No matter how skilled you are with blades as a chef, you won’t always get consistent slices of ingredients all the time. The ideal kitchenware used lately for slicing ingredients for a recipe is either a grater or a chopper, and sometimes a food processor.
Pre-grated cheese is often packed with preservatives to preserve shelf life and prevent clumping. It is quite costly and not as neat as freshly grated cheese. Every kitchen deserves to own the best cheese grater with multiple grating blades because cheese goes with almost every food.
However, using a cheap quality grater to grate your cheese can cause your wrist to hurt and your shoulder to ache. But all these can be avoided if you use any of the Best Cheese Grater that we will be reviewing.
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Cheese Grater Definition
A cheese grater is an essential kitchen gadget for every cheese professional. It is essential for adding a fine touch to meals and for preparing different dishes. The best cheese grater is always designed with sharp cutting edges that are used primarily for grating cheese and any other vegetables.
Reviews Of the Best Cheese Grater Test Kitchen for 2021
Here are top-rated Cheese Grater on the market
Top 1- Spring Chef Professional Box Grater
Spring Chef Professional Box Grater is one of the best cheese graters with a wide opening for holding more gratings. It is available in five different color options, and you won’t have to empty the grater repeatedly during food prep.
This grater is equipped with a wide handle that offers enough knuckle space as you shred and grate different items. It features four different sides for grating different ingredients aside from cheese, such as ginger, vegetables, carrot, lemon, squash, and more, which makes it the best cheese grater.
The blades are made of premium stainless steel that is rust-resistant. The base is made of non-slip rubber that is detachable after use for convenient cleaning. A limited lifetime warranty backs this product. Also, it is safe for the dishwasher, which helps you spend less effort and time cleaning.
Pros
- Durable
- High-quality stainless steel blades
- Dishwasher friendly
- Large holding capacity
- Sleek design
Cons
- Detaching the base can be a pain.
Top 2- KitchenAid Gourmet 4-Sided Box Grater
KitchenAid Gourmet 4-Sided Stainless-Steel Box Grater is made of premium quality materials that are designed to last a lifetime. It comes with a year-free replacement warranty and a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
The convex design allows you to store enough grated food inside the box. This product is built with four different unique grating patterns which are well suited for slicing, coarse grating, medium grating, and fine grating.
This cheese grater comes with a container that is not only attachable to the base of the grater but is also marked for precise measurement of the ingredients. Besides, both the container and its lid are safe to use in the freezer and microwave ovens.
Pros
- Comfortable handle
- Dishwasher safe
- Versatile grating textures
- Available in four color options
- Includes a microwave-safe container
Cons
- Only half of the grated cheese falls into the container.
Top 3- Rachael Ray Multi Stainless Steel Grater
Rachael Ray Multi Stainless Steel Grater is one of the best small-sized graters perfect for home use. Unlike the other products, this cheese grater is not shaped in the form of a box. It comes with a flat two-surface design.
Thanks to the silicone grip at the end of both sides, that makes the grater easier to hold for hours. It offers the users with maximum comfort and control as they grate the cheese. One surface of the blade is coarse for coarse grating, and the other is fine for finer grating.
Both blade surfaces are suitable for grating hard or soft items such as nutmeg, garlic, apple, chocolate, cheese, and onions. Moreover, the best way to use this product is by laying it atop bowls.
Pros
- Unique design
- Easy to maintain
- Offers comfortable grip
- Ultra-sharp blade
- Available in vivid colors
Cons
- Too small
Top 4- Utopia Kitchen Cheese Grater
If you are looking for an industrial-sized grater, this product is your best pick. Utopia Kitchen Cheese Grater is a versatile grater that is made of food-grade quality stainless steel. Washing this grater after use is hassle-free, it can either be washed manually or with the dishwasher machine.
This product is shaped hexagonally and comes in various grate sizes and patterns. It is perfect for fine grating, medium grating, ultra coarse grating, coarse grating, star shape, medium shaver, and even slicing.
This cheese grater is not only easy to use but allows you to shred or grate efficiently with speed, optimal safety, and comfort. The rubberized base keeps the greater steady on your work surface when in use.
Pros
- Multiple grating sides
- Non-slip base
- Comfortable handle
- High-quality stainless steel construction
- Lightweight
Cons
- The rubber base pulls off after sometime
Top 5- Tevokon Cheese Grater
Tevokon Cheese Grater is a rotary kitchen tool that replaces other cheese slicers and graters in your kitchen, saving you good counter space. It is a perfect gift item for any of your loved ones who love to cook. This product comes with three different detachable blades that perform a wide range of shredding jobs.
Only the blades are made of durable stainless steel; the other parts are built with BPA food-safe plastic. One unique feature of this grater is that it helps you keep your hands away from having direct contact with the sharp blades.
The various blades included are a slicing blade, a fine shredding blade, a cheese grater, and a peeler. The different parts are easily detachable for easy cleaning and compact storage. It is only suitable for manual washing.
Pros
- Switchable blades
- Offers optimal safety
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- A space-saving tool
Cons
- Not dishwasher safe
Top 6- Zyliss Classic Rotary Cheese Grater
Not all of the graters sold on the market are certified by reputable organizations. Zyliss Classic Rotary Cheese Grater is one of the best graters that meets all the requirements of NSF. It is suitable for grating hard cheese into uniform size and other hard edibles.
This rotary model is made of a food-safe plastic drum and stainless steel blade. All the parts, such as the plastic drum, the blade, and the handle, are detachable for convenient storage and easy cleanup. Also, the handle can be altered to either the left or right to suit both hand users.
You will grate more cheese with this grater using half the time required. Thanks to the stainless steel blades are ultra sharp and are resistant to corrosion. The entire grater and its components are dishwasher friendly, offering the users a convenient cleaning experience.
