What Is a Grater?
Let’s get zesty.
Graters are essential kitchen staples to keep on hand for those times you need food cut into strings or tiny bits. While most people know of graters as a tool for shredding cheese, food graters can be used for a wide variety of foods. If you’re wondering “what is a grater” and how to use one, keep reading. Our guide will answer all of your questions so you can use this kitchen tool in confidence.
What Is a Grater?
A food grater, also known as a cheese grater, is a kitchen tool used to shave cheese, garlic, citrus peels, or other foods – even spices – into thin strips or bits. Graters have holes with sharp raised edges to evenly cut or shred your food of choice.
Food graters come in two material options. Most graters are made with stainless steel to keep your grater from rusting, though there are also plastic options available. We highly recommend stainless steel food graters since these tend to be sharper and give your food more of a precise cut.
When looking for a food or cheese grater, note that there is also a range of sizes and formats. Handheld food graters are primarily flat with a handle attached; you’ll position it over a bowl or plate so you can catch all of the shavings as you grate. Countertop graters (also known as box graters) are boxy and look similar to the one in the picture above. They are made of four different size graters, so each side yields different-sized shavings. These box graters sit flat on your countertops and gather all of the shavings inside the walls of the grater. We highly recommend placing a countertop grater over a plate or cutting board to keep your countertops clean and help catch all of the shavings. Once you’re done grating your food of choice and are ready to disperse into your meal, simply lift up the box grater and sprinkle your shavings!
Ever wondered about a food grater vs. a zester? Are they the same? While they both serve a similar purpose, there’s actually a difference between these two kitchen tools.
Most zesters are used with citrus peels (like in the picture above), which is why they are also known as “citrus zesters”. They can also be used with hard cheeses like romano and parmesan. Zesters work just as graters do in the sense that they contain raised edges and sharp holes that grind away at the food to shred it into even bits. But citrus and hard cheeses aren’t the only foods zesters work with. You can use a zester to shred garlic and grind spices like nutmeg into fine bits.
Zesters are skinny and slimmer in size than graters, though they are still made with stainless steel materials. While most food graters have several shredding size options on their sides, zesters are a flat tool with just one shredding pane (as seen in the picture above).
If you don’t have a zester in your kitchen, don’t fret! Most box graters are built with a side that contain small holes reminiscent of the ones on graters, so you’re still able to zest a citrus peel or shred your spices.
How to Use a Grater
Now that you know what a food or cheese grater is, here are the steps you need to know how to use these handy kitchen tools.
Tip!
Speaking of handy kitchen tools, stock up on some more cool kitchen gadgets with help from our guide: 11 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets
How to Use a Handheld Grater
Using a handheld food or cheese grater is fairly simple. These graters lay completely flat and have a handle for you to firmly grasp.
Take your handheld grater and hold it over your bowl to collect the shavings, your cooking pan to disperse into your recipe, or your plate if you're sprinkling cheese over the food. Take the item you plan to grate in your free hand and place it on top of the grating plane. Begin to swipe the food back and forth over the grater until you’ve reached the desired amount that your recipe (or taste) calls for.
If you’re using a countertop grater, you will not need to hold it over a bowl or dish since box graters sit upright on their own and keep all the shavings contained, though we recommend at least putting down a plate or cutting board to keep your countertops free of shavings. Once you’ve chosen the side you’d like to use, place the food you’re grating along the plane and swipe the food in the same back and forth motion until you’ve reached the amount of shavings your recipe calls for. All your shavings will stay contained inside the walls of your countertop grater until you’re done and ready to lift.
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Now that we’ve answered “what is a grater?” it’s time to shred!
