Most kitchens have some sort of cheese grater, but not many of them have a microplane cheese grater and if you do a lot of cooking then you probably already know how important they are and how useful they can be day in and day out.
Today I’m going to talk about them in a little bit of detail. I’m going to discuss several different options that you have as well as different prices you can expect to come up against so that hopefully after you read this you’ll have a pretty good idea of which microplane is right for you.
What is a microplane cheese grater?
Some people get confused when it comes to these little things so I wanted to take just a minute to clear the air. Unlike other graters, a microplane has teeth that chip away at whatever you’re trying to grate. Originally it was conceived as a woodworking tool but it caught on in the kitchen and the rest is history.
Apart from grating cheese, they’re also used to zest oranges and even nutmeg. They come in many configurations including rotary, box, and plane. Probably the most common configuration is a single handheld item with a short handle with a flat plane on top that you simply slide your cheese across by hand.
Here are three popular models that you’re likely to run into often:
- Microplane 35001 Home Series Coarse Grater
- Tom Douglas by Pinzon Microplane Gourmet Series Fine Grater
- Cuisipro Accutec Razor-Sharp Kitchen Rasp
Microplane 35001 Home Series Coarse Grater
At $14 this is sort of an industry-standard produced by a Microplane, the company that invented these things. It’s made of 18/10 stainless steel and a clear plastic frame. It also has a plastic safety cover which is nice and insurers that it will last a long time. It’s dishwasher safe as well. Based on 66 customer reviews, I give it a 95% A or 4 out of 5 stars.
Tom Douglas by Pinzon Microplane Gourmet Series Fine Grater
At $16 this is a slightly larger model with very sharp teeth. It has a very large grating area and a soft handle with a sure grip. It comes with a plastic blade cover and is dishwasher safe. I give it a 95% A as well, even though it doesn’t have as many customer ratings as the last model.
Cuisipro Accutec Razor-Sharp Kitchen Rasp
At $12 this is an interesting grater that’s made of 18/10 stainless steel with a very sharp blade that seems to glide right through whatever you put it against. It has an ergonomic oval handle with a rubber coating and non-slip base that is dishwasher safe. It is about 13 inches long and is a very nice coarse flat grater. Out of 72 reviews I give it a 98% A
So there you have three options when it comes to picking a Microplane Cheese Grater. If you do a lot of cooking in your kitchen then you’d be hard-pressed not to own at least one of these. They just make life so much easier it’s hard to live without them.
