… and Other Grate Questions
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- … and Other Grate Questions
A Guide to Everything That Grates
00:00 Intro
00:47 Microplane
02:11 Food Processors
02:54 Box Graters
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Helen’s over here trying to make America grate again.
😁😉
😂😂😂
😂❤
😂
Someone's been watching Chef John.
The Cuisipro is the only box grater whose four sides are really useful. Coarse for carrots, medium for starchy roots, fine for hard cheeses, AND the bottom is a ginger grater. It’s top notch too because the holes are etched like a microplane and not punched, so they are perfectly shaped and cut very well after many years of use.
It is my understanding that OXO was founded by a gentleman designing kitchen tools for his severely arthritic wife. They also make microplanes and a nifty box grater with other attachments that capture the grated vegetables in the box. All of their stuff is top notch.
Omg, I have the OXO two-sided grater and TIL learned the sides detach! Thanks, Helen!!!!
I got this when I needed to replace my box grater I hated. I love it! I was excited when I saw Helen had it in her carrot cake!
Oh, dear, I'm 81 and not about to start buying more kitchen gear. I'm still using one of the pieces my gran gave me for my first apartment: a Foley all-in-one, which is so well used it's ready to fold in the center. But it hasn't yet, and since I'm not a great grater of veg, it works great for cheese and the few things I do. If I were to replace it, the OXO looks like the best choice. Thanks for the comparisons!
Looooved Foley products back in the day.
When I use a box grater I always wear a cutting glove. I'm a clutz and will grate my hand if given the opportunity. I do love a salad shooter for grating carrots and cheese - easy easy easy!
The Cuisipro is excellent. Plus: etched blades (the microplane patent has expired ) that slice cleanly and easily. Con: as dangerous as a mandoline. Armored glove recommended.
One thing about Microplanes is they may be less expensive at the woodworking shop than a cookware store! I've got several. I'm nearly 70 years old and my favorite graters are probably as old or older than I am. Picked up an an antique shop for about a couple dollars each.
I've always had trouble finding "that perfect grater I'm looking for" so it's always wonderful to see videos like this.
I use the standard box grater but I lay it down flat instead of standing it up like it's designed. It's easier to add pressure because gravity is helping and almost everything stays inside so you can pour it out when your done. Best hack ever!
How rarely do I find myself unable to break from the gaze of the lecturer, or listening with my entire heart.
I have 3 different hand-held graters from the Microplane Artisan series. The extra coarse is great for cheese and vegetables (so great I lost part of my thumb and thumbnail to it) and the ribbon is perfect for hard cheeses and chocolate. I don't do a ton of grating, so the handhelds are perfect for me, but can get really tiring for a big job (like a fermented beet & carrot slaw/ salad, filling a quart jar is A LOT of grating).
Microplane does a box grater that is about the same price of that Rösle, and I like it. I find all 4 sides useful. On that one, the side that is usually useless on typical box graters has a big plane of the standard MP zesting blades, and it has a decent quickie mandolin slicer on one of the thin walls. I still prefer a handheld Microplane for daily driving but I converted to the all-metal pro version - - bigger surface area, more ergonomic
I have a grater just like the Cuisipro, for about a decade, and use it weekly. Mine is made by Farberware and came with a plastic tub you could shred into, great product.
Yes, in Puertorrican cuisine we use that side of the box grater(the side that grates your knuckles😂)in making pasteles (to grate green banana, yuca, and other root tubers)at Christmas time.
I have the Cuisipro grater. It’s fantastic, and it’s so sharp it kind of scares me to use it. Definitely worth the purchase in my opinion!
The easiest way to avoid issues with the handle of a microplane is to buy one with no handle. The professional chefs in my family turned us on to the "Microplane" classic zester. It's affordable and simple -- one piece of metal with a plastic sleeve to protect it in the drawer. It works great and is trivially easy to clean. It does not drip in the drawer. :)
Hi, Helen.
