Some people swear by their electric cheese grater while others can’t stand them at all and claim that any real chef uses a manual grater. I tend to think that both sides of the argument have some merit and that’s what I’d like to talk about today.
Electric Grater vs. Manual grater
So which really is better? I suppose a good place to start is with the pros and cons of each of them. It’s either that, or we simply degenerate into name calling. Actually, that might not be too bad, sounds like fun!
Electric Grater Pros:
I think the most important benefit is their ease of use. Drop in your cheese, chocolate, or whatever, press a button, and walla, instant grating. Some people have suggested that an automatic grater does a better job grating cheese. I find it pretty hard to swallow that one.
Electric Grater Cons:
So what’s bad about them? Well first of all the cost is a big negative. Most electric machines cost much much more than their manual counterpart. They can range from $30 for a cheap one, all the way up to several hundred dollars for the really fancy ones.
They’re also a lot harder to keep clean usually. You can’t simply stick them in the dishwasher. The blades usually pop out for easier cleaning, but bits of food usually get caught in strange places in the machine itself for most models. It’s a hassle.
Plus, the cheaper models tend to get clogged up easier. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to fix a jammed electric grater!
Manual Grater Pros:
Well, they give you much more control. Some people may argue this, but if you do a lot of cooking in your kitchen then you’ll agree with me. Plus, they’re just quicker to use. That seems counter intuitive, but it’s true. It takes me about 2 seconds to pull my manual grater out of the drawer, and another 10 seconds or so to grate my cheese, then another 1 second to toss the thing in the dishwasher. Easy.
Plus, they’re just heaps cheaper than any automatic electric machine. You can pick one up for $10 bucks. You can get a really fancy rotary cheese grater for $20 bucks. It’s a huge benefit!
Manual Grater Cons:
So what’s the downside? Manual means labor intensive. If you’ve got a lot of cheese or whatever to grate, it can take a while. If it doesn’t have a safety guard (as most don’t) you can nick your knuckles from time to time if you aren’t careful. This is more annoying than painful, but still, it’s a con.
So there you have it! What do you think? Have I convinced you yet? When you really get right down to it, I think it’s really just a matter of personal preference. For me, a good solid manual cheese grater is more than enough for me, for others they’ll need something more automatic.
If you decide to buy an Electric Cheese Grater, you have lots of options. Feel free to wander around our web site, I’m pretty sure we have several reviews for these types of gadgets among our cookware reviews.
