Suggestions on Finger Foods

Finger foods are small bits of food often used as appetizers.

Finger foods refer to small, bite-sized samples of food that are often served at parties and events. Finger foods make good appetizers or hors d'oeuvres and are brought around to guests as they mingle during parties. Finger foods may be simple or fancy, and can incorporate just about any type of food and many different techniques.

Guest Considerations

Before you roll out a menu for your finger foods, it is wise to consider who your guests are going to be. Certain situations, such as events where people are dressed in their best, may not be suited to finger foods coated in sauces that have the potential for causing a mess. In contrast, a get-together with mostly kids may call for finger foods that stress fun over neatness. Think about who will be eating the foods and the nature of the function and the menu will help write itself.

Sticks

Finger foods on sticks provide several benefits to your party or event. First, it adds simplicity for the guests by giving them a convenient way to hold the finger food. Second, it gives you a lot of versatility because there are many different types of foods that can be skewered and served as a finger food. Skewers work well with shrimp, fruit, and different types of meat. Using a stick or skewer is also an effective way to utilize a sauce and keep it on the neat side.

Dips and Spreads

Spinach dips, cheese spreads, flavored mayonnaise or spicy dips can liven up simple finger foods and appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Offering a few choices of dip or spread with some basic crackers, toasted baguette or vegetables makes your job relatively easy and will keep your guests happy. For fancier parties, add some smoked salmon, caviar or blue cheese to the display.

For Babies

Parties and fun events are good places to use finger foods, but serving them to your baby when she first begins to eat also brings satisfaction. Between seven and nine months, your baby will start to eat solid foods, and finger foods will be the order of the day. For a baby, a finger food may consist of small pieces of well-cooked broccoli or cauliflower, small cubes of cheese, pieces of boiled egg or cut up banana.

References

• Canadian Living: Fantastic Finger Foods
• Babycenter: Finger Foods