New grater .... officially impressed

[Saracen]

Okay, so I was wrong. I always figured a grater is a grater is a grater, yeah? I mean, how good can these poncy microplane graters you see celebrity chefs using, be it to zest lemons or top a dish with pamesan, actually be?

But in a moment of weakness, I indulged in John Lewis the other day, and splurged on a "razor-sharp etched grater .... with exclusive Surface Glide Technology".

Frankly, that's the kind of marketing double-speak that's always put me off. I mean, it's a flippin' grater, not an F1 engine or a space shuttle component.

But by 'eck, this thing is good. Compared to my trusty old (and I DO mean old) box grater, this thing is like comparing a surgeon's scalpel to a stone age axe head, in relation to my box grater. Come to think of it, my old box grater might actually be stone age.

For many people, it might not be worth it, but if (like me) you have some wrist problems, this makes grating everything from cheddar to parmesan, nutmeg, garlic and ginger, a dream. Best £20 I've spent in quite a while.



So do you buy "quality" tools and equipment, or "cheap" versions?

[Willzzz]

This one?
http://www.johnlewis.com/231758729/Product.aspx

I'm always a quality man myself, at least for stuff that's going to last a good number of years.

[->EPC<-CoNv!cT]

Yes I have one in my knife bag at work, they certainly are the business.

[Funkstar]

With a super sharp grater, what happens when you get to the end of what you are grating? Do you shred your fingers, or is there a technique to it?

[Willzzz]

I think you just eat the bit you have left.

[Saracen]

This one?
http://www.johnlewis.com/231758729/Product.aspx

I'm always a quality man myself, at least for stuff that's going to last a good number of years.

Yes, and no. Very similar to that, but it's the fine grater, not the coarse one.

[Saracen]

With a super sharp grater, what happens when you get to the end of what you are grating? Do you shred your fingers, or is there a technique to it?

Depends what it is.

With parmesan, I ditch the last little bit, 'cos it's the outer 'skin'. If you're zesting lemon or oranfe, well, there is no last little bit since you're only after the zest. With garlic, or a softer cheese like cheddar (if you want it very finely grated, that is), you can eat the last little bit of cheddar, or with either, just grate very gently.

Obviously, as they are pretty sharp, the potential is there to grate yourself, but ironically, I find it less likely. It's like with knives - if you have really good, really sharp knives, you're less likely to cut yourself because they're sharp, so you use less pressure to cut and aren't as likely to slip as when putting more pressure on with blunt knives. Of course, if you do slip with really sharp knives, you risk ending up with a bad cut, but that's where a bit of knife technique comes in, in using them defensively so that if you slip, they slip away from your hand, not into it.

But as with sharp knives, so with these graters .... because they're sharp, you use less pressure and let the sharp edges do all the work. You more or less glide the material over the surface of the grater. The difference in 'feel' when grating really is quite remarkable, especially with harder material, like hard cheese, ginger or, worse yet, nutmeg. But if you do grate right down to the last, do it carefully. Like sharp knives, respect them and they're great. Lose concentration, lose blood.

[Funkstar]

Yeah that's what I figured Saracen.

I've got a half dozen Global knives which I've had for a few years now, so I'm well aware of the advantages of good sharp knives (must remember to sharpen them again soon). Very tempted by these, as you said, especially for the likes of zest and spices.

[scaryjim]

I get the right tool for the job, personally Sometimes it's the best quality one, sometimes it's the cheap one.

I won't have cheap knives in my kitchen, but I don't spend masses on my knives because I know I'll need to sharpen them eventually and I don't want to spend £100 on a knife only to shave the edges off with a lump of Aluminium Oxide (my sharpening block was bought ~ 6 years ago from a chinese supermarket in Birmingham, cost me a fiver, and has probably saved me £100 in new knives....).

If it's a wooden spoon, then 60p in Wilkos is just fine!

As to graters, I actually use one so rarely that I've never bothered with an expensive one. Current one is a fairly modern oval box grater (the kind with the removable base and handle/lid with a nutmeg grater in it). Can't remember where it came from (may even have been ikea - though if it was they no longer do that model) but I'm sure it was relatively cheap. That said, it gets used maybe twice a month, for either carrots or cheddar, then shoved back in the cupboard.

[Million]

I think you just eat the bit you have left.

Whether that be fingers or cheese, or both.

A friend of mine was going on about microplane graters the other day, and I can't say I really feel the need to spend that much, but I do like good knives, so I'd probably like this

[Ceefer]

My microplane grater is one of the best gadgets in my kitchen. I use it mostly for ginger and garlic - it produces a puree in seconds! I've not yet grated my finger-ends, even when grating garlic cloves. For reasons that I'm not sure about the skin on my fingers just seems to 'bounce' over the top of the tiny little blades. I'm getting another (coarser) microplane grater very soon.

[Verve]

I've been thinking of a getting a garlic press for a while as i'm fed up with using a knife to finely chop garlic. Would one of these fine graters be better than a traditional garlic press, as i've heard the presses can be a pain to clean?

[newh]

Yeah, I'm pretty conservative in terms of kitchen gadgets, but my microplane was worth every penny. I even bought one for my mum (a very keen and good cook) as a present. She looked a bit confused at first, but is now a total evangelist for the things.

Verve - after spending years replacing one broken garlic press after another, I eventually bought a 'garlic rocker'. It's easy to clean and pretty much indestructible. Have a look. Apologies if you already know this, but crushing garlic and chopping garlic leads to different results, so don't assume you can substitute one for another.

[Saracen]

.... Apologies if you already know this, but crushing garlic and chopping garlic leads to different results, so don't assume you can substitute one for another.

Plus 1 on that.

Chopping coarsely seems to work differently to chopping finely, and crushing is different again. Garlic cooked whole is quite sweet, while chopped adds more heat. And the finer you chop it, the easier it is to burn, and if you do, it can go horribly bitter.

Used well, and in the appropriate quantity, garlic is superb, but used carelessly it can go horribly wrong. It can be a tricksy little item.

[Verve]

Thanks for the replies. It seems I have a lot to learn about garlic preparation!! I just tend to chop it quite finely when using it for cooking curries, chilli's etc. Always assumed crushing it amounted to the same as finely chopping it.

So am I right in thinking that using a grater would be more like chopping it finely rather than using a press or rocker which would result in a paste?

[newh]

My understanding is that garlic (like onion) is made up of little capsules, each containing a little oil. The smaller the pieces, the more of this oil that's released.

So if you crush garlic, you end up with a very strong and pungent taste. If you chop it in large pieces, you end up with a milder, more subtle taste.

A couple of links:
http://www.thekitchn.com/whole-crushed-or-minced-garlic-103107
http://cooking.stackexchange.com/que...lic-in-cooking