Using a cheese grater allows you to prepare cheese for use in recipes or atop your favorite foods. The biggest problem when using a cheese grater, especially a box grater, is that the repetitious motion of running the cheese back and forth across its surface, which can leave you worn out.
Luckily, you have some options when it comes to using your cheese grater, including holding it in a different way, using the different sides, and using other types of cheese graters for different purposes.
Here are some tips for using a cheese grater that can help make it easier for you to prepare your favorite recipes.
Use Cooking Spray
The biggest problem when grating cheese is the friction created between the cheese and the grater’s surface. Applying cooking spray to the surface of your cheese grater before using it helps to reduce the friction created between your cheese and the surface of the grater. This makes it much easier to grate the cheese.
Use a Toothbrush to Clean a Cheese Grater
Cleaning the residue from the surface of a cheese grater after use can also be difficult. To make cleanup easier, use an old toothbrush. Not only do the bristles make scrubbing the cheese residue off of the grater’s surface easier, but it also allows you to clean out all of the smaller holes of the grater.
Using the Smaller Holes
When grating cheese with a box cheese grater, you should take full advantage of its various sides, including the side with the smaller holes. The side with the smaller holes allows you to grate cheese into a slightly smaller shred, perfect for a quicker melt time, such as when you want to put some cheese onto the top of a bowl of chili.
Using the Spiky Holes
The side of a box grater with the small prickly holes gives you the ability to grate your cheese into a powder consistency. This side works great when shredding Parmesan cheese to top your spaghetti or salad. When using this side, you should run the cheese across the spikes to brush smaller pieces of cheese right off of the block.
Using the Wide Holes
The side of a box grater with the wider holes comes in handy when you want to slice off thin slabs of cheese. This works great when adding cheese to a salad or on top of certain pasta dishes, such as rigatoni or pappardelle. Keep in mind to only slice cheese using this side, as using it to slice veggies can leave you with a mess.
Using a Microplane Cheese Grater
A microplane cheese grater allows you to grate cheese into a fine powder, just like the spiky hole side of a box grater. Also, this type of grater works great when creating zest from citrus fruit or other items. Note: Be careful when grating cheese using this type of grater, as it does not work well with softer cheese.
Using a Rotary Cheese Grater
Rotary graters hold the items they grate inside of a small compartment on the top of the grater. As you turn the grater to create the grated cheese, you also push down on a handle that holds the cheese within it against the grater as you turn the handle. In addition to cheese, you can also grate nuts, chocolate, and other materials in the grater.
An Easier Way to Use a Box Cheese Grater
Instead of running your block of cheese up and down the surface of a box grater, you can lie it down to make it easier. Then all you need to do is run the block of cheese from side to side. This also allows you to more easily judge the amount of cheese you have grated. Check out the video below for more on how to use this simple hack.
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Ok, I was today years old when I found out THIS is how a cheese grater is used !? I feel a fool pic.twitter.com/OwE0Cvm8ZO
— Bea (@beasymss) October 12, 2018
