Microplane Gourmet Fine Grater

Product Information

Who it’s for: People who want a grater that’s effective for grating cheese but isn’t as bulky as a box grater. Reaching into a drawer can sometimes lead to unexpected cuts when there's a zester or grater in there. Some of these tools have covers that go over them to protect your hands—and potentially your little ones' hands. Decide if this is an important feature for you when selecting one. The Oxo Good Grips Multi Grater is the third type of grater on this list. It’s sort of the halfway house between the hand grater and the box grater. The best thing about this style is that you can stand it up over any sized bowl and grate your cheese (or whatever you’re grating) straight into the bowl. This prevents any extra mess and will save on the washing up as well. Plus, if you want to use it as a normal grater it works perfectly.

If you’d prefer to have one grater and one grater only, we encourage you to try zesting on whatever grater you choose—if it has a fine blade option, that is. We found during our testing that some did produce acceptable zests, like the Microplane 4-Sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater. Sharp: Graters should be able to efficiently cut through hard vegetables or soft cheeses. You shouldn’t meet a lot of resistance when shredding or slicing on a good grater, and the results should be consistent enough to cook evenly or look attractive as a garnish. A sufficiently sharp zester will help remove just the right amount of citrus rind without ripping into the bitter pith. Learn More About How We Test Products What to Look for in a Microplane Grater and Zester Versatility Zwilling Z-Cut Tower/Box Grater: Our tester really liked the included storage compartment built inside the grater, the fact that you could use the grater horizontally, and the two-way blades, which resulted in “consistent and professional” cheese shreds. However, it’s much more expensive than other comparable models. Spices start losing their potency and aroma the moment they're ground, meaning ground nutmeg and cinnamon from the grocery store don't have the same wow factor that freshly ground spices do. Take your homemade eggnog and pumpkin spice latte to the next level by zesting these spices at home. Enter the Norpro grater. This small but sturdy grater features a non-slip rubber guard to keep it from slipping.

Overall, we recommend the Microplane 4-Sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater. This box grater produced even shreds for hard cheese, soft cheese, and citrus, the latter of which was hard to achieve with other grater types we tested. It was also comfortable to use and the blades were sharp enough that our tester didn’t need to apply much pressure to get the grating jobs done. Slagle says the biggest mistake she sees people make with their graters is not replacing them when they start to wear. “If you’re struggling when you grate on it, or the ingredients are grating in mushy mounds instead of individual pieces, then it’s time to retire it,” she says. Most people know what a zester does, but perhaps a Microplane is new to you. If so, this brand guide will help you better understand Microplane products, why they’re the grater of choice for both professional chefs and home cooks, and which one you should buy. Our Multi-grater offers you the same level of versatility in a different arrangement: It, too, has four grating functions that you can use in the form of interchangeable grater inserts. Simply grate food into the food attachment and grate, slice or cut cleanly and safely. The Multi-grater is especially suitable for you if you want to prepare many different cuts and ingredients for a varied diet. Do you want clean cuts and lump-free grated ingredients like cheese, carrot, or even spices like ginger or nutmeg? For such comprehensive culinary art, the versatile Multi-grater is just what you need! Mozzarella: We shredded 4 ounces of mozzarella using the coarse holes on each box. We paid attention to whether cheese passed through the grater easily, creating even shreds, or if it crumbled into uneven blobs or sheared (broke into larger chunks that are then harder to shred). We also considered whether cheese flew off the face of the grater and made a mess.

Box graters are usually the de facto choice for many home cooks thanks to their versatility and stability. We found this box grater to be exactly those things, and due to its performance, believe that it will last a long while. This can be credited to its sturdy material and impressive sharpness. Our tester told us that the blades on this grater are so sharp that they would recommend people get cut-resistant gloves to prevent injuring their fingers (our tester did). This is good news though, because graters, like knives, dull overtime. Who it’s for: People who want a grater that doesn’t require a lot of pressure to keep in place while grating.

