I have a variety of graters in my “er” drawer and whenever I cook, I find that I am always reaching for one tool over and over again; my Microplane grater. The one I use is a simple, long and slender grater with a sturdy handle. Call me resourceful, call my lazy, but I use a grater for so many things beyond cheese grating. If I need feathery light lemon, orange or lime zest without taking the white pith off, it works wonders. Fresh grated nutmeg or delicate ribbons of chocolate, I’m on it!

The Microplane is also a good tool for finely minced garlic and ginger, but I prefer another tool for juicer grating, the Kyocera Ceramic Grater.  This nifty thing is a small disk the size of a sand dollar with sharp points like teeth on the top and a well at the bottom for catching juices. For finely grated ginger, without the stringy fibers but all the ginger juices, it’s a great tool.

Let’s not forget the classic box cheese grater can be used far beyond cheese grating! Instead of chopping, try shredding. To me, there is something so satisfying about seeing the quick transformation of the shape and texture of a carrot turned into confetti or sturdy potatoes pulverized for potato cakes or even cucumbers shredded for a fresh twist on coleslaw. Like shredding paper or pushing Playdough through a machine, some kitchen tools can make cooking fun and so satisfying. Here is a recipe from Foodista that uses the magic of a fine grater as well as the magic of a ceramic grater.

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