged cheddar or Parmigiano Reggiano," advises Montez.

Dan Kluger chef and owner of the New York City restaurant Loring Place adds, "I always say, know your audience — I like blue cheese, I like stinky cheese, whereas my wife doesn’t, so I have to keep that in mind. And as always, quality over quantity. Choose one amazing cheese over three mediocre ones."

Chef Curtis Stone of Gwen, a butcher shop and restaurant in Los Angeles, has another reminder: "A really important part of serving cheese is ensuring it's at the right temperature. You should take the cheese out of the refrigerator 45 minutes to an hour before placing it on your cheese board and serving.” He's got a point. No one wants a cold slab of Brie when you can indulge in the runny, gooey version, right?

Tools of the trade

All the accoutrements

You'll want to add fresh fruit (think grapes, pears or berries) or dried fruit (we like apricots, figs and sour cherries), and if you're serving this as a mini-meal, perhaps some charcuterie such as salami, prosciutto, smoked turkey or even sliced beef jerky sticks. Crackers or bread are also must-haves.