Anna Gass Has An Important Tip For Your Next Butter Board

It's not always possible to trace a trend back to its original source, but that's not the case for butter boards. It all started on September 15, when Brooklyn-based recipe developer and self-proclaimed "carb queen" Justine Doiron posted a TikTok video in which she expresses her desire for the novel butter board to become "the next charcuterie board." She cites chef and cookbook author Joshua McFadden (the man behind Portland, Oregon's beloved trattoria Ava Geene's) as the progenitor of the indulgent appetizer. 

McFadden first wrote about butter boards in his 2017 cookbook "Six Seasons: a New Way With Vegetables." In an interview with NPR at the onset of the butter board craze this year, McFadden attributed his recipe to his passion for seasonal produce. "Herbs and vegetables are sprouting and there's all these offshoots or edible flowers to a plant — and they have flavor," he said. "[The butter board] was just a really great way to showcase a seasonal moment."

If you're planning on doctoring up a spread of softened butter for your next party (even if it's a party of one), celeb cookbook author Anna Gass has a useful tip you should definitely follow, courtesy of People.

Until recently, omnivorous home cooks were told to reach for a plastic cutting board as opposed to a wooden one when working with chicken and other raw meat. The argument maintained that wood, which is porous, traps bacteria, and that plastic is easier to deep-clean. According to Butcher Magazine, however, researchers have found that harmful bacteria cling to plastic longer than it does to wood. A three-day study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison concluded that plastic boards are "thriving germ farms," whereas "disease-causing bacteria" like salmonella and listeria die on their own on wooden boards.

Regardless, "Heirloom Kitchen" author Anna Gass recommends staying on the safe side by veering away from both wood and plastic for your butter board. Instead, she opts for smooth, completely non-porous materials. In a People feature on celebrity cooking tips, Gass shouts out marble and slate for their easily sanitized surfaces, and "because they look great."

Preparing a butter board is as easy as preparing a spread of charcuterie or cheese, if not easier. "A communal butter board is less recipe, more technique," writes Amelia Nierenberg for The New York Times. "Soften some butter, then feather it out on a wooden cutting board or a slate or marble cheese platter." The hashtag #butterboard yields an endless bank of inspiration on Instagram and TikTok, from modest sprigs of microgreens to busier displays topped with flower petals, sliced fruit, and honey drizzles.

Celebrity chefs, including Anna Gass, have hopped on the trend as well. Butter board forerunner Justine Doiron appeared on "The Rachael Ray Show" to share two "fall, holiday-themed" takes on the dish. One was a speckled "brown butter board," which yielded a very enthusiastic response from Ray. Doiron topped it with chili flakes and chili powder, plus some harissa, pumpkin seeds, honey, flaky salt, and thyme. From the looks of it, you can't really have too many toppings on your butter.