We love our Cuisipro box-grater. The blades on it are just like the ones on a Microplane. Extremely sharp. And, unlike some other box-graters, all four sides are useful.
(Side note: Though I love to watch ATK's content on UA-cam, I have disagreed on several occasions with their reviews, analyses and recommendations.)
I’m using a Wonder Shredder set from the late 1920’s (my grandmother’s), an inexpensive rotary shredder, and a microplane…all serve me well. Also have an early 1900’s wood slicer (with wood press) for sauerkraut…still works well. Yes, I have new kitchen tools as well, but I like the old things that just work.
You make sauerkraut from wood!? Doesn't get lodged between your teeth?
There's such a thing as a Microplane box grater, and I love mine.
Here's an interesting thing about my microplane... I used it to grate some fresh turmeric a while ago and thought I had cleaned it throughly. Months later I got some Dawn Powerwash for the first time and after using the microplane on some garlic I sprayed it down with the powerwash for the first time and I got plumes of orange suds. Now I always spray my microplane down with powerwash, it does a grate job of cleaning my greater!
My OXO grater is 15 years old and getting dull. It's been a great kitchen companion every week. Now, time for a new companion!
Thank you for the recommendation of the Cuisipro. Will purchase and keep on grating...
That cuisipro is great. Very sharp.
I use my Cuisipro box grater almost every day. For salads I'll grate a carrot and then use the mandoline to slice some cucumber. Today I cooked Chef John's Korean Chicken Noodle Bake that he just released and used the microplane side to grate a surfeit of ginger. It is quick on the job and easy to clean, and got it from the recommendation from Serious Eats. I also like the grating attachments for my KitchenAid mixer. They are so much better than the Cuisinart food processor (which I hardly ever use anymore), and they are easier to clean.
When I was looking for a grater, I made the EXACT same choices you did. Wild! Enjoy your content so much, thank you!
The problem with the microplanes is you nearly always leave the end of your finger in the bowl along with whatever you are grating. I bought one because of all the good reviews and everyone that used it got injured so I had to sling it out.
The best grater I have is a kind of box grater but it uses a real box. That is, the body is a plastic tub and you change the grater lid depending on the size of product you want. Easy to use as all the grated product goes into the box and it's horizontal and doesn't slip. Very easy to clean as you can get to both sides of the grating surface easily, plus it fits into one of the plate racks in the dishwasher, and if you have done too much, the box just goes straight in the fridge.
If you want sliced cheese then a good vegetable peeler is perfect and for nutmeg and cinnamon, you need to buy a special grater which is like a pepper grater. You put the product in it and then you just have to turn the top.
Grate topic & timing😊. Thank you!
I have the classic microplane grater and agree it's excellent. My "box grater" is actually an oval container grater from Ikea. It has a plastic container, a fitted lid, and 2 metal grater covers, one with smaller holes, one with larger holes. After you grate, you can put on the lid and stick it in the fridge -- it's terrific if you're grating cheese for later.
For me 4 sides box grater from Ikea is the best. I'm using all of these sides. Carrots for cakes - the bigest "eyes/tears shape" are the best or for salads of course, but smaller eyes are usefull for fresh carrots or betroots when you want to prepare really moist salads, or vegetables for children (that juicy salads made from first new carrots from the garden, oh, they needs these smaller eyes). Dear Helen you ask in 3:01 who needs this? let me explain, side with rounded "eyes" is the best for raw potatoes - traditional potato latkes in Poland are made this way, also dishes named pyzy also kartacze. That part of grater is essential ;) the last side is slicer, kind of mandolin... and to be honest, personally I do prefer a knife to slice cucumber or white cabbage, but when it cames to potatoe gratin - that slicer is ok.. Also I would like to say, I really like your work here ;)
you can take the microplane blade out of the handle on those newer ones. i just use a kitchen towel to grab the blade and pull it out of the handle, then put the blade in the dishwasher. it's just in there firmly.
You might want to drill a drip hole in that handle. I fixed an umbrella handle that way--obviously taking care not to drill through any metal parts or to damage the structural integrity. And... giving you a possible complexity for cleaning. But, heck. Worth a try.
