A stainless steel cheese grater is important for just about every kitchen, no matter if you spend a lot of time cooking or just putter around now and then. But are they worth the extra money? That’s what I’m going to talk about in this article today.
These days we have so many technological advances in different materials that you have many different options when it comes to things such as cheese graters. Quite often you can spend half as much on a solid plastic grater that will probably last nearly as long as your stainless steel version and do just as good a job.
The problem is, there’s something elegant about stainless steel that just appeals to most people and that’s one of the main reasons why I’ll never hand in mine for a plastic replacement.
There are some downsides though that are worth talking about. Some stainless steel cheese graters need to be hand washed which can really be a pain in the backside. Many of them are dishwasher safe, so you’ll need to check the package before you buy it, just to be sure.
On the other hand, almost every plastic or hard rubber grater on the market today is dishwasher safe making cleanup a hassle free nonevent. If you only use your grater every once in a while, this may not be a big deal but if you use it every single day, day after day, washing them by hand can quickly become intolerable.
One solid benefit in my mind is that steel graters seem to be able to take more abuse, and let’s face it, these things should be built for abuse. I’m always banging mine on the counter, or pushing too hard while I’m grating. My stainless steel cheese grater takes all the abuse I give it and still looks as nice as the day I bought it.
I’m not so sure a plastic version would hold up quite so well. In fact, I’m positive it wouldn’t! I’d probably bust it in a month, and then I’d have to go buy a replacement thus negating the price advantage.
In the end though I think it probably just comes down to a matter of personal preference and personal style. If you’re willing to spend a few extra dollars to get something that’s incredibly high quality, looks beautiful in your kitchen, and will virtually last forever- then a stainless steel cheese grater is definitely for you. If you don’t care so much and want to save a few dollars then go with a plastic version.
