Sep 2010 The image most people will have in their minds of cheese graters is the box grater, the white or stainless steel one that graces almost every kitchen in the country. However, there is a wide variety of graters on the market to achieve the same, and different, results.
Box cheese graters are the ones most people will be familiar with and are familiar using. Each side of the grater has different sized slicers and graters to grate different types of things. Usually, two of the sides are for shredding the cheese in the traditional manner, with one shredding more finely than the other. The third side will slice the cheese, giving larger flakes. The fourth side will be a very fine grate and is useful for harder cheeses and those you wish grated into almost a fine powder, ideal for sprinkling. This side is also ideal for grating certain spices, such as nutmeg, and for zesting fruits such as oranges and lemons.
Another type is the mandolin. Not for the clumsy, as they have an open blade and if you are not careful you may end up slicing your knuckles too. Many people prefer the mandolin for slicing and grating as they can get better results. The blade is also adjustable to cater for different thicknesses of the food item requiring grating.
A safer method is to try rotary cheese graters. These consist of a piece of metal shaped similarly to tongs. At the end between the two tongs a wheel with a handle attached is place, this has a grate on it and cheese can be fed into the top, the handle turns, which grates the cheese and it emerges from the side of the wheel. A downside to this is it is only capable of producing one size of grated cheese. They are, however, available in an electric form for greater ease. Rotary cheese graters do make the grated cheese more uniform in shape for a much more professional look, because of the fine way in which they grate the cheese they are also ideal if you need some cheese for sprinkling.
If you are not sure which one to buy from all the various cheese graters on the market, or which one you will prefer, the only method is trial and error. Give each one and go and see which one works best for you. A lot of people prefer the box grater, perhaps because it is more traditional, but more likely because they are cheaper. You will be able to pick one up for a couple of pounds.
It is worth noting that not all cheese graters are dishwasher proof, this is important to check if you have a dishwasher and are likely to be putting your grater into it, especially as some of them can be difficult to clean effectively by hand washing.
To get your classic cheese graters in the UK, click here now!
To get your classic cheese graters in the USA, click here now!
To get your classic cheese graters in the USA, click here now!