I love my cuispro. I do use my food processor for large jobs, but I am lucky that I have a robot coupe with every size disc. However the box grater is so much easier for weeknights. The microplane is a given
I have that same OXO grater and I love it.
Oxo makes tons of great gear I've been skeptical about until using, like their strawberry stem puller.
Oh my goodness , thank you so much ! We don’t use graters very often but sometimes we need one , now we have two great ideas for our kitchen.
My favorite tool for peeling can also be used for grating things like cabbage- a swedish cheese slicer. For grating things like carrots, I like using a handheld y-shape julienne peeler. The graters like a plate, I like the kind that attach to a storage container. You can apply force and the food is neat in the box.
I use the finer side on my box grater for Parmesan sometimes.
I've never been a fan of box graters, I think there a hassle to clean but I do use them very often. I had finally found a grater several years back and it was only $4. bucks, I took it home and used it that night on carrots, zucchini, beets and cheese, it worked great, almost effortless. So the next day I went back and bought the 11 they had left at the store thinking I may never find another that good, LOL It's been 5-6 years, I still haven't had to replace the original one bought. It is by far the best no name cheap product I've ever owned.
I really like the standard Oxo box grater Cook's Illustrated recommends. I like that you can shred a bunch of cheese or carrots and it stays put in the box. Then I slide a bench scraper under it and transfer my shreds to a bowl or to whatever I'm cooking. I hate other styles where the shreds are uncontained.
I have never seen someone grating towards them rather than away from them! It's funny how the simplest variations never come to my mind. I do think that human anatomy makes applying outward force much more effortless, but I'm also glad to have seen something new today! Gotta have your mind blown once in a while!
I got the Microplane Professional series full set. It was over $100 for all 5, but I find myself using them all depending on the dish or my mood. Super high quality, but maybe buy them one at a time.
They're a lot like the one that you splurged on, but I've never had issues with the angle of the holes. Super easy to use
I love my box grater, it's IKEA, it has only useful sides (coarse, fine, slices. And I think it's very convenient that the box grater contains whatever you great in the box until you lift it. Less mess.
I love my microplane zester. I really disliked testing before I got it.
However, for garlic, I recently found a better alternative while visiting Córdoba, the traditional ceramic plate used to grind garlic or tomato in Andaluzia, with the ceramic indentations.
Love it!
The most convenient grater I have owned came from Ikea and cost $3.99,it has an eliptical bowl and two lids one a course greater and the other a fine.Both are usable and the only problem I have had was that it got put in the back of the cupboard and I could not find it so I purchased a box grater that is much harder to clean.
The cuisipro grater is razor sharp and washes like a dream in the dishwasher.
Glad for this video. I’ve been struggling to find a good grater. The first problem is that they are way too short. My old hand me downs from mother and grandmothers were longer and allowed for a longer and smoother stroke. The current design on many have a bump and/or handle that is in the way of the beginning of the stroke. It seems like the designers have never used one. So many of the single sided hand held graters are just too small and short. I bought a grater at a restaurant supply house and it was inadequate at best. I do like my micro plane but it is too fine for many tasks and mine cuts In both directions making it really hard to clean on the cutting side. I’ll be checking out the Oxo Helen demonstrates.
The small square cutting hole on a box grater were for nutmeg and that sort of thing. The bigger ones for ginger according to my Granny who’s been gone for forty years. I never enjoyed using them or thought them to be efficient. But granny was the epitome of she who must be obeyed.
Thank you, Helen. I've appreciated your youtube lessons for many years now. Always insightful and fun. Greetings from Switzerland
I just bought that exact grater about a week ago. It is replacing my Mom's 40+year old, dull-as-heck grater. Her grater might even have been painted with lead, who knows? I've used the new one to grate parmesan, and I think it's wonderful. It does result in long ribbons. I also used the smaller grating side to grate ginger, like a microplane, and it also did excellent. If you want, I can chime in once I use the other two sides and the bottom "ginger grater".