Why You Should Trust Us

In testing, this managed to grate parmesan, but it wasn’t as easy as some others. However, it did a fine job with our softer Colby cheese. Slicing carrots wasn’t particularly effective, but it did a fine job slicing zucchini. We wouldn’t use this for zesting citrus unless we had no other options. The sharp blades are made of stainless steel, the handle is non-slip silicone, and the wide surface area offers plenty of space to make fast work of cheese or chocolate. Di Oro comes with a lifetime warranty and is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. This comes with a cover for storage, but it has holes that leave some of the sharp blades exposed. The one that’s best for you depends on how often you grate food as well as what types. Box graters are a solid choice for anyone, but we found during our testing that some zest better than others. We also discovered that box graters are the easiest for shredding soft cheeses, so if you frequently shred soft cheese but also want to zest citrus, we recommend getting a box-style grater and a rasp grater with fine blades.

The Joseph Joseph Twist Grater is a compact little tool that can do a lot for its small size. On the surface, it's a rasp-style grater with one angled face that includes two grating surfaces; fine and coarse. However, the handle can twist 90° and becomes a support leg, making it much easier to grade large amounts of cheese or veggies. This model comes close to the stability of the box-style models without taking up as much space in your kitchen cabinet or drawer. Looking to make some nachos or mac and cheese? What about some grilled cheese sandwiches? Whatever cozy, warming recipes you’re looking to whip up, cheese can almost certainly improve them. And, while you can buy pre-shredded cheese, of course, it’s generally fresher and tastier if you grate your own. Pecorino: We shredded 1 ounce of Pecorino using the fine holes on each box grater, and using each rasp grater or zester. Again, we looked for undesirable crumbling, shearing, and messiness, as well as uniform shred size and shape. The soft cheese, on the other hand, didn’t fare as well. We were able to produce some shreds but doing so required more pressure. Plus, the soft cheese did start to break off while grating. Still, our tester said they’d recommend this greater for its “smart design, solid performance, and high-quality build.”Next on our list is another food grater from Oxo. They make a huge range of really high-quality culinary tools and the Oxo Good Grips Box Grater is one of their best products. It pretty much looks just like a normal box grater, but it has one added feature that makes it extra useful. On the bottom of the grater, there’s an attachable container to catch whatever you’re grating. This tool will come in handy, especially for health nuts that like to measure their food because it has measurements on both sides. Plus, it has a small lid on top so you can also use the container to store food if you grate too much by accident. We tested 22 different graters in our Lab and evaluated them on ease of use, performance, cleaning, and value. Our first test involved examining each grater out of the box, noting its versatility, size, weight, and whether or not it was comfortable to hold, among other features. For box- and rasp-style graters, we tested their grating abilities with hard cheese (parmesan), soft cheese (mozzarella), and citrus (an orange). We took into account how much effort it took to grate each food type, how effective the grater was at shredding, and the quality, size, and texture of the grated food. For rotary-style graters, we performed the same tests with just the cheeses. Potatoes: We sliced half a potato on each box grater with a wide blade to see how consistent the pieces were. Soft cheese was not as easy to grate, as it required a lot more pressure to obtain shreds. Granted, this rotary grater was not designed for soft cheeses, so this wasn’t surprising. This rotary grater comes with two blades and convenient storage tubes that you can attach to your grater while grating. Keep in mind that this grater style does require extra elbow grease to operate, as you can’t rest it on a countertop while grating. Easy to clean: It should be easy to wipe down graters to push out any remaining food bits, as well as to clean any baskets or attachments. Although we looked for dishwasher-safe graters, our experts recommended hand washing to prolong a grater’s sharpness.

This grater performed well in our tests, producing even shreds of both hard and soft cheese. The big surface area of the sides and the wider, flared opening at the bottom came especially in handy while grating larger volumes. Since it is lightweight, despite its size, we noted that it might not last as long with heavier use (more than the average home cook). Cleaning was easy—both in the dishwasher and while washing by hand—and the rubber bottom is removable to ensure that no smaller pieces of food are caught underneath. All in all, this grater is a great value for the price.

Analysis and Test Results

This can also be used for veggies or coconut when you want to add flavor, but not a lot of texture to your soups or smoothies. This cheese grater from Microplane features surgical-grade stainless steel blades and is dishwasher safe. A Microplane grater is an essential tool in the chef’s knife roll, and any chef will tell you they go through a lot of these over the years—a lot.As a chef, Renu Dhar has used her fair share of these tools for baking and cooking. In fact, some of the ones she's used in the past and liked are on this list. Who it isn’t for: People who want a grater that comes with a storage base and compartment for shredded food.