This ultra-sharp, fine Microplane Grater makes light work of zesting citrus fruit or finely grating cheese, chocolate, nutmeg, spices, garlic, horseradish, ginger and more. The really fine cut also produces a much more intensely fresh flavour for salads, to garnish a dessert, or to add to casseroles and bakes. The one that’s best for you depends on how often you grate food as well as what types. Box graters are a solid choice for anyone, but we found during our testing that some zest better than others. We also discovered that box graters are the easiest for shredding soft cheeses, so if you frequently shred soft cheese but also want to zest citrus, we recommend getting a box-style grater and a rasp grater with fine blades. If you enjoy cooking and baking, and adding those extra-special touches and flavors, these tools are a no-brainer to keep around. They save you time and effort in helping make delicious meals and desserts and get you out of the kitchen faster to enjoy eating them, too.

If you like versatility, you'll love our popular Square Grater. This kitchen grater is a real all-rounder and can help you finely cut practically all your favorite ingredients. Our Tower grater with Z-Cut two-way grating technology has four grating surfaces that let you grate everything from fruits, vegetables or nuts to chocolate and cheese. As a practical extra, the Square Grater comes with a matching collection tray so you can remove your freshly grated ingredients with no mess. This zester's rubber foot gives it some traction when you brace it against the counter to add a little more muscle to your zesting. Flat graters offer convenience that other graters can’t match. By lying the grater flat, you don’t have to apply as much pressure as you would to hold an upright grater in place. Our tester certainly found this to be true while testing, as they were able to actually place it over their plate while grating. “It was incredibly easy to grate the hard cheese because the rubber feet provided great support/friction,” they said. They also attributed this grater’s ease of use to its length, as it was also able to zest the orange quite well. They did say, though, that there was a difference in the zest between small holes and the larger ones present on rasp graters, so keep that in mind before you buy. Yes. “Graters are essentially lots of little knives,” says Slagle. “Imagine your knives if you never sharpened them—that’s the grater you’ve had for five years.” Unlike knives though, there is no way for you to sharpen the blades on a grater. So unfortunately, this is a product that you will have to replace as the years go by.Learn More About How We Test Products What to Look for in a Microplane Grater and Zester Versatility The next grater on our list wins the award for the catchiest name. The KitchenAid KN300OSOBA Box Grater might not roll off the tongue, but it knows how to grate! It’s a pretty basic design, with three stainless-steel grating surfaces and one slicing blade. This gives you the option to grate, shred, or slice your food, but unfortunately doesn’t contain a zesting surface. You’ll have to buy a separate tool for that. Sharp: Graters should be able to efficiently cut through hard vegetables or soft cheeses. You shouldn’t meet a lot of resistance when shredding or slicing on a good grater, and the results should be consistent enough to cook evenly or look attractive as a garnish. A sufficiently sharp zester will help remove just the right amount of citrus rind without ripping into the bitter pith.

This Microplane grater also features a dedicated area for slicing, should you want to slice up some cucumber for a salad or potatoes for potato gratin, and a bi-directional blade that produces ribbon-style shreds. Our tester also tried this grater out on smoked mozzarella and found it to work quite well. Plus, throughout the entirety of our testing, they never felt fatigued or uncomfortable using this grater, which is due in part to its steady base and ergonomic handle. Overall, our tester said they would recommend this grater, saying “it's user-friendly, high-quality, easy to clean, and versatile.” The grater is dishwasher safe, and we ran it though the dishwasher multiple times during testing. The box should be hand washed, but if it’s only used for storage it shouldn’t need a lot of cleaning. Who it isn’t for: People who want a grater that comes with a storage base and compartment for shredded food.Versatile: We preferred graters that have multiple sides with different hole sizes. Coarse holes (which vary in width from grater to grater) are useful for shredding vegetables (like potatoes and carrots), as well as firm or soft cheeses (like cheddar and mozzarella); fine holes are good for thinner shavings from citrus zest, garlic, nutmeg, ginger, and hard cheeses (like Parmesan and Pecorino Romano). Some box graters also have wide blades on one side to create slices of hard vegetables like beets or potatoes. Next on our list is another food grater from Oxo. They make a huge range of really high-quality culinary tools and the Oxo Good Grips Box Grater is one of their best products. It pretty much looks just like a normal box grater, but it has one added feature that makes it extra useful. On the bottom of the grater, there’s an attachable container to catch whatever you’re grating. This tool will come in handy, especially for health nuts that like to measure their food because it has measurements on both sides. Plus, it has a small lid on top so you can also use the container to store food if you grate too much by accident.

Most people know what a zester does, but perhaps a Microplane is new to you. If so, this brand guide will help you better understand Microplane products, why they’re the grater of choice for both professional chefs and home cooks, and which one you should buy.If you are looking for something that you can grate, slice, julienne and also collect and store your produce in, then take a look at this OXO Good Grips complete grate and slice set. It comes with four separate grating surfaces, each of which is color-coded for your convenience. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with the transparent container, which also has handy measuring marks. There’s also a transparent lid which can be additionally used as a flat top for storing sliced and grated produce. The cover itself has a 2-cup capacity, so it highly practical in itself. There are non-slip feet on the container to hold your base steady while you are working.