I always use the box grater side with 3 long holes. It's the best way to grate cheese, you'll end up with long slices that are perfect for sandwiches, eggs, and topping foods!
I hate box graters too, and I'm just going to cry when my grandmother's vintage single sheet All In One grater finally wears out.
I buy a box grater from IKEA about once a decade and it works flawlessly and exactly like I need it to for most things for that whole time. Then it usually gets dropped or bent or lost and I go schlep out to an IKEA and buy another one.
I hear the argument for not needing three of the four sides, but I find the form factor perfect for my needs. I also have a microplaner for fine work.
I love that ikea one, too!
Me three!!
Love it
Now that's interesting. I never would've thought to use ginger on the microplane for fear of dulling it.
And the tiniest size on the box grater is what I always used for grating Sap Sago.
Helen, in Eastern Europe we use the box grater side with rough holes. It's essential for many potato dishes here, even our potato pancakes are made using that one. It produces smoother texture.
I have the Cuisipro, it's SHARP, like scary sharp, especially the blade on one side. However it does go through carrots really fast.
I do miss the small raised holes on normal box graters as those are used to make parmiggiano powder, so I can't do that anymore.
I think i like the shape of box graters more because i can grate for longer without needing to empty vs if its flat on the surface
We mostly use our box grater for cheese. My wife recently bought a rotary style one with different inserts.. it's soo much faster and easier.
I have had a Cuisipro since May 2020, so almost 4 years. It's very good, and very sharp, even the big holes are sharp (and dangerous). It was necessary to learn and remember, when using the large holes , NOT to press very hard, it's not necessary and so it's good for sticky stuff like cheddar cheese, because not pressing the cheese against the grater produces very little friction. Cleaning it is touchy though because bristles or anything fibrous tends to stray into the microplane features on the non-big-hole sides and snag. Other than that, I like it a lot. And, the metal itself is unusually hard for an item of this sort.
I have a flat grater a bit like the Rösle one but it has both big and small holes on one, and cutting slits on the other side. Works fine and the holes don’t have the weird form of the Rösle.
I have a very old grater with 3 options for size---flat and wonderful! It was my grandmother's, and it can be laid flat over the container. Love it!!
I have the CuisiPro. I am quite happy with it. I also LOVE most Oxo products.
For large qu’ies i am using a magimix cook expert with round discs. Probably same as more dedicated and cheaper 5200 machine. From a kilo of patatoes to rosti in 30 seconds. As for cleaning: just immedeately rinse with hot water and store without drying. Another 30 seconds. Downside is some flat pieces of what you grate bypass or get stuck so there is some loss.
I use the exact microplane and oxo grater for all the same reasons. When I want to grate fresh nutmeg I have a little antique one that still performs well. Thank you for all of your great advice!
I ditched my last box grater too, and I had one like the OXO but it was not real stable when I tried to use it so I tossed it as well. Instead I bought a set of individual small paddle style graters in different coarsenesses. I actually use the super fine one (like the side you pointed out on the box grater as being one nobody uses) for finely shredded cheese like parm or asiago. Just easier to clean up and the size I bought was just easy to handle.
The fine sides on a box grater are best to use for parm and Romano. Using a microplane for grated cheese creates feathery flakes that float on the top of the pasta. Sure you can mix them in, but a dust-like texture is what you want. You want grated cheese -- not shredded cheese. There is a difference. And if you try both you'll see that grated is better.
I was waiting for your review of the Cuisipro because we love it. It's the only box grater that I've been impressed with and it comes sharp. Also has a base with a bonus ginger grater. I think I probably found it through Serious Eats originally, but it's still our fav grater years later
Ikea has some graters with holes sharpened in both directions. I find it more efficient.
I dont get the dislike of box graters. I have one and use all 4 sides. It has a small grate for fine shreds, a large grate for bigger shreds like slaw/hash, the slicer for sliced carrots and such, and thr micro side that works like a microplane for zesting and more.
