Our trend skepticism: TikTok butter boards

👋 Annalise here. Have you ever looked at a classic charcuterie board and thought: I wish this was all butter?

Welcome to butter boards, a viral TikTok recipe trend I've frowned at while scrolling for the last several weeks.

How it works: For an appetizer, butter is spread across a serving board. It's sprinkled with things like herbs, salt crystals and spices, then scooped up with slices of crusty bread.

My take: I love a good dip, but this feels like an unnecessary, oily mess that will leave guests touching my doorknobs with greasy butter hands.

• Regardless, they're gaining popularity and some of them do look kind of nice.

Plus, for the dessert-inclined, there's the option of the peanut butter board.

• For those aiming to defy gravity, my TikTok algorithm suggests the soup board.

Zoom in: We looked around Detroit and weren't able to find a restaurant capitalizing on the trend.

• Thyme and Honey, a local catering and charcuterie business, made a "smoky butter board with Middle Eastern flavors," per the Free Press.

Tips: If you push past my personal reservations and make one of these, it's probably best to spring for good butter that's served at room temperature.

• The more toppings the better — you need to justify the fact that you're oiling up a flat, porous surface instead of just dipping your knife in a stick of butter.

Go deeper: This savory trend may be boosting butter sales, Axios Twin Cities writes.

📬 If you see any butter boards on restaurant menus, or want to convince me they're a good idea, please email [email protected].