The very best cheesegrater money can buy

August 2, 2017 9:04 PM

My dollar-store cheesegrater is rusted and blunted. I want to buy a new one which will be the only cheesegrater I will need for the rest of my life. Criteria over the fold.

I want a grater that stands up by itself rather than needing to hold the handle. It needs to be dishwasher-proof, and not likely to rust. I really only use the big holes on my current one (I have a micro-plane grater that I use for fine-grating things like ginger, lemon zest and parmesan cheese), and mostly I grate vegetables and fruit, rather than cheese.

What do you recommend, wise ones of the green?

posted by Gwendoline Mary to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

OXO stuff is affordable, quality and lasts.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:06 PM on August 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

In general I've been very happy with my cheese grater from Oxo.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 9:07 PM on August 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Sweet Home: "After conducting 40 hours of research, speaking with seven experts, and testing 28 models head-to-head, we found that the best all-around grater for your kitchen is the Cuisipro Surface Glide 4-Sided Box Grater."
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:10 PM on August 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

I don't know that the lifetime grater exists, but I was given this (probably same brand) as a stocking stuffer 15? years ago and I still have it and it still looks like new. I often use the grate plates freehand over a plate or pan or dish. Been through the dishwasher a million times, and doesn't take up an awkward spot.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:11 PM on August 2, 2017

Pulling it all together, I have the Oxo version of Lyn Never's grater and it does a nice job. Previously I used this KitchenAid one which was bulky and never sat right on the collection box once the grater had been through the dishwasher.
posted by Flannery Culp at 9:21 PM on August 2, 2017

We bought the Cuisipro one based on The Sweethome review and it seems good so far. The label says something like "dishwasher safe, hand washing preferred" and I decided I'm comfortable disregarding the preferences of kitchenware.
posted by escapepod at 10:29 PM on August 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

We have this grater from Ikea and it's the best damn thing. The cheese goes right into the container and if you somehow grate more cheese than you need (what?) there's even a lid you can put on until you need the extra grated cheese. It comes with both a large-hole grater and a smaller one that's perfect for making drifts of Parmesan.
posted by rtha at 10:41 PM on August 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

To consider: if you happen to have a food processor, give the large-hole grating disk a whirl. I finally tried it when our box grater went rusty. So fast! So easy on the hands! Didn't replace the grater.
posted by Kalatraz at 11:52 PM on August 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Seconding Cuisipro Surface Glide. If you get one, grate carefully, it's wicked sharp.
posted by Splunge at 12:30 AM on August 3, 2017

I have two from Ikea that I love. This one meets your criteria for being self-standing, but it also has a container for catch your gratings, which you can use or not. It's the one I use most often.

This one doesn't meet your criteria but I use it when I need to add cheese directly on top of a finished dish.
posted by The Deej at 5:49 AM on August 3, 2017

I hate our Oxo MultiGrater. It's hard to get apart, doesn't stand all that well, and is super hard to clean if you can't get it apart. I like a lot of their other products, so I was stunned at how much I dislike it. The others Oxo ones seem better.
posted by advicepig at 6:03 AM on August 3, 2017

OXO also offers a free replacement/refund if you're not satisfied with their products, or if they wear out or are defective. (I can attest that they will replace things. They sent me a new set of measuring cups after I e-mailed some pictures where the label had started to wear off on them after several years of use.)
posted by PearlRose at 7:00 AM on August 3, 2017

As a dish hand-washer I dislike OXO rubber/silicone features. I use an all steel(?) box grater that was $10 at Target about 5 years ago and there's been no deterioration I can see.
posted by rhizome at 10:02 AM on August 3, 2017

Another vote for the Cuisipro...it's awesome. One of those things you wish you'd bought long ago.

(I'm holding a grudge against Oxo for not replacing/refunding a suction-cup basket that stopped staying attached to the wall after a month.)
posted by ndg at 11:45 AM on August 8, 2017