The crazy side on a box grater is for parmigiano cheese, it's annoying to use, but the results are amazing!
A few years back Ikea sold the perfect grater with collection container. It was in the Vardeful line.
It was ergonomic, had two different grating sizes and was very sharp. It also grated in both directions, so it was also efficient.
I don't know why it was discontinued, but I am still annoyed that I didn't buy a few spare ones.
I recently got the last grater you mentioned--with the two useless sides--and it facilitates an easy large grate, by holding it flat on a surface and pushing downward. Your dismantled OXO seems smarter, less tiring, easier to grip, and I'm going to get one asap.
I've had the Cuisipro for several years and echo all the other comments about it being scary sharp. It's the only grater I've ever had where the blade side is sharp enough to be actually useful, if dangerous. It's so sharp that it takes very little force to grate anything. It's a menace but I love it.
I need one of those zesters to help round out my kitchen. I also need a nice 10" tri-clad fryer and a forged 8" chef's knife, and maybe a meat tenderizer.
For large grating jobs (latkes, carrot cake, etc.) I like the metal grating attachment to my KitchenAid Mixer. I also like the circular French grater, Moulinex, but there are other brands out there. The older manual version with tin grating disks (in various hole sizes from shred to julienne to slices) tends to get oxidized (not exactly rusty, nothing ends up in the food). I like that one a lot because I can get the right size for French carrot salad or celery root salad without a tremendous amount of effort. The new ones are all plastic and motorized, a recipe for breakage. I only use my Cuisinart food processor for shredding cabbage for large amounts of sauerkraut.
Perfect! I've had my single grater for years and it definitely needs replacing. Def do not want a box grater, for the reason mentioned here but also for storage! I want my grater in a drawer, not a cabinet. Will check out the OXO - love that you can take it apart to make 2 separate ones! And, if I'm honest, my microplane is old and not so sharp anymore, either. 🙂
Great review! Oxo is my next pickup for sure after seeing that👍
I use my box grader, if you look on back side you can grade garlic just fine, I like box grader bc you can hold it in your hand with more control
I forced myself to use my small sized food processor for slicing and grating. Yes, at first it seems like a hassle to clean everything but once you slice through a pound of potatoes for your casserole in a minute tops and your fingers intact you get used to it. Sure, sometimes you have to half the vegetable so it can fit in the chute but for my purposes that's perfectly ok.
The microplane was originally a woodworking tool! Ihave circular diamond hone which fits the large holes in my box grater and am currently sharpening the large holes to cut more easily.
Water retention is my biggest pet peeve with kitchen tools (whisks are the worst!)
Thank you for doing this video! I hate my current grater and was thinking a box grater would be better. However after watching your video and reading all the comments, I've ordered the OXO one. The Cuispro was tempting, but all the people who bought one calling it "scary sharp" put me off. Not for myself personally, but my partner is a bit accident prone, and that's one thing I don't want to worry about! 😆
I bought a 20 dollar one (Cuisipro) for the same reasons, no regrets- Razor sharp, does not slide around.
I have a Microplane for parmesan since any courser will take all day to melt into a sauce. I have my $6 box grater (not as rusty as yours) for a single serving of mac & cheese or chili. For more cheese, I use the grating disk in my food processor. [I screwed up when buying the food processor. I didn’t notice that at the time Walmart had the plus model for the exact same (excellent) price (?). It is the same food processor with an additional plastic dough blade, which my stand mixer already has, and a fine grating disk, which would have been nice.]
I have an IKEA grater where the grater is the lid to a box that catches all the grated pieces. There are 2 grater lids, a large one that I use a lot for cheese, and a smaller one that I don't use as much. I really like it, but that OXO looks great too. I also have a rotary grater that I use for hard cheeses like parmesan -- the type they use at Olive Garden -- it's great. Wouldn't try it for carrots though! :D
Anyone who watches or reads America's Test Kitchen's gadget roundsups knows that OXO makes great quality stuff! Though they also love the Cuisipro.