Pros
- NSF certified
- 5-year warranty
- Lightweight
- Switchable handle
- Safe for the dishwasher
Cons
- Not suitable for soft cheese
Top 7- Zyliss Classic Cheese Grater
If you love to use the smaller grate pattern of a grater, Zyliss Classic Cheese Grater is the ideal option for you. Besides, it is designed with a stainless steel blade that is extremely sharp and foolproof against rust. This product features a rubber handle that nicely fits into any size of the hand. It is comfortable to hold with just one hand.
The handle and the stainless steel drum are interchangeable to suit both left-handed users and right-handed users. The cheese shreds can fall from any of the sides of the grater that is opened.
This product takes less pressure to get your ingredients sliced or shredded consistently. It is convenient to move and store this cheese grater in limited storage space. Thanks to the detachable parts. One major drawback of this grater is that it is only suitable for dry hard edibles.
Pros
- Easy to assemble
- Removable parts
- Durable plastic
- Easy to grip
- Requires minimal storage space
Cons
- Limited grating patterns
What Is The Best Type Of Cheese Grater?
There are two types of blades to look for when purchasing a grater: stamped and etched. Stamped graters have thicker, more rigid blades that protrude from the body. Etched graters are created through a chemical process that corrodes teeth into the sides of the metal, resulting in razor-sharp teeth-like indents.
Although etched blades are sharper, the shreds are much thinner and shorter in length. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s just something to keep in mind. Sharper etched blades can also cause more damage if you happen to catch a finger on them.
Box graters are what most people associate with cheese grating in terms of style, and they are the best option for the majority of people. They are the bulkiest option, but they are also the most versatile and efficient for shredding large amounts of cheese. They typically have four sides, each with a different blade for a variety of shreds (and foods!):
- Large shredding holes are ideal for quickly shredding hard and soft cheeses, carrots, zucchini, apples, and tomatoes. The majority of chefs agree that these large openings are the most useful.
- Medium shredding holes are useful for slicing any of the aforementioned foods into smaller shavings. They’re also useful for grating potatoes for hash browns.
- Small shredding holes are ideal for finely slicing hard cheeses such as parmesan.
- Rough, raspy pinholes produce a fine, almost powdery grate that works well with chocolate, ginger, nutmeg, citrus, and garlic. These small holes tend to trap food, making them difficult to clean.
Aside from box graters, there are four main types of cheese graters, and the best one for you will depend on your needs:
- Handheld graters are single plane graters with one blade that are less bulky to store. They’re less versatile than box graters, but they’re usually less expensive, and they’re fine for occasional grating.
- Rotary graters are enclosed machines that grate the cheese by pressing it against a rotating blade. They are similar to the graters used at Olive Garden and are ideal for grating hard cheeses, nuts, chocolate, and cheese. Because the blades are not in contact with the hands, rotary graters are safe for children to use. All of the models we tested were easily reversible, making them suitable for left-handed customers as well.
- Electric graters are typically sold as attachments for larger kitchen appliances such as food processors or stand mixers, and they are ideal for quickly shredding large amounts of cheese and vegetables with minimal effort.
- Zesters and rasps are essential kitchen tools for any serious cook. They are far more effective than the pinhole side of a box grater and are ideal for grating parmesan, chocolate, and nutmeg, as well as making ginger, garlic, and chile pastes.
Alternative Video: 7 Best Cheese Grater
How To Choose The Best Cheese Grater?
When picking the best cheese grater, there are crucial factors to put into consideration. In this section, we will be discussing some of these factors. They include:
1. Build Quality
The build quality of the grater must be durable and of high quality. The material used for the blade is stainless steel bug; there are other products with ceramic blades. The other parts of the grater can either be made of steel or wood or plastic with a rubberized base or handle.
2. Shape And Size Of The Grater
There are different types of graters with countless shapes and sizes. Some graters are shaped to have up to 6 sides. This type of grater comes with numerous sizes of grate textures.
The shape of the grater will determine the number of sides that it will have. While the size, on the other hand, determines how much grating it can hold. The different sides of a grater have a unique sizes of the hole. Some are wider than the other, and each side is suitable for specific tasks.
3. Safety Features
It is important to stay alert and look out for a product with safety features like enclosed blades or a plastic handle when choosing. The entire surface of the cheese grater is covered with food-safe stainless steel blades, which could accidentally cut you if you are not careful when grating.
Most users of cheese greater make use of hand gloves to prevent their knuckles from getting hurt.
4. Ease Of Cleaning
In some cases, cleaning sometimes takes more time than cooking itself. Everyone will naturally go for a gadget that is effortless to clean and maintain. However, not all graters are easy to clean.
But most of them are dishwasher safe, and those that are not are clearly stated in the instructions manual. Look out for the ease of cleaning when choosing and ensure to pick an option that suits you.
Conclusion
Grating your cheese at home allows you to choose the coarseness of the cheese shreds. Most cooks want to save themselves enough cooking time by not using a knife to slice or chop ingredients.
If you are concerned about inconsistency in your edibles each time you grate or slice them, we recommend that you buy any of The Best Cheese Grater Test Kitchen that we have reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
For grating small amounts, handheld graters are the most convenient option. The classic look and feel of a handheld grater are combined with the durability of an OXO product in this etched coarse grater.
Box graters are what most people associate with cheese grating in terms of style, and they are the best option for the majority of people. They are the bulkiest option, but they are also the most versatile and efficient for shredding large amounts of cheese.
If a box grater is simply too large for you, you might prefer a traditional, hand-held grater, also known as the washboard style. Look for a washboard grater with a comfortable handle and a large surface area. The teeth should be sharp, but not so visible that the grater becomes a hazard in a kitchen drawer.
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