Microplane Graters

Not all kitchens need high tech food processors. In many cases a few microplane graters and/or a small chopper will suffice. If you walk into a kitchen store, however, you’ll notice that there are a lot of styles available. I do not advise going for the down-n-dirty cheap grater. It won’t remain sharp and you probably won’t like the results you get. Instead, look for brands that offer a professional line.

This set of microplane graters retails for about 50 GBP

In most professional line graters you get sharp openings, a variety of sizes to suite everything from nutmeg to cheese, and a good grip on the handle. This last feature is one of the most important. It gives you control and safety (more than one person has scraped knuckles when using a grater that lacks a grip). Pick up the graters and see how they feel in your hand in terms of weight, balance and grip similarly to how you pick a good knife.
While you’re at it – look to see of what the grater is made. Some graters come in aluminum, but stainless steel by far is the way to go. It cleans up like a breeze and endures a lot of kitchen abuse.

If you’re going a lot of grating, and find your hands weary of the manual style, you may want to consider the electric option. Electric graters make grating far less of a chore, and they also save time. Most electric versions also provide a continuity of size and texture that grating by hand cannot. While an electric grater will cost a little more, you’ll save that money at the supermarket when you buy whole cheese instead of pre-shredded, for example. Just take care in how big you buy. This is another appliance that wants to gobble up your counter space. Find a size that’s right for the kind of cooking you do regularly.

In the electric line you can sometimes find both cordless graters and rechargeable graters. The beauty of this feature is that you can move around your kitchen easily. However, if the power in the grater wanes, the quality will suffer and you won’t be able to grate hard cheese. So make sure you keep this type of grater fully charged with fresh batteries.

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