Everyone loves finger food. Elegantly rolled lunch meat, tiny quiches, baby burgers … all lend an informal air to your next big affair. Whether you’re looking for corporate catering services for a conference, high tea catering with the ladies, or hoping to find great finger food-style wedding catering, you want to make sure your gourmet selections can actually be eaten with hands. Look for these sneaky signs that finger food isn’t actually finger food, and steer clear.
If You Have to Use a Fork, Knife or Plate
Of course, sometimes a small plate can be nice, and there’s no reason to deprive your guests if you like the look. Technically speaking, however, finger food should allow diners to grab a snack off a passing platter without having to transfer it to dinnerware. Spoons are the exception, since risottos and pastas may be served in them.
If It’s Flaky, Crumbly, Limp Or Otherwise Hard to Hold
Standard-sized pastries and hot dogs have two things in common: 1) they are delicious, and 2) they should not be considered finger food. Anything that might come apart on its own (like the flakes of a fish), spill everywhere after a single bit (like the puffiness of pastry), or sag in your hands after you eat part of it (we’re looking at you, weenie) shouldn’t be considered finger food unless you can eat it in a single bite. Of course, anything bite-sized is fair game, because it has nowhere to fall apart but in your mouth.
When There’s Sauce Involved
Sauce is a sure sign that you’ve got non-finger food on your hands. There are exceptions, such as when a morsel has a little bit of sauce smeared inside a bun, or a piece of cheese or veggie is delicately marinated and spiked on a skewer. If sauce is drippy, runny, requires dipping, or can otherwise cause a mess, however, that’s not finger food! Remember, anything that can’t sit comfortably in a hand, spoon, or napkin probably requires a plate.
When It Is Bigger Than Bite-Sized
Of course, if it’s small enough that a diner could hold it delicately between thumb and forefinger and take bites, that’s fine. However, a slider, people, is not finger food. It’s a messy sandwich, though granted a miniature one, and it requires a plate. Especially if there’s sauce involved. Now, don’t confuse this with a truly bite-sized burger, which can pop into the mouth easily and won’t cause a mess.
Wondering what kinds of catering companies Melbourne has to offer for finger food? Look no further than Diamond Blue Catering, which offers beautiful finger foods at affordable prices, without endangering your guests’ outfits or secretly requiring plates and forks!