A Grate Problem

December 6, 2004 8:34 AM

I hate box graters. [MI]

Yes, I know there are times when they have their uses, but they make a terrible chore of something as simple as grating a potato for a delicious breakfast. My hands end up sore, and I toss a good chunk of whatever I'm grating for fear of cutting myself. I hate box graters so much that I buy pre-grated parmesan (gasp!).

I have very limited cupboard and counter space, so a food processor is out. I've seen mandolines and drum graters and have no idea what's going to work, be safe and easy to clean, and go easy on my weak widdle hands. What's your favorite gadget for the task?

posted by frykitty to Food & Drink (24 answers total)

I have one of these. You might want to use a vegetable sprayer to get the bits out of the cylinder, but it's klutz-proof. No more grated knuckles!
posted by amber_dale at 8:52 AM on December 6, 2004

A box grater.

Actually, for parmesean, get a rotary grater. They tend to be not very durable, so get a cheap one.

There's also the micro-plane type of grater, although they're harder to clean and tend to be really really sharp. They usually come in different grate-sizes, so you might have to get an assortment.
posted by bshort at 8:53 AM on December 6, 2004

We have one of these and it's surprising how much of a difference it makes over the box grater. Being designated grater guy in our household (since I have few culinary skills otherwise), I greatly appreciate that knobby thing on top -- it makes it much, much easier to control what you're doing.
posted by dragstroke at 9:00 AM on December 6, 2004

What bshort said. Microplanes are fantastic graters — Microplane made woodworking tools before they made graters, and still apply the same ideas. And rotary graters for cheeses, definitely. The general principle that works there is "do what restaurants do, because if it's annoying to do once, it's really annoying to do all night long".

But potatoes? I'm having a hard time picturing what the intended end result is, but you might find that a mandoline slicer would work well (but be careful, mandolines are bloodthirsty things if misused) or even just a plain old food processor. If you're cooking for one or two, Cuisinart's Mini-Prep or a clone thereof is really handy.

For general quick grating, I just use one of these Ikea graters — what it loses in ergonomics it gains in cleanup. It still doesn't solve the problem of how to grate the last little bit, which is where mandolines and food processors shine.
posted by mendel at 9:08 AM on December 6, 2004

I also love that IKEA grater, but as you say it doesn't really resolve the box grater issues.
posted by smackfu at 9:10 AM on December 6, 2004

Fixed link for the Mini-Prep, sorry.
posted by mendel at 9:10 AM on December 6, 2004

Aaaaand one more comment on Microplane graters: If you're going that way, go all the way and get a real Microplane. The improvements are about 25% design and 75% craftsmanship; they're razor-sharp and they stay sharp, which means you can work on dragging across the grater instead of pushing down into the blades. I'm sure the Oxo handheld graters are good, because Oxo makes good stuff, but Microplane originated the "woodshop tools in the kitchen" approach, and it'll be hard to find a greater grater. (There, someone said it.)

I suppose the important part is to note that Microplane is a brand, and not just a style of grater.
posted by mendel at 9:16 AM on December 6, 2004

Huh. I've never experienced the problems you're having with the box grater. Mandolines have a small device that sticks into the item you're grating to protect your fingers from the grater during the last bits. It sounds like you need one of those for the box grater. I couldn't find one sold on its own (normally they come with the mandoline), but I did find this slider attachment for a microplane grater that will protect your fingers and let you ease up on the death grip a bit. Don't know how well it'll work on the legendary last bit, though; when grating cheese or chocolate, I usually consider that last piece a bonus treat for the cook. :)
posted by boomchicka at 9:18 AM on December 6, 2004

Wait, actually I think this one might better suit your needs - it's got varying size grate holes and a safety guard that you can use with your regular box grater. This brand is fair, not the greatest, but with all those parts surely there's something that will work for you.
posted by boomchicka at 9:26 AM on December 6, 2004

this is too fine I guess for your needs, but the Lee Valley Rasper /Zester is a really amazing bit of hardware; would work for parmesean, if you aren't feeling the rotary grater. Which would be a good first bet.
posted by cmyr at 9:33 AM on December 6, 2004

A Salad Shooter is perfect for small grating chores...
posted by yodelingisfun at 9:34 AM on December 6, 2004

Response by poster: Hmm, a salad shooter or one of the rotary graters look like they might work. Cutting a potato into smaller chunks is no big deal.

