How to Use a Grater | Grater Instructions and Directions

A grater is a tiny kitchen tool for shredding food into minute bits. Refer to our full Grater use guide below to learn more about how to use a Grater.

Select the Proper grinder.

Before you begin grating food, be sure you have the proper Grater for the job. To do so, you'll need to understand the most common varieties of graters, which are all described below.

Box Grater: The original and most common version, Box Graters are named for their box-like shape and flat bottom (which helps them sit conveniently on a level surface such as a tabletop). The Grater has various slicing surfaces on each side, making it suited for a wide range of meals. For example, one side may be built for grating cheese, while the other may be made for shredding vegetables such as carrots or potatoes.

Handheld graters, also known as Microplanes, have a handle and a single grating surface. Handheld graters are frequently used to shred hard cheeses, nutmeg, raw garlic, and root vegetables.

Rasp graters are a smaller and longer form of portable graters that are especially popular for shredding hard cheeses, garlic, nutmeg, and root vegetables.

Electric Graters: Similar to portable food processors, electric grinders function by grating, shredding, and grinding the food you put into them. Except for soft cheeses like cheddar or gouda, this choice works well for most foods.

Zester: A specialist grater, Zesters are most typically used to remove the zest from citrus fruits such as oranges or limes. Zesters are also frequently employed in the preparation of garlic and other root vegetables.

Grater for Nutmeg:Nutmeg Graters, which are cylindrical or half-cylindrical in form, are outfitted with small rasp holes through which Nutmeg seeds are scraped. This process yields Nutmeg powder, which can be used to season a drink or culinary preparation.

Prepare the food.

Now that you've selected the suitable Grater, make sure you've properly prepped whatever food item you intend to Grate. We recommend giving root veggies a good wash before grating them since rinsing vegetables after they've been grated might be difficult.

If you're going to utilize a box grater, think about which grating side you'll want to use. Teardrop-shaped holes, for example, are great for finely shredding vegetables or cheese for pizza.

Medium-sized holes will serve the same purpose, but the food will be finer and much smaller. Medium-sized holes are good for hash brown preparation.

Finally, spikey, projecting holes are ideal for pureeing vegetables and fruits, descaling fish, and zesting lemons.

Take a firm grip on the grater and begin grating.

The only thing left to do is take the Grater with a strong grip and begin grating. To do so, slide the food up and down the grating surface, using more force on the down strokes and less force on the up strokes.

If you're using a Box grinder, put the grinder's bottom into a bowl or other container. This will make collecting the shredded food particles easier.

Clean the grater.

After you've completed grating, quickly rinse the Grater to eliminate any residual food residue. This makes cleaning the utensil easier and prevents food from hardening inside the rivets and holes.