The sizes that you deem "unusable" on the box grater are meant for nutmeg (the smaller side, better to use the microplane) or hard cheese such as Parmesan (the larger side, which works very well indeed).
OXO makes good products. For grating large amounts of cheese, or carrots, I still use my Salad Shooter - its over 40 years old! But makes short work of grating cheese and easy to wash. It's not good for much else but I keep it just for those 2 items.
Oh, excellent. I literally just ordered an OXO grater the other night!
My old faithful, that I got given 3rd-hand 20-odd years ago, has finally given up and started falling apart 😢 I don't know what brand it was, but this new OXO grater has very big "shoes to fill" lol
This was grate!
I've never bothered getting a microplane because it looks annoying to hand wash under the curved bottom side.
I used a box grater once and never used it again because, again, it's annoying to hand wash. I don't really like sticking my hand into a grater to clean it. I just have an OXO lemon zester and it has worked for my needs which is mostly low quantities of lemon zest and parmesan cheese.
That said, when I make something like mac and cheese, it can be too slow for the quantity of cheddar I need to grate because the grain is so fine. Maybe I'll get another coarser one-panel grater in the future.
3:03 - *_I use them... But they are a Bee-Hatch to clean (Or rather should I say too dry!) if you don't have a dishwasher and have to do it by hand! (you just can't dry off the water without having fibers from a cloth or paper towel getting stuck in there!)_*
I use all 4 sides of my box grater, depending on which cheese I’m using. I use my microplane for garlic and ginger, though
I'm surprised that the KitchenAid stand mixer adapter was not mention. In my book, it easily beats the food processors and box graders for speed and control. For microplanes, I prefer a paddle sized grater instead of that narrow stick-shaped one.
Making this video wasya grate idea. Thanks.
It seems like any time there's a comparison test of kitchen gadgets, OXO is always the winner.
Been using the same, cheap boxgrater for 20+ years 😆.
It still works just fine, but yeah...carrot pieces fly everywhere, when I use it and the clean up is annoying. Maybe I'll switch to the oxo thingy. I really only use it for grating carrots and cabbage anyways.
I have the same Microplane Premium Classic series zester (grey handle), and the Gourmet series fine grater. I almost got the Premium Classic spice grater for nutmeg and cinnamon, but I find the zester to be good enough. I may have to pick up the OXO, it looks good and I still don't have a coarse grater, although I rarely have a need for one. The few times I've needed a coarse grater, I was able to use a Super Benriner mandoline with the julienne attachment, plus a bit of knifework to get shorter pieces. It's a bit more work, but my kitchen is running out of room, lol.
BTW, I always swing my Microplanes like a whip a few times as I dry it, to get water out of the handles. But yeah, it's an annoyance.
I was gifted a black handled Microplane nearly 20 years ago. I use it at least 4 times weekly for Parmigiano-Reggiano. It also works well for fine grating chocolate. I have not noticed any degradation in its effectiveness. Definitely one of the most useful gifts I have ever received! OXO sure makes some nice kitchen utensils. And at a great price as well. THANKS for this video!!
Saladmaster. Ease of use. Fast. Versatile. Easy clean up. Expensive, but all you will need.(with the exception of a micro plane).
Good video.
Box graders are okay until you have to clean them .
I had the same issue so I went out and bought the "OXO Good Grips Etched Two-Fold Grater" A-frame and comes apart it looks a little different but it's so much nicer and it's so easy to clean as well as having the two sides I use 99% of the time.
Large tasks are still for the Breville sous chef processor but at least I don't dread using the new Oxo A-frame.
To clean use a brush and some dawn and clean from the underside! Not difficult but don’t use the sponge 😂.
I have a Cuisipro small grater, just like a Microplane and I like it better
I think you may have just gotten a defective micro plane zester. I've been using them for years and never had the problem you describe. Also, I've had the Cuisinart box grater for a couple of years now and it doesn't have any clear advantage over any of the others except for its strong frame and rubber handle, which makes it easier to control.