Really, anything where I have to grip and drag is a no-go, as my hands are very weak from an old injury, and start to hurt fast with that kind of motion.

Thanks all for the recommendations! This is very helpful.
posted by frykitty at 9:46 AM on December 6, 2004

Another vote for Microplane! I beat my box grater with a baseball bat as soon as tried the Microplane. Some models allow for a little box-slidey attachment, so you can push with that and not worry about your knuckles. I'm getting my mom and my brother three MPs for Christmas. I love love love it.

They make bone shavers, too, so I know it will stand up to any cheese I throw at it!
posted by mimi at 10:09 AM on December 6, 2004

Between a Microplane and a Mouli, you can handle anything.
posted by Vidiot at 10:17 AM on December 6, 2004

I use the grater that attaches to my KitchenAid, which is really, really good, but when I was a kid we used a Mouli.
posted by majick at 10:19 AM on December 6, 2004

You might also want to try using stainless steel or kevlar gloves when grating or cutting. Really saves the fingers.
posted by filmgoerjuan at 10:23 AM on December 6, 2004

I don't have a Microplane (but I might, due to reading about them here), but I do prefer and use the "spatula" form factor as opposed to the dreaded box.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 12:20 PM on December 6, 2004

Graters owned:

3 Microplane graters
1 box grater
1 "spatula" hand grater
1 rotary grater
1 food processor w/grater blade
1 nutmeg grater
1 ginger grater

They all do some jobs better than others. For shredding potatoes, though, I always use the box grater. Alton Brown would be aghast at the number of graters I own.
posted by briank at 12:30 PM on December 6, 2004

Actually, it's the wife of the CEO of Lee Valley Tools that started the Microplane-in-the-kitchen idea. :-)

Microplanes are awesome. And although they are sharp/tough enough to use as a wood shaping plane, they are difficult to cut oneself on; the "teeth" are too low-angled to catch skin easily.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:33 PM on December 6, 2004

Second the kitchenaid grater. If you have a kitchenaid already, pretty much all of the attachments do a great job of replacing some other standalone piece of kitchen equipment.
posted by Caviar at 1:01 PM on December 6, 2004

Microplane does make a rotary grater now too. Lee Valley (among many others) has them.
posted by bonehead at 1:54 PM on December 6, 2004

Someone suggested a mandoline, which is great for a variety of tasks, but if you want grated potatoes for something like latkes, don't use a mandoline. I tired this and it makes such exacting cuts that you end up with very dry, straight-edged potato strings, which when cooked give a hashbrown-type product (much too crispy and hard). Use a box grater and work those fingers.
posted by rxrfrx at 2:12 PM on December 6, 2004

FWIW, i find the papmered chef rotary a pain in the ass. i've tried it with lots of cheeses (soft or hard), fresh ginger, nuts, etc. and usually it just makes a mess. soft stuff doesn't get caught in the wheel teeth that well, and soft cheeses always end up making a smear all around the inside of the grater. plus, the small cylindric design means about half of what you do manage to grate stays inside the cylinder unless you reach in and scrape it out with a fork. the ginger just made a squishy mess. nuts turn out ok.

the amount of pressure you need to put on the grater to get it to work is more than i can usually bear to do for very long. i have big hands, and a relatively strong grip, but i can't squeeze the damn thing enough to make it work well most of the time. it's impossible for my wife, who has small hands, to make it work with most cheeses. plus, the damn knob you turn to make it grind is set too close to the body of the grater, so every turn bangs it against my knuckles.

anyway, in my opinion, if you're going to go rotary, drop the extra $15 and get the microplane gift set. don't waste your time on the pampered chef version.
posted by caution live frogs at 4:02 PM on December 6, 2004

another vote for microplane here
posted by kamylyon at 8:02 PM on December 6, 2004